This job has closed.

Manulife · 1 day ago

Managing Director, Business Management – Private Markets

Boston, Massachusetts

Full-time

Hybrid

Director/Executive

$157K/yr - $291K/yr

15+ years exp

Manulife is a leading international financial services provider, and they are seeking a Managing Director for their Global Private Markets platform. This role focuses on enhancing the operating model, driving efficiency, and overseeing execution governance across investment operations and supporting functions.

FinanceFinancial ExchangesFinancial Services

Responsibilities

Own and evolve the Private Markets operating model, ensuring clarity of roles, decision rights, handoffs, and accountability across investments and support functions

Lead ongoing assessment and refinement of processes to improve efficiency, scalability, consistency, and control

Drive standardization and simplification across investment strategies and business units, where appropriate

Establish and maintain effective governance structures to support decision-making in a global, matrixed environment

Identify and execute initiatives to improve operational efficiency and productivity, reducing manual work, rework, and process fragmentation

Partner with leadership on capacity planning, workload management, and headcount optimization

Define and monitor operational KPIs, service levels, and productivity metrics across functions

Ensure Private Markets can scale growth without disproportionate increases in cost or operational risk

Own the Private Markets book of work funding and approval process, including intake, prioritization, sequencing, and tracking of initiatives

Establish and maintain a disciplined statement of work (SOW) and resource allocation process across teams and functions

Balance 'run-the-business' and 'change-the-business' work to avoid bottlenecks and execution fatigue

Lead cross-functional governance forums to ensure alignment, transparency, and accountability for delivery

Own the Private Markets AI strategy, aligned with enterprise standards and priorities

Identify, prioritize, and sponsor AI and automation use cases across investment and operational workflows, data management, reporting, and risk processes

Partner with Technology, Data, and Risk teams to define data and technology strategy to ensure solutions are scalable, well-governed, and adopted by the business

Oversee change management to embed new tools and capabilities into day-to-day workflows

Work closely with Operations, Finance, Risk, Compliance, Legal, Technology, Data, HR, and Tax teams to design and execute effective operating processes

Drives organizational alignment to private market industry best practices, continuously scanning the market for emerging standards in governance, risk management, operational efficiency, and regulatory expectations—and translating insights into actionable upgrades across the operating model

Maintains deep awareness of competitive peer strategies, benchmarking the firm’s processes, technology stack, investment operations, and client‑service capabilities to ensure the platform remains differentiated, scalable, and positioned as a top‑quartile operator

Collaborates with business partners to determine best‑in‑class vendor oversight and partnership management, ensuring external partners deliver high‑quality, resilient, and cost‑effective services aligned with the firm’s strategic objectives

Serve as a central point of coordination to ensure functional initiatives align with the Private Markets operating model

Drive clarity around ownership, service expectations, and escalation paths between Private Markets and support teams

Ensure operating processes meet enterprise risk, regulatory, and control requirements

Partner with enterprise and Private Markets strategy teams to translate strategic priorities into executable initiatives

Coordinate with enterprise transformation teams to align Private Markets initiatives with firm-wide programs, platforms, and standards

Ensure transformation efforts are sequenced realistically and resourced appropriately within the Private Markets book of work

Act as a bridge between strategy, transformation, and day-to-day execution

Lead and influence cross-functional teams without direct authority in a matrixed organization

Drive adoption of new processes, tools, and governance through effective change management

Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational rigor

Provide clear, executive-level reporting on progress, risks, and outcomes

Qualification

Asset ManagementPrivate Markets OperationsOperating Model DesignChange ManagementAI StrategyCross-Functional LeadershipStakeholder EngagementAnalytical SkillsKPI-DrivenCommunication Skills

Required

15+ years of experience in asset management, private markets, or complex financial services organizations

Senior leadership experience in business management, operating model design, transformation, or COO-type roles

Strong understanding of private markets operations and fund lifecycle processes

Proven track record delivering cross-functional change initiatives at scale

Experience sponsoring technology, data, and AI initiatives from concept through implementation

Ability to influence senior stakeholders in a global, matrixed organization

Strong executive presence, communication, and analytical skills

Benefits

Health, dental, mental health, vision, short- and long-term disability, life and AD&D insurance coverage

Adoption/surrogacy and wellness benefits

Employee/family assistance plans

Various retirement savings plans (including pension/401(k) savings plans and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions)

Financial education and counseling resources

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)

Full range of statutory leaves of absence