Director, Internal Sales Desk

The Director, Internal Sales Desk is a senior sales leader responsible for building and leading a high-performing Sales Desk that drives distribution growth and delivers consistent, high-quality presales support. 

This role oversees both Internal Wholesalers and Sales Support Specialists, ensuring a balanced model of proactive sales engagement and efficient service delivery across the presales lifecycle. The Director translates strategy into execution, develops talent, and drives continuous improvement in sales effectiveness, service quality, and operational performance.  The position offers a sales based incentive with base salary and opportunities for performance bonuses in the all in target compensation range of $150,000 to $160,000, plus benefits.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing, multi-tiered Sales Desk team
• Align Sales Desk priorities with distribution strategy and business goals
• Drive sales opportunity development and conversion outcomes
• Deliver efficient, scalable, and high-quality presales support
• Establish disciplined operations, service standards, and performance management
• Contribute to distribution leadership and cross-functional initiatives

Position Responsibilities:

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop Internal Wholesalers and Sales Support Specialists with clear roles, expectations, and performance outcomes 

• Build a strong team culture focused on accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement 

• Implement targeted development programs to strengthen sales capabilities and technical/service expertise 

• Establish clear career pathways and succession planning across roles 

Sales Execution & Opportunity Management

• Translate distribution strategy into actionable Sales Desk plans and priorities 

• Drive proactive sales activity, opportunity identification, and pipeline development 

• Provide oversight on complex cases, proposals, and engagement strategies 

• Optimize collaboration between Internal Wholesalers (sales development) and Sales Support Specialists (case execution) to improve conversion and client experience 

Sales Support and Service Delivery

• Oversee end-to-end presales support, including inbound inquiries, case coordination, illustrations, and product support 

• Establish and manage service levels, response standards, and quality expectations for all support activities 

• Ensure consistent, accurate, and professional interactions with internal and external stakeholders 

• Manage workflow, capacity, and case distribution to support high-volume activity efficiently 

• Monitor service metrics (e.g., turnaround time, quality, responsiveness) and drive continuous improvement 

Organizational Leadership & Governance

• Serve as a key member of the Distribution Management team and Sales Leadership forums.
• Contribute to enterprise planning, decision-making, and cross-functional initiatives.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on Sales Desk capabilities and performance.

Operational Excellence

• Oversee daily Sales Desk operations across sales execution and service delivery 

• Define and optimize staffing models, workflows, and resource allocation 

• Implement performance metrics and reporting across sales and service functions 

• Drive improvements in tools, systems, and processes to increase efficiency and scalability 

Subject Matter Expertise & Stakeholder Partnership

• Partner with Sales, Product, and Distribution leaders to align priorities and execution 

• Act as a key liaison between field sales and internal support teams 

• Provide insights to inform business planning, process improvements, and system enhancements 

• Contribute to distribution strategy, planning, and leadership forums 

Communication & Enablement

• Ensure clear, consistent communication across Sales Desk and stakeholders 

• Lead training on sales campaigns, product updates, tools, and processes 

• Equip teams with the knowledge, resources, and messaging needed to perform effectively 

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and business experience.
• 5+ years of progressive management and sales leadership experience.
• Life and Annuities experience preferred
• Required licenses: Life & Health.
• 7+ years of experience in insurance, financial services, or a closely related distribution environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional initiatives and managing complex priorities 

Competencies

• Sales leadership and execution 

• Talent development and performance management 

• Service operations and process optimization 

• Business acumen and analytical thinking 

• Stakeholder influence and collaboration 

• Change leadership and continuous improvement 

• Strong communication and decision-making 

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.

#LI-JH

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 [email protected].

Referenced Salary Location

Salary range is expected to be between

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 [email protected] for the salary range for your location.

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.

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.

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