The Director, Financial Crime Analytics Strategy & Optimization is a senior leadership role responsible for defining and executing the global strategy for tuning, optimizing, and modernizing financial crime detection systems, including Transaction Monitoring (TM) rulebooks, Customer Risk Rating (CRR) models, and Fraud detection models.
This role is a critical to drive the transition from legacy, rules-heavy and manually intensive controls to a risk-based, intelligence-led, and AI-enabled operating model. Reporting to the Global Head, Financial Crime Compliance Technology, The Director partners across Compliance, Technology, Data, Operations, and vendors to deliver measurable improvements in risk coverage, false-positive reduction, operational efficiency, and regulatory defensibility.
Position Responsibilities:
Financial Crime Analytics Strategy & Leadership
- Define and execute a global analytics optimization strategy across TM, CRR, and Fraud systems aligned to regulatory expectations and enterprise risk appetite.
- Act as a senior analytics SME for the Financial Crime Modernization Program, embedding analytics strategy into platform, data, and operating model decisions.
- Translate regulatory findings, audit issues, and risk assessments into clear optimization roadmaps and execution priorities.
Transaction Monitoring Rulebook Optimization
- Lead the ongoing optimization of global TM rulebooks across business lines, geographies, and customer segments.
- Reduce false positives while maintaining or strengthening risk coverage through segmentation, threshold tuning, scenario rationalization, and advanced analytics.
- Establish a sustainable TM optimization operating model, including periodic reviews, challenger approaches, and performance monitoring.
Customer Risk Rating (CRR) & Fraud Model Strategy
- Own the strategic direction for CRR and Fraud model tuning and enhancement, ensuring models are predictive, explainable, and effectively consumed by downstream controls.
- Lead recalibration initiatives in response to regulatory feedback, data changes, and business evolution.
- Ensure alignment between CRR, Fraud, and TM to deliver a cohesive, risk-based control ecosystem.
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- Define and execute the transition strategy from rules-based detection to AI and machine-learning-driven approaches.
- Partner with FCC Technology, Data, and vendors to design, test, and deploy ML and hybrid detection models.
- Establish model lifecycle governance covering performance monitoring, explainability, documentation, and audit readiness, with a robust controls process.
Governance, Audit & Regulatory Engagement
- Ensure all optimization activities are fully defensible, supported by robust documentation, validation, and change control.
- Act as a senior point of engagement for audit and regulatory reviews, clearly articulating optimization rationale and outcomes.
- Embed analytics governance into BAU to prevent post-remediation control degradation.
Stakeholder & Vendor Partnership
- Partner across Compliance, Operations, Technology, Data, and vendors to execute optimization at scale.
- Influence senior stakeholders across a global, matrixed organization.
- Provide thought leadership to executive forums on analytics strategy and transformation progress.
Required Qualifications:
- 8+ years of experience in Financial Crime Analytics, AML, Fraud, or Compliance Technology.
- Deep expertise in TM, CRR, and Fraud analytics optimization and remediation.
- Proven experience leading enterprise-scale analytics or FCC transformation initiatives.
- Strong understanding of AI/ML applications and regulatory expectations for model governance.
- Demonstrated ability to lead through influence in complex, global environments.
Key Leadership Behaviours:
- Strategic, outcome-focused leader with strong execution discipline.
- Credible with regulators, auditors, and senior executives.
- Balances innovation with regulatory pragmatism and risk discipline.
- Collaborative, resilient, and accountable for measurable outcomes.
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 $128,550 - $222,820 USD. Additionally, employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance.
LI-Hybrid
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 CAN, Ontario, Toronto, 200 Bloor Street East
Working Arrangement
Hybrid
Salary range is expected to be between $145,130.00 CAD - $195,130.00 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 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 info
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