Head of Product Transformation and Innovation

The Head of Product Transformation & Innovation will lead the strategic overhaul of Manulife Singapore's product development and delivery model, embedding a strong commercial lens into every stage of the process. This role is pivotal in evolving the product function from a reactive, BAU-driven setup into a future-ready, customer-centric, innovation-driven and commercially accountable team.

By driving process redesign, digital/AI enablement and cross-functional collaboration, this role will directly address key pain points - such as need of strategic structure, prolonged development cycles, fragmented channel input, and operational risk due to unclear or inconsistent processes. The ultimate goal is to accelerate speed-to-market, improve execution discipline, and ensure product initiatives are aligned with business growth and customer value.

Position Responsibilities:

1. Product Development Transformation

• Lead the redesign of the product development lifecycle to enable faster, more structured, and commercially aligned go-to-market execution.

• Partner with IT, Operations, Underwriting, and Distribution to implement capabilities and technology modules aimed at reducing turnaround times by 50%.

• Introduce prioritisation frameworks and governance models to replace ad hoc, request-driven workflows with strategic decision-making.

2. Strategic Product Enablement

• Build a proposition-driven approach to product development that ensures consistent customer and cross-channel alignment.

• Establish structured product management rhythms (reviews, checkpoints, and governance) to balance short-term delivery with long-term innovation.

• Elevate the product team's role from technical execution to strategic leadership, embedding commercial thinking into product planning and evaluation.

3. Organisational Change & Capability Build

• Drive mindset and skillset transformation across the product organisation, fostering agility, accountability, and cross-functional collaboration.

• Strengthen stakeholder engagement across senior leadership to ensure alignment, sponsorship, and visibility of product initiatives.

• Serve as the key interface between product, business leadership, and enabling functions, ensuring clarity of priorities and disciplined execution.

Required Qualifications:

• University degree

• Proven leadership skills, strategic thinking, decision making and execution skills

• Highly developed communication and relationship skills

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.