Director, Credit Rating Agency Management and Investor Relations

The Investor Relations (IR) team manages the company’s ongoing communication with the investment community, including existing and prospective equity and debt investors, sell-side equity research analysts and credit rating agencies. The team also provides market intelligence and external stakeholder perspectives to senior management and other internal partners.

The Director is an experienced member of the IR team responsible for managing the day-to-day execution of the company’s credit rating agency program and supporting the broader IR program as required. The role coordinates engagement with rating agency analysts and relationship managers, prepares agency submissions and management briefing materials, monitors ratings and relevant credit developments, and reviews agency publications for factual accuracy. Working under the direction of the VP, Investor Relations, the Director develops analysis and recommendations on matters that may affect the company’s credit profile and supports effective communication with internal and external stakeholders.

• Manage day-to-day relationships with the company’s credit rating agencies, serving as a key point of contact for analysts and relationship managers and supporting senior-level engagement as appropriate
• Coordinate and execute the rating agency engagement program, including annual reviews, quarterly updates, management meetings, information requests and transaction-related communications
• Prepare and coordinate rating agency presentations, submissions and briefing materials, working with Finance, Treasury, Risk, Investments, Actuarial, business units and other internal stakeholders
• Monitor the company’s ratings, outlooks, key sensitivities and relevant methodology changes; identify potential areas of pressure or opportunity and provide timely analysis and recommendations to the VP, Investor Relations
• Review rating agency publications concerning the company for factual accuracy and completeness, coordinate validation with internal subject-matter experts, and support follow-up with the agencies where clarification may be required
• Analyze developments in capital, leverage, liquidity, earnings, investments, reinsurance, business mix and enterprise risk management to support the assessment of potential implications for the company’s credit profile and agency perspectives
• Monitor rating actions, credit developments and emerging themes affecting peers, the life insurance sector and key markets, and summarize relevant implications for internal stakeholders
• Support the evaluation of potential rating implications associated with financing, capital, reinsurance and other strategic initiatives, providing analysis and recommendations to the VP, Investor Relations and relevant internal partners

• Maintain and enhance processes, controls and analytical tools that support the effective execution of the rating agency management program
• Use Nasdaq IR Insight, Bloomberg, Capital IQ and other relevant platforms to support analysis, reporting and timely responses to information requests
• Provide guidance and quality review to junior IR team members and contribute to the coordination of work across the team
• Participate in ad hoc and special projects as required

• University degree in finance, accounting, actuarial science, economics or a related discipline; CPA/CA, CFA, FSA or MBA is an asset
• At least five years of relevant experience, ideally within insurance or financial services, with exposure to credit analysis, capital markets, Treasury, Investor Relations, Corporate Finance or Enterprise Risk Management
• Strong understanding of financial statements, capital markets and the insurance business; knowledge of the company’s products, financial profile and strategy is an asset
• Understanding of credit rating agency frameworks and methodologies, including the factors that influence financial strength and issuer credit ratings
• Ability to analyze complex financial and risk information and translate it into clear, credible and concise messaging for sophisticated internal and external audiences
• Experience reviewing external research or credit reports for factual accuracy, identifying material issues and working constructively with external stakeholders to resolve them
• Ability to identify emerging credit issues proactively and distinguish between informational developments and matters that could materially affect rating agency perceptions or ratings
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, sound judgment, strong attention to detail and well-developed relationship-management capabilities
• Advanced PowerPoint and Excel skills; experience with Bloomberg, Capital IQ, Nasdaq IR Insight or comparable market-intelligence platforms is an asset
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality work under tight timelines in a dynamic, market-sensitive environment

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.

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.

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 hr@manulife.com 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 hr@manulife.com 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.