Chief of Strategy, PMO, and Transformation, Philippines

We are seeking a strategic and dynamic leader for the role of Chief of Strategy, PMO and Transformation at Manulife Philippines. This pivotal position is responsible for aligning and executing strategic initiatives to achieve business objectives, integrating strategic oversight, project management leadership, and transformative change management.

The successful candidate will convert strategic visions into actionable plans, collaborating with the CEO and senior management to transform business operations and drive growth, and should have a comprehensive understanding of the business, technological expertise, financial acumen, and the seniority to effectively drive our transformation initiatives.

This role involves leading the strategic portfolio, focusing on Business Process Reengineering and Automation to ensure maximum value and minimal disruption.

The Chief of Strategy, PMO and Transformation Officer will also oversee the Project Management Office to ensure efficient project execution and alignment with strategic goals while also serving as Chief of Staff and Strategy to facilitate communication and collaboration across departments. Chief of Strategy will plan and direct administrative, financial, and cross functional activities to enable ease of decision making for MP leadership.  Comprehensive knowledge of insurance industry and experience in delivering change management projects are preferred.  This role will have frequent interfacing with global, regional, and country level CXOs and function executives. 

This position offers a unique opportunity to shape the future direction of Manulife Philippines, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Execution

• Collaborate with the CEO and Executive Committee to develop and implement the company’s long-term strategy.
• Advance alignment of financial and non-financial strategic ambitions across functions and business units to drive performance, continuously monitoring and calibrating as necessary.
• Act as a strategic advisor and sounding board to the CEO, facilitating the flow of information and priorities to/from the CEO Office, including content and presentation development for internal and external engagements.
• Coordinate global executives’ country visits and develop business presentations for local country business units.

Project Management and Governance

• Establish and oversee the Strategic Portfolio Management and Governance framework, and Book of Work across various business units and functions.
• Ensure project execution aligns with Manulife Philippines' business strategy, goals, and governance model.
• Lead and motivate cross-functional teams, managing optimal resource allocation and project prioritization according to the Strategic Business Plan.
• Facilitate regular project reviews, monitor performance, and ensure quality checks on project documents.

Strategic Leadership

• Drive strategic initiatives that foster organizational growth and operational excellence.
• Develop strategies and business plans to meet service level agreements cost fit targets of Manulife.
• Lead change management efforts and prioritize multiple ongoing initiatives, adapting to changing business dynamics.
• Promote and ensure organization-wide understanding and support for the business strategies.
• Prepare recommendations and plans for implementation of service and procedural improvements within defined Manulife policies and strategies.
• Control planning and execution to ensure that cost, time and quality goals are met.
• Manage against approved budget and recommend course of action or correction as necessary.

Chief of Staff Functions

• Lead the development of deliverables for the Manulife Board of Directors and Global executive leadership, reflecting Asia’s progress and execution excellence.
• Coordinate and vet materials for key Executive Committee meetings, ensuring effective strategic and commercial dialogue.
• Manage internal and external reporting requirements spanning multiple geographies and business units.
• Partner and liaise with MP CXOs to ensure efficient decision making across Manulife Philippines’ functions
• Lead the annual Strategy and Planning process and determine KPIs for Philippines segment and across Business.
• Analyze financial and operational data to perform variance analysis with plans and forecasts on regular basis to identify trends, issues and to make data-driven business decisions
• Work with the local, regional and BU finance and actuarial teams to ensure accurate reporting and decisions
• Orchestrate monthly Manulife Philippines and BUs business review meetings to ensure financial and non-financial performance, key issues and progress of strategic initiatives are discussed and executed/resolved
• Manage Manulife Philippines Leadership Team meeting to align strategic directions, priorities and improvements
• Oversee the communications (internal and external) strategy for the Philippines segment and partner with the internal communications team to execute
• Drive and manage ad-hoc/special projects and/or requests for local CEO, ELT, ADEC and BUs

Stakeholder and Team Management

• Build relationships with other functions and resources in order to support the identification, review, prioritization, and execution of key improvement opportunities/ projects to drive results within the organization.
• Provide training, coaching, and mentorship to project managers/Product Owners and delivery resources.
• Handle hiring, performance discussions, performance management, appraisals, and salary reviews.
• Encourage and develop team members, enhancing team effectiveness and engagement across Manulife.

Experiences and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Economics, Management Engineering, Finance, Accounting, or Actuarial Science. An MBA is preferred.
• A minimum of 20 years of relevant work experience, extensive experience working within Asia and the life insurance industry.
• Previous roles in strategy consulting, investment banking analyst or chief of staff positions.
• Strong expertise in project management and business process improvements.
• Project management certification (e.g., Scrum, PMP, Prince) is preferred.
• Proven track record in executing complex, multi-year programs involving multiple variables and senior stakeholders, with exposure to global operations and/or financial services.
• Experience in Enterprise Architecture Design is advantageous.
• Knowledge of lean concepts and processes.
• Strong understanding of financial fundamentals and the commercial drivers behind project business cases.
• Ability to assess possible solutions using deep process and technical experience and exercise judgment in handling escalated exceptions.
• Demonstrated leadership ability with a passion for driving teams towards high performance.
• Experience in creating a compelling vision for the future and inspiring commitment.
• Ability to translate functional and business unit priorities into clear execution strategies and action plans.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively across cultures and influence strategic initiatives across a large span of operations.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with executive presence.
• Execution-oriented with a strong focus on delivering targeted outcomes.
• Ability to work in ambiguous environments and adapt to change while managing time and workload with aggressive timelines.
• Applies industry best practices within daily work.
• Continues to participate in professional development by reading publications, networking, and participating in professional organizations.

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].

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