The Director, Meetings & Events – North America is a strategic leadership role responsible for overseeing the planning, sourcing, execution, and governance of a diverse portfolio of meetings, conferences, and special events across the region.
Building on a team responsible for end-to-end event execution and stakeholder support, this role elevates accountability to include team leadership, operational excellence, supplier strategy, budget oversight, and alignment to business priorities across Wealth & Asset Management & Canada Segment.
This individual leads a team of event professionals and is accountable for ensuring programs are delivered with consistency, operational rigor, and measurable business impact in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Position Responsibilities
Leadership & Team Management
Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Event Planners and Senior Event Planners across North America
Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations aligned to business priorities
Drive a high-performance, collaborative team culture focused on accountability, continuous improvement, and service excellence
Support talent development, succession planning, and hiring to ensure appropriate team capacity and capability
Strategic Planning & Stakeholder Management
Partner with senior business leaders, marketing, and sales teams to define event strategies aligned to business objectives
Lead complex needs assessments to determine program scope, audience experience, and ROI metrics (evolved from planner-level needs analysis responsibilities)
Act as primary escalation point for stakeholders and ensure alignment across competing priorities
Program Oversight & Execution Excellence
Oversee delivery of all meetings, conferences, and events to ensure consistency, quality, and on-time execution
Provide governance and direction on program design, attendee experience, and operational execution
Ensure standardized use of tools (e.g., Cvent, reporting, registration platforms) across the team
Maintain oversight of event documentation, attendee communications, and logistics planning to ensure accuracy and quality (expanding on detailed execution responsibilities)
Financial Management & Budget Oversight
Own and oversee the North America Meetings & Events budget, including forecasting, tracking, and financial reporting
Drive cost efficiencies through strategic sourcing, vendor negotiations, and consolidation opportunities
Ensure all programs are delivered within budget parameters while maximizing value (building on planner-level budget accountability)
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partner with internal marketing, operations, finance, and compliance teams to deliver integrated event solutions (building on collaboration expectations)
Lead cross-functional alignment on large-scale programs and strategic initiatives
Represent the Meetings & Events function in leadership discussions and business planning forums
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree required
10–15+ years of experience in meetings, events, or hospitality, with demonstrated leadership experience (expanding on planner-level experience)
Proven experience managing large-scale, complex event portfolios across multiple business lines
Strong financial acumen with experience managing multi-million dollar budgets
Expertise in event sourcing, contract negotiation, and supplier management
Experience leading and developing high-performing teams
Knowledge of event technology platforms (e.g., Cvent)
Exceptional communication, executive presence, and stakeholder management skills
Strong organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities
Bilingualism (English and French) is an asset. If the successful candidate is in Québec, proficiency in both languages will be required to support clients from various provinces outside of Quebec.
Key Competencies
Strategic Leadership
Executive Communication & Influence
Operational Excellence
Financial & Commercial Acumen
Stakeholder & Relationship Management
Change Leadership & Process Improvement
When you join our team:
As part of our global team, we’ll support you in shaping the future you want to see.
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.
#LI-Hybrid
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
Toronto, Ontario
Hybrid
Salary range is expected to be between
$125,100.00 CAD - $175,100.00 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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.
