[Hiring] Associate Manager, Rehabilitation @Manulife

Role Description

Manulife’s National Rehabilitation Centre of Excellence is seeking an Associate Manager with strong people leadership, relationship-building expertise, and demonstrated rehabilitation and disability management experience. As a remote team, we welcome qualified candidates from across Canada.

Reporting to the Manager, National Rehabilitation, the Associate Manager will lead a team of Functional Rehabilitation Specialists and Vocational Rehabilitation Specialists who develop and deliver individualized, goal-oriented rehabilitation and return-to-work strategies. The successful candidate will combine effective people leadership with strong rehabilitation knowledge to coach clinical and vocational decision-making, support complex case consultation, and promote consistent, evidence-informed practices and outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Leadership and People Development
  • Lead, coach, mentor, and develop a high-performing remote team of rehabilitation specialists with functional and vocational expertise.
  • Build specialist capability through regular case consultation, quality-focused feedback, knowledge sharing, and targeted development planning.
  • Support sound professional judgment, clear documentation, effective communication, and timely decision-making in complex or sensitive situations.
  • Foster an inclusive, collaborative, and engaged team culture aligned with Manulife’s values.
  • Identify, develop, and retain talent, and recognize performance and contributions.
• Rehabilitation Practice Leadership and Quality
  • Provide practice leadership and consultation on complex rehabilitation and disability cases, including functional, workplace, and vocational barriers to recovery and return to work.
  • Coach specialists in developing, monitoring, and adjusting individualized, goal-oriented rehabilitation plans that are aligned with functional abilities, job demands, medical information, and sustainable return-to-work or job-resolution goals.
  • Guide functional rehabilitation approaches, including assessment of treatment needs, coordination with providers, evaluation of progress, and development of creative return-to-work solutions.
  • Guide vocational rehabilitation approaches, including vocational assessment, transferable skills analysis, occupational research, career planning, retraining, job development, and job-search strategies.
  • Promote appropriate interpretation and application of rehabilitation industry standards, disability insurance principles, medical terminology, job demands, and regional labour-market information.
  • Review rehabilitation strategies and files for quality, clarity, appropriate rationale, measurable goals, cost effectiveness, and alignment with best practices.
  • Support specialists in communicating difficult or complex information with professionalism, compassion, and appropriate boundaries.
• Operational Excellence
  • Oversee workflow, caseload distribution, productivity, and service delivery to meet service standards and client expectations.
  • Use data and quality insights to identify trends, manage risk, prioritize work, and improve rehabilitation and return-to-work outcomes.
  • Support effective vendor and budget management by coaching specialists to select appropriate, timely, and cost-effective services and programs.
  • Promote consistent documentation, timely follow-up, and effective collaboration across functional and vocational rehabilitation services.
  • Address escalated case, service, or operational issues and support appropriate resolution.
• Client and Stakeholder Management
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with plan members, plan sponsors, treatment and service providers, internal disability partners, and external clients.
  • Partner with case managers, disability specialists, mental health specialists, and other stakeholders to support coordinated rehabilitation and return-to-work solutions.
  • Participate in client meetings, presentations, and service discussions, translating rehabilitation concepts, strategies, and outcomes into clear business and client-focused language.
  • Ensure consistent, professional, and responsive client experience across team interactions.
• Strategy and Continuous Improvement
  • Contribute rehabilitation expertise to national priorities, service design, and the evolution of functional and vocational rehabilitation practices.
  • Identify opportunities to improve processes, tools, referral pathways, quality standards, and specialist capability.
  • Support the implementation and adoption of evidence-informed rehabilitation and disability management practices.
  • Promote innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning across the National Rehabilitation Centre of Excellence.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary diploma, CEGEP (DEC or DEP), or bachelor’s degree in a health, rehabilitation, vocational rehabilitation, disability management, or related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience in rehabilitation, disability management, or group insurance, with direct experience supporting complex rehabilitation and return-to-work planning.
• Strong understanding of functional rehabilitation principles, including functional abilities, job demands, treatment planning, recovery barriers, and sustainable return-to-work strategies.
• Strong understanding of vocational rehabilitation principles, including vocational assessment, transferable skills analysis, occupational research, retraining, job development, job search, and labour-market considerations.
• Sound knowledge of rehabilitation industry standards, disability insurance, medical terminology, case management, and disability and rehabilitation management best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate rehabilitation plans, provide case consultation, and coach others toward clear, evidence-informed, outcome-focused decisions.
• Experience with vendor and budget management, including consideration of service appropriateness, outcomes, and cost effectiveness.
• Proven experience leading, coaching, training, or developing professionals in a complex service environment.
• Strong analytical, organizational, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and escalated issues.
• Accredited Rehabilitation Professional (RRP), Canadian Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CCRC), Certified Disability Management Professional (CDMP), Certified Return to Work Coordinator (CRTWC), or eligibility for a related professional designation is considered an asset.
• Bilingualism in English and French is considered an asset.

Benefits

• 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.
• Various retirement savings plans (including pension and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions) and financial education and counseling resources.
• Generous paid time off program in Canada includes holidays, vacation, personal, and sick days, and the full range of statutory leaves of absence.