Manulife Wealth Middle Office Team Leader

Manulife Financial; Philippines; On-site; PHP 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Manulife Financial is seeking a Wealth Middle Office Team Lead to oversee a team of Wealth Operations Specialists, ensuring effective delivery of services to advisors, clients, and distribution partners. The role emphasizes accountability, operational excellence, customer focus, and compliance with regulatory requirements.

The Team Lead will drive performance against SLAs, coach staff, manage risk, and partner with business stakeholders to deliver seamless advisor and customer experiences.

Qualifications

• Leadership and people-management capabilities in a financial services setting.
• Strong focus on operational delivery and risk-aware decision making.
• Experience driving process improvements and continuous improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily Wealth Middle Office operations to meet service commitments and productivity goals.
• Monitor queues, turnaround times, and SLA compliance to optimize resources.
• Act as primary escalation point for advisors, Contact Centre, and partners.
• Provide coaching, mentorship, and development opportunities for team members.
• Drive risk-based controls, audits, and governance activities within the team.
• Collaborate with Sales, Advisory Support, Compliance, Risk, Tech, and Operations to deliver superior service.

Skills

People leadership

Operational leadership

Risk management

Stakeholder management

Process improvement

Job description

The Wealth Middle Office Team Lead is responsible for leading a team of Wealth Operations Specialists and ensuring the effective delivery of operational services supporting advisors, clients, and distribution partners. The role is accountable for day-to-day service delivery, people leadership, operational controls, risk management, and continuous improvement activities within Wealth Middle Office Operations.

The Team Lead drives a culture of accountability, operational excellence, customer centricity, and employee engagement while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and enterprise risk standards. The role serves as a key escalation point for operational issues, supports strategic initiatives, and partners closely with business stakeholders to deliver seamless advisor and customer experiences

Position Responsibilities:

Operational Leadership & Service Delivery

• Lead daily Wealth Middle Office operations to ensure service commitments, quality standards, and productivity goals are consistently achieved.
• Monitor workflow volumes, queue management, and turnaround times to ensure operational efficiency and optimal resource utilization.
• Manage team performance against service level agreements (SLA), quality, productivity, and rework targets.
• Act as the primary operational escalation point for advisors, Contact Centre, Advisory Support Managers, Sales and business partners.
• Review operational trends and identify opportunities to improve customer experience and operational performance.
• Support capacity planning activities and workforce management initiatives to ensure business readiness.

Core Functional Responsibilities

The Team Lead provides oversight and support across Wealth Middle Office functions, including:

Account Administration

• New account opening and registration support.
• Account maintenance and updates.
• Client documentation review and validation.
• Estate and beneficiary updates.
• Registered and non-registered account administration.

Asset Movement & Transfers

• ATON transfers and external transfers.
• Internal account transfers.
• In-kind asset transfers.
• Cash movement requests.
• Deposit and withdrawal processing.

  Trade & Operational Support

  • Trade correction and exception management.
  • Settlement monitoring and issue resolution.
  • Advisor transaction support.
  • NIGO (Not In Good Order) review and resolution.
  • Escalation and case management.

  Advisor & Stakeholder Support

  • Service requests from advisors and distribution partners.
  • Escalated inquiry management.
  • Process guidance and operational expertise.
  • Relationship management with frontline and business partners.

  People Leadership & Talent Development

  • Build and maintain a high-performing, engaged, and customer-focused team.
  • Provide ongoing coaching, mentoring, and performance feedback to team members.
  • Develop employee capabilities through training, development plans, and stretch opportunities.
  • Conduct regular touchpoints, coaching sessions, and career development discussions.
  • Support succession planning and create development opportunities for future leaders.
  • Foster employee engagement through recognition, communication, and inclusive leadership practices.
  • Ensure Individual Development Plans (IDPs) are maintained and regularly reviewed.

  Risk, Governance & Controls

  • Promote a strong risk-aware culture within the team.
  • Ensure compliance with operational procedures, regulatory requirements, and enterprise policies.
  • Oversee quality reviews and monitoring of high-risk transactions.
  • Identify, elevate, and support resolution of operational incidents, privacy incidents, and control deficiencies.
  • Support corrective action plan (CAP) management and audit remediation activities.
  • Ensure timely completion of access reviews, control attestations, and governance requirements.
  • Participate in Business Continuity Planning (BCP) testing and operational readiness activities.

  Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

  • Drive operational excellence through process reviews and continuous improvement initiatives.
  • Support implementation of AI, automation, and low-code solutions to improve efficiency and scalability. [
  • Leverage operational data and reporting to identify trends, opportunities, and risks.
  • Reduce rework and improve service quality through root cause analysis and process enhancements.
  • Support enterprise and business unit transformation initiatives.
  • Champion a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.

  Stakeholder Management & Customer Focus

  • Partner with Sales, Advisory Support Managers, Contact Centre, Compliance, Risk, Technology, and Operations teams to deliver superior service experiences.
  • Build trusted relationships with advisors and business partners through proactive communication and issue resolution.