Lead Experience Design Strategist

Join our dynamic and high-impact Experience Design team shaping the digital experiences for our Wealth, North American Retail, and Global Institutional businesses in Manulife Wealth and Asset Management. As a Lead Experience Design Strategist, you will drive complex, multi‑channel initiatives, help define the vision for future-state experiences, and influence product roadmaps that directly support our mission to elevate our digital ecosystem and make our customers’ lives better.

You thrive in ambiguity, lead through influence, and move fluidly between strategy and execution -accelerating decisions through research-led insights, service design excellence, and compelling storytelling.

Position Responsibilities:

• Lead end-to-end experience and service design strategy for new and existing digital initiatives – from discovery to implementation – ensuring customer needs remain central to product and business decisions
• Bring structure to ambiguous problem spaces by translating complex insights into clear and actionable strategic direction for both near-term delivery and long-term vision
• Plan and lead research and validation activities, integrating service design discovery, blueprinting, generative research, market and competitive scans, and evaluative testing to reveal gaps, uncover user needs, and de-risk decision-making
• Synthesize quantitative and qualitative inputs into high-quality, actionable insights, JTBD, opportunity maps, and experience frameworks that influence prioritization and strategic direction
• Partner closely with leaders in product, design, engineering, marketing, product, and sales to define a cohesive experience vision
• Influence roadmaps through confident facilitation, evidence-based storytelling, clear concept narratives, and experience principles that align senior stakeholders
• Evolve shared frameworks and ways of working that create consistency and raise quality across teams
• Strengthen the strategic design practice by sharing best practices, coaching peers, and elevating overall craft
• Integrate emerging technologies – including AI-enabled experiences- into visioning and solution definition

Required Qualifications:

• 6+ years of experience in design strategy, UX strategy, service design, or related disciplines within financial services or within similarly complex, regulated environments
• Bachelor’s degree in Design, HCI, or equivalent professional experience
• Portfolio demonstrating strategic process, service design depth, and shipped outcomes – ideally for digital experiences within Financial Services or similarly complex domains
• Proven ability to independently define, execute, and evolve strategic frameworks from ambiguity to measurable impact
• Exceptional storytelling, facilitation, and cross-functional stakeholder‑management skills
• High-quality visual and conceptual communication skills (PowerPoint, Mural, Figma, etc)
• Expertise in generative research, validation, and insight synthesis
• Experience leveraging AI‑augmented design and research tools to accelerate insights and ideation
• Demonstrated ability to lead and prioritize multiple workstreams in a time-sensitive environment

Preferred Qualifications:

• Track record of strategic initiatives that led to measurable improvements in user experience and business outcomes
• Strong portfolio highlighting strategic range, craft quality, and impact
• Experience leading teams across complex, cross‑functional initiatives
• Experience designing or supporting AI‑enabled products or AI design standards
• Familiarity with constraints across desktop, mobile, and multi-channel ecosystems
• Understanding of accessibility, ethics, and regulatory considerations in digital and AI‑enabled experiences

What Sets You Apart?

• You are committed to excellence and own your craft across all aspects of experience strategy
• You collaborate with low ego and contribute to a culture of transparency, trust, and continuous learning
• You think systematically – turning complexity into clarity and actionable plans that advocate for user needs while balancing business realities
• You are energized by solving core product problems and delivering thoughtful, high‑value experiences

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.