Manager - IT Service Management (Waterloo)

We are seeking a Manager, IT Service Management to lead a critical part of our IT Service Management and Production Support organization. In this role, you will drive consistent, high-quality support across customer-facing products, enterprise applications, and core infrastructure services. You will lead a multi-disciplinary team responsible for incident resolution, service request fulfillment, operational monitoring, reporting, and continuous improvement. This is a hands-on technical leadership role that combines people leadership, ITSM process ownership, and broad technical expertise. You will help improve service performance through clear service level agreements (SLAs), structured processes, data-driven decision-making, and an automation-first mindsetenhancing reliability while reducing manual effort. This role partners closely with global incident, problem, and change management teams, as well as IT Operations governance, representing both customer and internal stakeholder needs. Position Responsibilities: You will lead and develop a team with complementary capabilities across frontline support, technical investigation, application support, and operational monitoring. The team is accountable for delivering high-quality incident and request handling while improving system stability and user experience. Delivering effective incident management, service request fulfillment, and technical troubleshooting Collaborating with engineering teams to improve system reliability and performance Driving measurable improvements in service delivery and customer experience Team Functions: Support Specialists (Tier 1 / Tier 2): Provide application support, user administration, documentation, and escalation management Operations Engineers and Technical Analysts: Perform structured technical analysis, resolve system issues, and partner with engineering to reduce risks Operations Monitoring & Reporting Analysts: Develop dashboards, alerts, and trend reports to proactively identify and address service issues People Leadership & Team Management: Lead, coach, and develop a team of IT operations engineers and technical analysts Foster an inclusive culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous learning, and psychological safety Set clear performance expectations and development plans aligned to organizational goals Manage workforce planning, onboarding, scheduling, and capacity Partner with HR and leadership on talent development, engagement, and performance management Service Desk & Incident Management: Oversee daily execution of Incident Management and Service Request Management Ensure incidents are prioritized and resolved within defined SLAs Act as an escalation point for complex or high-impact issues Deliver consistent, high-quality user experiences through clear communication Ensure accurate ticket documentation and lifecycle management IT Operations & Operational Excellence: Maintain stability and reliability of core IT services and end-user systems Monitor trends and recurring issues across platforms and services Collaborate with engineering and infrastructure teams to improve resilience Support major incident coordination and post-incident reviews Automation, Toil Reduction & Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities to reduce manual effort through automation and self-service Promote knowledge reuse, shift-left practices, and proactive issue prevention Use data and trends to identify improvement opportunities Champion continuous improvement aligned with ITSM best practices Reporting, Metrics & Stakeholder Communication: Contribute to reporting on incident trends, backlog, SLA performance, and service volumes Translate operational metrics into actionable insights for stakeholders Regularly review data to identify risks, opportunities, and capacity needs Support service reviews and broader IT service governance Required Qualifications: 5+ years of experience in IT delivery, support, service operations, or IT service management 3+ years of people management experience leading technical support, operations, engineering, or service desk teams (Tier 1 / Tier 2) Strong knowledge of ITSM practices (Incident, Service Request, Problem Management; familiarity with Change and Release Management) Experience working in ticket-based environments (e.g., Service Now, Jira Service Management) Proven ability to drive KPIs through reporting, backlog management, SLA tracking, and trend analysis Strong communication skills, with the ability to clearly explain technical issues to both technical and non-technical audiences Experience with documentation and knowledge management (e.g., runbooks, playbooks, reusable solutions) Demonstrated ability to improve processes through automation, standardization, and self-service Exposure to SDLC and Agile environments, including supporting deployments and operational readiness Preferred Qualifications: ITIL 4 knowledge or ITSM certification (ITIL preferred) Experience implementing service operations automation and self-service capabilities Experience with monitoring and reporting tools (e.g., dashboards, alerting systems) in enterprise environments Salesforce experience is considered an asset People-first leadership focused on trust, growth, and accountability Robust operational mindset with attention to detail and service quality Data-driven decision-making approach Ability to balance short-term operational demands with long-term improvements Composed and structured approach in high-pressure situations When you join our team: Well empower you to learn and grow the career you want. Well recognize and support you in a flexible environment where well-being and inclusion are more than just words. As part of our distributed team, well 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 . 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 Referenced Salary Location Waterloo, Ontario Working Arrangement Hybrid Salary range is expected to be between $113,000.00 CAD - $163,000.00 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 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 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. Apply on Kit Job: kitjob.ca/job/2pkntl