Legal Manager

Sun Life Malaysia Assurance Berhad; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Sun Life Malaysia Assurance Berhad is seeking an experienced Legal Manager to partner with business units and lead legal risk management across insurance and takaful operations. You will draft and negotiate commercial agreements, advise on regulatory matters and support product governance and AI-related initiatives.

You will collaborate with stakeholders to identify risks, ensure compliance with Bank Negara Malaysia and other authorities, and manage external counsel while driving governance

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer with in-house or corporate experience, preferably in insurance.
• Solid understanding of Malaysian insurance and takaful regulations.
• Experience advising on contracts, regulatory matters and governance frameworks.
• Ability to support AI governance, data privacy and technology-related initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Provide timely, risk-based legal advice to business units on insurance and takaful matters.
• Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements and legal documents.
• Advise on regulatory requirements, product governance and distribution matters.
• Support technology initiatives, data privacy, AI governance and supplier contracts.
• Manage external counsel relationships and oversight of legal risks and governance reporting.
• Represent Legal Department in cross‑functional projects and governance forums.

Skills

Legal advisory

Contract drafting

Regulatory compliance

Stakeholder management

Risk assessment

Education

Bachelor Degree LL.B (Hons)

Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya (preferable)

Tools

MS Office

Contract management

Legal research databases

Job description

To provide proactive, commercially pragmatic and risk-based legal advice and support to Sun Life Malaysia's business functions, including legal review and negotiation of commercial arrangements, regulatory and compliance advisory, product and distribution support, technology and AI-related initiatives, litigation management, governance reporting and legal risk management.

The Legal Manager serves as a trusted business partner to enable business growth and innovation while ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, internal policies, information security requirements, privacy obligations and responsible use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI).

The role supports the Company's digital transformation agenda by advising on legal, regulatory, contractual and governance considerations relating to technology, data usage, AI-enabled solutions, automation initiatives and third-party technology providers, while ensuring risks are appropriately identified, assessed and mitigated.

Responsibilities

• Legal Advisory, Business Partnership and Risk Management
• Provide timely, practical and risk-based legal advice to business units on matters relating to insurance and takaful operations, customer and intermediary matters, procurement initiatives, outsourcing arrangements, operational issues, strategic projects and other business activities.
• Partner with stakeholders to identify, assess and mitigate legal, regulatory, operational and reputational risks while enabling business objectives.
• Support business functions in the implementation of new products, initiatives, campaigns, distribution arrangements and transformation projects.
• Conduct legal research and analysis to support sound decision-making and management of legal risks.
• Engage and manage external counsel where specialised legal advice is required, ensuring quality legal support and cost effectiveness.
• Contracting, Commercial Transactions and Vendor Governance
• Draft, review, negotiate and advise on a broad range of commercial agreements and legal documentation, including service agreements, outsourcing agreements, technology agreements, software and SaaS arrangements, confidentiality agreements, sponsorship agreements, procurement documents and other business contracts.
• Ensure contractual arrangements adequately address legal, regulatory, operational resilience, information security, personal data protection, anti-bribery and corruption, sanctions, artificial intelligence and other risk considerations.
• Support contract negotiations and facilitate the resolution of legal issues with counterparties, vendors and business partners.
• Maintain and enhance legal templates, standard clauses and contract governance practices.
• Regulatory, Product and Distribution Advisory
• Provide legal and regulatory support relating to insurance and takaful products, customer communications, sales materials, marketing collateral, operational letters, forms and training materials.
• Advise on compliance with applicable laws, regulatory requirements, industry standards and internal governance frameworks, including requirements issued by Bank Negara Malaysia and other relevant authorities.
• Support reviews relating to intermediary, distribution, customer servicing and product governance matters.
• Monitor relevant legal and regulatory developments and advise stakeholders on potential impacts to the business.
• Technology, Data Privacy and AI Governance
• Provide legal support and guidance on technology-related projects, digital transformation initiatives, automation programmes and artificial intelligence (AI) use cases.
• Review and negotiate technology, cloud, software, data-sharing and AI-related contractual arrangements.
• Advise stakeholders on legal, regulatory, intellectual property, privacy, cybersecurity, data governance and responsible AI considerations.
• Support the development, implementation and maintenance of internal governance frameworks, policies, standards and training relating to AI, emerging technologies and data usage.
• Monitor developments in AI-related laws, regulations and industry best practices, and assess their impact on the Company's operations.
• Legal Operations, Governance Reporting and Legal Risk Management (10%)
• Prepare and coordinate legal reporting, including management, regional and governance reporting, dashboards and legal risk updates.
• Manage legal matter records, contract repositories and legal documentation maintained by the Legal Department.
• Support legal operations initiatives, process improvements, document automation and knowledge management activities.
• Litigation Management, Stakeholder Engagement and Functional Representation (10%)
• Manage litigation, dispute resolution, investigations and legal hold requirements through effective coordination with external counsel and internal stakeholders.
• Support the preservation of legal privilege and management of litigation-related documentation.
• Represent the Legal Department in project committees, governance forums and cross-functional initiatives, including Data Stewardship, AI governance, compliance and risk management initiatives.
• Conduct stakeholder engagement, awareness sessions and training to strengthen legal and compliance culture across the organisation.
• Undertake such other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned by the General Counsel, Senior Manager or management from time to time.

Requirements

• Bachelor Degree LL.B (Hons)
• Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya (preferable)
• 5 to 7 years’ experience in in-house legal department, preferably in insurance industry