Finance Transformation & Operational Excellence Consultant

Manulife; Philippines; Hybrid; PHP 1,200,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Manulife is seeking a Finance Transformation & Operational Excellence Senior Consultant to lead cross-functional finance initiatives, oversee project delivery, and drive process improvements across shared services. You will partner with stakeholders, manage budgets, and mentor teams while applying Lean Six Sigma, DMAIC, and data analytics.

The role combines individual contribution with coaching of consultants in a dynamic global environment.

Qualifications

• Educational background in Finance, Accounting, Insurance, Investments, and/or Actuarial.
• 3–5 years Finance Shared Services experience in operations or projects.
• Knowledge of Insurance operations.
• Familiarity with OE, Lean, Six Sigma, and project management tools.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Advanced MS Excel and PowerPoint skills.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders with data-driven insights.
• Project management certification (PMP/Agile/Scrum) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive the pipeline of Transformation and Operational Excellence initiatives within assigned functions.
• Ensure projects deliver high quality, on time and within budget.
• Lead medium-sized, medium-risk transformation initiatives.
• Serve as PM for complex, organization-wide transformation programs.
• Provide tactical direction to the delivery team.
• Collaborate with offshore partners and other GBS functions to ensure success.

Skills

Finance process improvement

Stakeholder management

PMO / Project Management

Lean Six Sigma

Data analysis

Excel proficiency

Power BI

Communication skills

Leadership

Education

CPA

Bachelor's in Finance/Accounting

Tools

Power BI

Excel

Minitab

Verint

CRM

Job description

Finance Transformation & Operational Excellence Sr. Consultant

Key Roles & Responsibilities

• Will have an oversight of all initiatives assigned initiatives
• Facilitate forums at the managerial level on the assigned initiatives
• Monitoring of Output – targets vs actuals

Project / Service Delivery

• Own & drive pipeline of Transformation & Operational Excellence Initiatives and programs within the assigned function(s)
• Responsible for all projects and services delivered by the squad are of high quality and delivers the expected benefits / impact, and that projects are delivered on time and within budget.
• Lead medium-sized, medium-risk, segment-specific transformation and/or process and performance improvement initiatives.
• Project or Program Manager for complex, high-risk, and/or organization-wide transformation and/or process and performance improvement initiatives.
• Provide tactical direction & guidance to the project delivery team

Stakeholder Management

• Alignment with function and project stakeholders to ensure that on-going initiatives are prioritized and aligned based on the agreed project milestones and project steering committee decisions.
• Build strong relationships with offshore business partners.
• Collaborate with other GBS support functions to deliver successful business transformation initiatives.
• Negotiate and manage conflicts within the project team through transparent and authentic conversations in order to address project issues.

Operational Excellence Champion

• Cultivate a continuous improvement culture and critical thinking in the organization by leading OE Forums with offshore Business Partners, actively participating in the GBS Operational Excellence Community of Practice and sharing industry best practices, case studies, implementation tips, new trends and tools in Operational Excellence, etc.
• Implement and rollout Operational Excellence and Agile training plans, standards and procedures.
• Develop & facilitate management trainings and awareness sessions to educate leaders on Operational Excellence concepts, frameworks, and tools.
• Conduct LEAN Six Sigma workshops and provide mentorship to operations leaders and/or process experts.
• Coach leaders (Function Leads) in running mature operations.

Note

Although this is an individual contributor role, the Coach is responsible for providing performance evaluation assessments for consultants within the assigned squad specific to their demonstration of technical knowledge & application of technical skills during their project delivery.

Minimum Hiring Requirements - Knowledge & Skills

• Educational Background on Finance, Accounting, Insurance, Investments, and/or Actuarial
• At least 3-5 years Finance Shared Services experience in operations and/or projects
• Knowledge of Insurance operations
• Knowledge of and hands-on application of Operational Excellence, Problem Solving, and Project Management frameworks, methodologies and tools (LEAN, DMAIC, Data Analysis, HCD, Design Thinking, Agile, Scrum, VSM, Customer Journey Mapping, Visual Management, OE Maturity, etc.)
• Knowledge of operations management and with business acumen
• Project management skills
• Advanced MS Excel skills
• Advanced PowerPoint skills
• Use of statistical tools for data analysis, i.e., Minitab, SPC Excel, etc. At least 1 Project Management Certification: PMP, Agile, Scrum, etc. Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
• Good interpersonal skills
• Strong negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Ability to influence & lead senior leaders in decision-making through insightful, data-driven, and value-added recommendations.
• Client management skills
• Ability to develop and facilitate management trainings and workshops geared towards mid-level and senior-level leaders.
• Excellent coaching skills

Desired

• Certified Public Accountant
• Certified LEAN Six Sigma Green Belt

Minimum Hiring Requirements – Experience

• At least 5+ years project management experience leading any of the following operations: finance & accounting, investments, actuarial, and retirement operations
• At least 3 years experience leading process & performance improvement projects for any of the following operations: finance & accounting, investments, actuarial, and retirement operations

Desired

• Management consulting experience
• Experience leading large, cross-functional, organization-wide, multi-site transformation and/or process and performance improvement initiatives
• Familiarity with commonly used BPO tools and systems (i.e., Nice, Verint, IEX, ACD, CRM, Ticketing Systems, Knowledgebase, Learning Management Systems, Power BI, etc.)
• Experience working with stakeholders across different geos, i.e., North America, Canada, Asia
• Builds and leverages on network of OE professionals and or organizations in the industry and/or academe to keep abreast of best practices, industry developments, trends, issues, etc.

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 [e-mail].

Working Arrangement

Hybrid