AVP, Longer Healthier Better Advisor Network

Manulife is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make decisions easier and lives better. Help shape the future you want to see — and discover that better can take you anywhere you want to go.

The AVP, LHBN will lead a strategic initiative to design, build, and scale a platform of affiliated advisors, Longer. Healthier. Better. Advisor Network (LHBN) as the primary go-to-market engine for transactional products in Broad Markets/Mass Affluent. This position will be critical in telling our story of helping our customers living Longer. Healthier. Better. Lives. Through effective storytelling, they will help us recruit, motivate, and grow advisors.

This role combines strategic leadership with hands-on execution, inspiring through storytelling, adapting communication styles to diverse audiences, and reinforcing value-based selling principles. The Director will foster long-term relationships, act as a player coach, and manage budget oversight for network operations, events, and meetings.

Key Accountabilities:

Strategic Leadership & Program Design

• Develop and execute strategies for building and scaling the affiliated advisor platform.

• Translate business objectives into actionable plans with clear milestones and measurable outcomes.

• Influence priorities and resource allocation across Distribution, Product, Operations, Technology, and Marketing.

Agent Network Development

• Driving awareness of the platform; telling the story and recruiting agents

• Execute phased recruitment plans for MVP and scale-up, ensuring diversity and quality of the agent cohort.

• Define admission standards based on production quality, persistency, and mission alignment.

Lead Generation & Routing

• Operationalize lead framework across multiple channels (site, partner leads, events, paid media).

• Establish routing rules and quality metrics; maintain dashboards for lead throughput and conversion.

Compensation & Recognition

• Implement tiered compensation structure aligned with performance standards.

• Integrate recognition programs and differentiate benefits for top performers; monitor ROI and retention.

Sales Desk & Service Blueprint

• Stand up sales desk operations, including staffing, scripts, and knowledge base.

• Complete end-to-end service blueprint from certification through in-force; integrate digital tools for streamlined agent interactions.

Partner Engagement & Conversion

• Drive onboarding and conversion of BGAs/IMOs/LOAs; set explicit conversion goals and track progress.

• Conduct quarterly business reviews and publish outcomes to the shared scoreboard.

Certification & Training

• Design and manage certification programs, including curriculum development and LMS operations.

• Monitor completion rates, post-training conversion, and persistency metrics; publish results to dashboards.

Analytics & Reporting

• Maintain public scoreboards for certification, lead performance, and partner outcomes.

• Lead variance analysis and corrective actions; provide insights to senior leadership for decision-making.

Budget Oversight

• Manage budget for running the network, including events, meetings, and related operational expenses.

Job Requirements:

Experience:

• 8–12 years in life insurance distribution or field sales, with expertise in brokerage/IMO/BGA channels.

• Proven success in launching or scaling agent networks, sales desks, or wholesaler teams.

• Familiarity with certification and incentive programs; LOA/1099 experience preferred.

Licensing

• Must hold appropriate selling and oversight licenses, including Series 6, 63, and 26.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or industry designations (CLU, ChFC, FLMI) preferred.

Travel:

• Approximately 40% for partner and agent engagement, certification, and launch events.

Leadership & Competencies:

• Demonstrated ability to lead complex programs with significant business impact.

• Strong strategic and conceptual thinking; able to anticipate market trends and regulatory considerations.

• Skilled influencing senior stakeholders and building consensus across diverse interest groups.

• Communication & Relationship Building; Inspire through storytelling and adapt communication styles to different personalities. Reinforce value-based selling principles and model long-term relationship building.

• Exceptional problem-solving and decision-making skills; introduces new perspectives and solutions.

• Highly collaborative, with the ability to work across functions and manage competing priorities effectively.

• Strong communication skills; able to convey complex ideas clearly and persuasively.

Individual vs Shared Accountabilities:

• Individual: Strategic Leadership, Budget Oversight, Metrics, Performance Insights (Analytics & Reporting).

• Shared: Agent Network Development, Lead Generation & Routing, Compensation & Recognition, Sales Desk & Service Blueprint, Partner Engagement, Certification & Training. (Shared means collaboration with Distribution, Product, Ops, Tech, Marketing.)

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.

If you are applying to this role in Massachusetts, please note the salary range is $120,000 - $208,000 USD. Additionally, employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance.

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 hr@manulife.com.

Referenced Salary Location