AVP & Senior Counsel, Asia

General Description

The Senior Counsel will be responsible for providing strategic legal advice and support on a broad range of commercial matters to the Asia Segment and on employment law issues across the Asia region (not just the Asia Segment). The ideal candidate will have a strong background in contract negotiation and employment law, and will be comfortable operating in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

This position will help ensure that Manulife adheres to all legal and regulatory requirements, mitigate legal risks, and maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct.

Key Responsibilities:

General Legal Advisory And Support:

• Provide expert legal advice and support to the Asia Segment regional business team on a broad range of legal issues and initiatives, including contracts, data protection and general commercial matters.
• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide variety of commercial contracts and agreements to protect the company's interests, including various vendor agreements, service contracts, licensing agreements and NDAs.
• Lead efforts to establish, implement, and continuously improve contract governance frameworks, including standardized templates, approval processes, and contract lifecycle management tools.
• Help develop and implement legal strategies to support the company’s business objectives and growth initiatives.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including procurement, finance, and business units to ensure legal alignment with business objectives.

Employment Law:

• Provide legal advice on employment-related matters including hiring, terminations, employee relations, compensation, benefits, and workplace investigations.
• Design, implement, and maintain employment law playbooks, guidance materials, and best practice frameworks to support consistent and compliant HR processes across Asia.
• Partner with HR and business leaders to embed legal guidance into operational practices and decision-making.
• Manage employment disputes and liaise with external counsel as needed.
• Ensure compliance with local employment laws and regulations across jurisdictions.

Training And Development:

• Lead and coordinate training programs for local legal teams to enhance their skills and knowledge.
• Actively mentor and develop legal talent within the region, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Collaboration:

• Collaborate with other regional departments, such as HR, Finance, and Operations, to provide comprehensive legal support.
• Participate in regional strategic planning and business development initiatives, as well as their implementation.

Ethical Standards And Culture:

• Promote a culture of integrity, transparency, and accountability throughout the organization.
• Develop and implement training programs and initiatives to enhance awareness and understanding of corporate governance principles.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including senior management, market General Counsel, and the various boards of directors.

Reporting And Documentation:

• Prepare and present regular reports on legal activities, and risk management to Group Law, and Regulatory Relations, as necessary.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of legal documentation.

Continuous Improvement:

• Stay abreast of emerging trends, best practices, and regulatory changes in corporate governance.
• Lead initiatives to continuously improve legal processes and practices within the region.

Knowledge/Skills/Competencies/Education:

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) or Juris Doctor (JD) from a recognized university.
• Admission to the Bar in an Asian jurisdiction or equivalent qualification in another jurisdiction.
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant legal experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced legal education (LL.M) is a plus but not mandatory.
• Experience from both law firms and financial services industry preferred.
• Strong leadership, strategic thinking skills and ability to build relationships with business stakeholders.
• Diversity & Ethics – Shows respect and sensitivity for cultural diversity, treats people with respect regardless of their position or status, exhibits high standard of integrity in decision making, and adheres to extremely high ethical codes of conduct.

Personal Attributes And Cultural Fit:

• Provides courageous advice.
• Develops, inspires, and motivates others.
• Role models ethics and integrity.
• Ability to build a culture of respect.
• Highly effective change agent who embraces and leads change management.
• Results-driven; highly focused on accountability.
• Ability to handle multiple stakeholders.
• Demonstrates a commitment to delivering excellent service balanced with appropriate risk management.
• Strategic perspective.
• Highly collaborative working style.

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.

This Position Description is intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by employees in this job. It is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for this job classification.

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 recruitment@manulife.com.

Working Arrangement

Hybrid