Payroll Implementation Specialist

This role represents an opportunity to be at the forefront of transformation, innovation and service excellence for our U.S. Retirement business. You will help to shape a new retirement recordkeeping and trust operations ecosystem including the complimentary tenets of people, process, technology, and data. You will be instrumental in evolving a new culture focused on efficiently servicing, transforming, and growing our U.S. Retirement business while maintaining our reputation for service excellence. The Payroll Onboarding Specialist opportunity is an individual contributor position and contributes to the overall success of Manulife Retirement John Hancock by primarily managing the onboarding of the payroll process and payroll interfaces to the John Hancock’s recordkeeping and trust platform. They focus on executing the requirements, testing finalization, and transition of implementation payrolls and payroll changes to the payroll technology infrastructure and in-force payroll team. Additional responsibilities to support operational management of retirement plans will also be required. The Payroll Onboarding Specialist will report to the Operations Director and are first line of communication with clients and vendors regarding all matter payroll onboarding and in-force changes. This role supports new and established clients who are setting up for the first time or are incurring changes within existing payroll.

Position Responsibilities:

• Manage relationship with the client and client’s payroll provider to establish a payroll feed, set up the payroll interface(s) recordkeeping system and confirm integrity of test files sent during implementation.
• Understand and explain purpose of the retirement plan product and the required data to enable the efficiency and productivity metrics driving the business.
• Negotiate and influence providers to send required data to support administrative, compliance, and customer experience record-keeping needs.
• Manage internal relationships during conversion with Plan Implementation Managers, Sales, Relationship Management and Operations team.
• Participate in conversion project team meetings.
• Primary focus on escalated payroll plans and issues that are impacting the implementation timeline and ensure they are resolved before handing off to the in-force payroll team.
• Process payrolls and serve as main payroll contact for “live” clients that have not yet transitioned to the in-force payroll administration team.
• Act in a project manager role and have ownership of in-force plan payroll provider changes.
• Provide subject matter expertise for research and resolution of complex payroll inquiries
• Attend training as required to stay current with system and product enhancements and process changes or improvements.
• Assist with procedure development and management.
• Responsibilities may also include completion of new plan set up on the recordkeeping platform

Required Qualifications:

• Firm understanding of U.S. Retirement marketplace and Plan Provider Services including recordkeeping and trust operations and the surrounding ecosystem including Advisor, Sponsor, Participant and TPA channels including digital, web, mobile and via business to business and participant Contact Centers.
• Expertise in plan onboarding, participant enrollment, payroll and eligibility services, money in motion, distribution processing, plan compliance services and global cash and trade reconciliation.
• Experience working with the FIS Omni Recordkeeping Platform including the business to business and business to customer scope of services (highly desirable).
• Understanding of 180 and 360 payroll solutions, and or experience working with data aggregators preferred
• Flexibility, adaptability, agility, and the capability to innovate, adapt and evolve while working through ambiguities associated with new processes, new systems and new products.
• Strong sense of process ownership and successful client outcomes.
• Experience in the U.S. marketplace as with Implementation, Payroll Operations or Client Service experience.
• Broad understanding of onboarding and servicing US Retirement clients.
• Project Management experience.
• University degree or related experience required.
• Accountability: Manages own performance, priorities, and outcome. Takes personal accountability when acting on all customer requests or issues.
• Client/customer facing experience required.
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to adapt to technology.
• Strong analytical/problem solving skills.
• Demonstrate ability to work in a team environment.
• Ability to work effectively within geographically dispersed team, leverage knowledge across the organization.
• Demonstrated ability to multi-task and work in high volume, deadline oriented, fast paced environment.
• Candidate must be detail oriented resulting in quality work.

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 recruitment@manulife.com.

Referenced Salary Location

Boston, MassachusettsHybrid

Salary range is expected to be between

$60,375.00 USD - $100,625.00 USD

If you are applying for this role outside of the primary location, please contact recruitment@manulife.com for the salary range for your location. 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. Employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance.

Manulife/John Hancock 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/401(k) savings plans and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions) and financial education and counseling resources. Our generous paid time off program in the U.S. includes up to 11 paid holidays, 3 personal days, 150 hours of vacation, and 40 hours of sick time (or more where required by law) each year, and we offer the full range of statutory leaves of absence.

Know Your Rights I Family & Medical Leave I Employee Polygraph Protection I Right to Work I E-Verify I Pay Transparency

Company: John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.)