GRO Program - AI

At Manulife, we believe in investing in the future starting with you! Our GRO program is a bold new approach to early talent development, designed to launch your career with the support, structure, and opportunities you need to thrive. GRO is Manulife’s flagship early talent program. It’s more than just a job, it’s a launchpad for your career. GRO offers a consistent, high-quality experience for new graduates across the organization.

Launch your tech career with Manulife John Hancocks Artificia Intelligence (AI) stream of the GRO Program. This is a two-year program designed to develop future artificial intelligence leaders by contributing to the company’s ongoing initiatives in data science and machine learning. As part of GRO AI, you’ll gain access to a supportive community, and benefit from structured learning, core skills training, mentorship, and leadership exposure, empowering you to grow your skills while making a real impact. With a values-first culture, professional development at every step, and a focus on your wellbeing and accelerated career progression, GRO AI is your gateway to a meaningful and future-ready career. 

Position Responsibilities:

Throughout the program, you will gain experience across key AI capabilities:

• AI & Machine Learning
  • Explore and prepare data; engineer features and build baseline models
  • Develop and evaluate machine learning models (e.g., forecasting, classification, NLP, anomaly detection)
  • Apply structured experimentation and performance evaluation methods
• Generative AI (GenAI)
  • Prototype and test GenAI solutions such as:
    • Retrieval-based systems (RAG)
    • Summarization and extraction workflows
    • LLM-powered classification and decision support
  • Learn practical approaches to evaluation, testing, and responsible AI design
• Engineering & Delivery
  • Build reproducible code and pipelines using Python, SQL, and modern tools
  • Collaborate with engineering teams to deploy solutions into production environments Support monitoring, maintenance, and continuous improvement of AI systems
• Responsible & Governed AI
  • Contribute to model documentation, validation, and governance practices
  • Ensure solutions align with privacy, security, and responsible AI principles

Required Qualifications:

• This program is designed for students currently completing undergraduate or graduate degrees who are excited to apply AI in real-world settings
• Graduating in December 2026 or May 2027 with a Bachelor’s or Master’s program in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, or a related field
• Basic knowledge of programming languages and concepts (e.g. Java, C, SAS, SPSS, R, or Python) and familiarity with machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch and scikit-learn
• Experience with common database querying languages such as SQL
• Understanding of version control (Git) and collaborative coding practices
• Exposure to cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or GCP) and tools like Databricks.
• Awareness of Generative AI concepts (e.g., prompt engineering, RAG, LLM fine-tuning) and willingness to learn advanced techniques
• Familiarity with data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau, QlikView) and ability to present insights clearly.

Preferred Qualifications:   

• Internship, co-op, or academic project experience in AI/ML
• Understand current web technology standards and emerging technologies.
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills; ability to work collaboratively in teams.
• Aptitude to solve business problems with technology.

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.

Application Instructions:  

• Please submit your resume in PDF format.

Salary range is expected to be between

$100,000.00 CAD - $130,000.00 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 [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.