Mid-Large Associate Director

The Associate Director (AD), Retirement Sales (Mid-Large Market) partners closely with a Regional Vice President (RVP) and is responsible for growing a Mid-Large market retirement franchise in the $50M+ plan segment. This role serves as a strategic extension of the RVP – supporting advisor relationships, opportunity execution and strengthening Manulife John Hancock’s competitive position with retirement plan advisors and consultants.

Covering a defined territory, the AD partners with top-tier retirement plan advisors, consultants, and third-party administrators to deliver consultative, ERISA-focused solutions across defined contribution, defined benefit, and non-qualified plans. The AD plays a critical role in disciplined opportunity management, elite advisor segmentation, RFP execution, finalist preparation and deal strategy.

The role provides meaningful exposure to complex retirement sales, deep advisor engagement, and hands-on leadership experience within the Mid-Large Segment while advancing Manulife John Hancock’s mission of helping people confidently save and invest for retirement.

Key Responsibilities:

Territory & Business Leadership

• Partner with the RVP to support ownership and growth of the Mid-Large Market retirement franchise across an assigned territory, focused on corporate plans with $50M+ in assets.

• Contribute to territory strategy development aligned to new sales growth, advisor prioritization, and long-term franchise value.

• Demonstrates ownership mindset for territory outcomes by proactively managing opportunities, prioritizing advisor engagement and exercising sound judgement on where to invest time and resources.

Consultative & Advisor-Centric Selling

• Deliver a consultative sales experience to advisors by understanding their business models, service offerings, growth objectives, and client needs.

• Clearly articulate how Manulife John Hancock Retirement products, services, and experience align with advisor and consultant models.

• Apply a discovery-driven approach to uncover opportunities, competitive positioning, and understanding of emerging client needs.

Elite Advisor Segmentation & Relationship Management

• Build credibility and strong working relationships with retirement plan advisors, consultants, and TPAs

• Execute proactive engagement strategies across Elite Advisor Segmentation through intentional virtual meetings and live calls.

Industry, Product, & Competitive Expertise

• Maintain a strong working knowledge of ERISA, DC/DB/NQ plan design, pricing structures, and fiduciary considerations.

• Stay current on industry trends, regulatory developments, and competitive offerings.

• Review and interpret plan documents, SPDs, and disclosures to support opportunity analysis and sales strategy.

RFP, Finalist, & Deal Execution Excellence

• Lead qualification and analysis of opportunities to ensure alignment with Manulife John Hancock Retirement capabilities and strengths.

• Execute a disciplined RFP process in partnership with RFP writers and internal teams, ensuring responses are accurate, concise, and competitively positioned.

• Conduct detailed pricing analysis and collaborate with pricing partners to submit complete, timely, and well-articulated pricing requests.

• Support finalist preparation by capturing key plan details, developing strategy documents, coordinating presentation messaging, and sharing committee insights with the RVP and presentation team members.

Collaboration & Centers of Influence

• Partner closely with internal stakeholders, including Relationship Managers, Operations, Implementation, Marketing, and Communications, as well as external centers of influence including retirement plan advisors, TPA’s and DCIO’s.

Operational Discipline & Technology

• Execute with strong organization, attention to detail, and follow-through across multiple active opportunities.

• Leverage Salesforce, benchmarking tools, fee analysis, and prospecting resources to manage pipeline and advisor engagement.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree

• 4+ years of experience in retirement plans or financial services

• 4+ years of proven success in one or more of the following:

  • Internal or external retirement plan sales

  • Relationship management

  • ERISA consulting

  • Communications, operations, or implementation

• Active and maintain Life Insurance and Series 6 licenses

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong passion for growing a territory and supporting advisor success

• Deep knowledge of ERISA regulations and DC/DB/NQ plan design

• Financial acumen applied to pricing strategy and value-based selling

• Demonstrated success supporting complex, multi-decision-maker sales environments

• Strong presentation, storytelling, and finalist preparation capabilities

• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, including plan-level review and competitive analysis

• Proven ability to influence advisors, consultants, plan sponsors, and internal partners

• Track record of disciplined pipeline and territory management

• Commitment to trust, accountability, and collaborative team performance

What Success Looks Like

• Consistent RFP and finalist execution with prioritized advisors

• Strong partnership with RVPs resulting in increased win rates and deal quality

• Growing advisor engagement, trust, and repeat business

• Reputation as a disciplined, consultative, and reliable sales partner

• Increasing responsibility and leadership within the Mid-Large Segment

When You Join Our Team

• We’ll empower you to learn and grow the career you want.

• We’ll support flexibility, well-being, and inclusion—backed by action.

• As part of our global team, you’ll help shape the future of retirement.

The role being advertised is an existing vacancy.

About Manulife and John Hancock

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. To learn more about us, visit https://www.manulife.com/en/about/our-story.html.

Manulife is an Equal Opportunity Employer

At Manulife/John Hancock, we embrace our diversity. We strive to attract, develop and retain a workforce that is as diverse as the customers we serve and to foster an inclusive work environment that embraces the strength of cultures and individuals. We are committed to fair recruitment, retention, advancement and compensation, and we administer all of our practices and programs without discrimination on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion or religious beliefs, creed, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions), sexual orientation, genetic characteristics, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, disability, or any other ground protected by applicable law.

It is our priority to remove barriers to provide equal access to employment. A Human Resources representative will work with applicants who request a reasonable accommodation during the application process. All information shared during the accommodation request process will be stored and used in a manner that is consistent with applicable laws and Manulife/John Hancock policies. To request a reasonable accommodation in the application process, contact [email protected].

Referenced Salary Location

Salary range is expected to be between

Employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance. The actual salary will vary depending on local market conditions, geography and relevant job-related factors such as knowledge, skills, qualifications, experience, and education/training. If you are applying for this role outside of the primary location, please contact [email protected] for the salary range for your location.

Manulife/John Hancock offers eligible employees a wide array of customizable benefits, including health, dental, mental health, vision, short- and long-term disability, life and AD&D insurance coverage, adoption/surrogacy and wellness benefits, and employee/family assistance plans. We also offer eligible employees various retirement savings plans (including pension/401(k) savings plans and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions) and financial education and counseling resources. Our generous paid time off program in the U.S. includes up to 11 paid holidays, 3 personal days, 150 hours of vacation, and 40 hours of sick time (or more where required by law) each year, and we offer the full range of statutory leaves of absence.

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