Contract Management Senior Specialist at Manulife in Waterloo

Contract Management Senior Specialist

Location: Waterloo, Ontario

As a Contract Management Senior Specialist you will play a critical role in driving vendor relationships, optimizing third‑party performance, and enabling strong business outcomes through strategic sourcing, contracting, and partnership management. You will collaborate across multiple business areas to ensure we secure competitive agreements, manage risks effectively, and deliver exceptional service to our internal stakeholders and customers.

Key Accountabilities

1. Vendor Contracting

• Provide leadership and subject‑matter expertise across procurement projects and outsourcing initiatives, including the development, negotiation, and management of low and medium risk contracts.

• Lead collaborative contracting activities with key stakeholders—including Business Units, Procurement, Legal, Risk, and Vendor Governance—covering RFIs, RFPs, MSAs, SOWs, amendments, change requests, and NDAs.

• Ensure best‑in‑class service delivery and competitive commercial agreements by engaging appropriate stakeholder groups and adhering to required project, operational, procurement, and risk frameworks.

• Act as a trusted advisor, ensuring alignment with all Procurement policies, sourcing best practices, and enterprise standards related to third-party contracting.

2. Relationship Management

• Build proactive and trusted partnerships with stakeholders, Procurement, Legal, Risk, and Vendor Governance teams to identify cost‑effective, innovative solutions that enhance product and service delivery.

• Partner closely with Vendor Governance Risk Management, Vendor Information Security Management, and Operational Risk to appropriately assess, mitigate, and manage third‑party risk.

• Serve as a key liaison between vendors and business units, fostering strong collaboration, maintaining strategic alignment, and ensuring vendors are positioned to deliver optimal performance and innovation.

3. Vendor Performance Management

• Oversee compliance with all enterprise risk policies and ensure that vendors meet requirements set out by Vendor Governance—such as risk assessments, scorecards, audits, and business continuity planning.

• Develop deep expertise in existing and future contracts, ensuring a full understanding of vendor obligations and performance expectations.

• Establish, track, and report on KPIs and SLAs to measure vendor performance and identify gaps or issues requiring corrective action.

• Conduct regular performance reviews, operational meetings, and touchpoints to ensure strategic alignment, address emerging issues, and strengthen vendor accountability.

4. Issue Management

• Lead the resolution of major service disruptions related to contracted services, working with business stakeholders and vendors to restore service quickly and effectively.

• Act as the primary escalation point for complex vendor‑related issues, driving root‑cause analysis and long‑term corrective actions.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent business experience, with 3+ years of experience in Procurement, Strategic Sourcing, or Vendor Management.

• Strong knowledge of insurance business operations, procurement processes, sourcing methodologies, contract law, and regulations relevant to third‑party engagements.

• Proven ability to build strong internal and external relationships and navigate complex stakeholder environments.

• Excellent collaboration, negotiation, and influencing skills, with the ability to balance business needs, vendor capabilities, and contractual obligations.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills, including experience presenting to senior and executive audiences.

• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, consulting, and conflict‑management skills.

• Highly self‑motivated with a strong drive for quality outcomes and the ability to achieve results through cross‑functional or indirect resources.

• Demonstrated project management experience.

If the successful candidate is in Québec, proficiency in both languages will be required to support clients from various provinces outside of Quebec.

When you join our team:

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

• We’ll recognize and support you in a flexible environment where well-being and inclusion are more than just words.

• As part of our global team, we’ll support you in shaping the future you want to see

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 hr@manulife.com.

Referenced Salary Location

Waterloo, OntarioHybrid

Salary range is expected to be between

$70,500.00 CAD - $117,500.00 CAD

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 hr@manulife.com for the salary range for your location.

Manulife 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 and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions) and financial education and counseling resources. Our generous paid time off program in Canada includes holidays, vacation, personal, and sick days, and we offer the full range of statutory leaves of absence. If you are applying for this role in the U.S., please contact hr@manulife.com for more information about U.S.-specific paid time off provisions.

We use data and analytics technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), and automated processing tools, to analyze and process the information you provide to us or third parties in the application process. For more information, please refer to our personal information collection statement.