Senior Legal Manager

Manulife; Makati; Hybrid; PHP 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Manulife is seeking a Senior Legal Manager to provide strategic legal, regulatory, governance, and data privacy support across the organization. The role reports to the General Counsel and partners with business units to meet objectives while mitigating risks in a complex regulatory environment.

The position emphasizes contract oversight, regulatory monitoring, and strong governance practices, with collaboration across local and regional affiliates. A hybrid working arrangement is offered.

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer with a law degree and active Philippine Bar membership.
• Minimum eight years of experience in corporate, regulatory, or financial services law.
• Proven ability to provide strategic legal guidance to senior management.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic legal, regulatory, governance, and compliance advice to management and business units.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and approve contracts, policies, and legal opinions.
• Monitor regulatory developments and manage legal risks across the organization.
• Oversee data privacy, and information governance, and ensure compliance with applicable laws.
• Support corporate governance matters and board-related activities.
• Coordinate with regulators and external counsel to protect company interests.

Skills

Legal advisory

Contract drafting

Regulatory compliance

Negotiation

Risk management

Stakeholder mgmt

Education

Law degree

Bar admission

Tools

MS Office

Legal research databases

Job description

The Senior Legal Manager is responsible for providing strategic legal, regulatory, governance, data privacy, and distribution compliance support to the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates. The role reports directly to the General Counsel and supports the effective management and delivery of legal services across the Legal Department. The role serves as a trusted advisor to management and business units, ensuring that business objectives are achieved in a legally sound manner while mitigating legal, regulatory, reputational, and operational risks.

Responsibilities

Legal Advisory and Risk Management

Provide timely, practical, and commercially sound legal advice to management and business units on legal, regulatory, governance, and compliance matters. Draft, review, negotiate, and approve contracts, legal opinions, policies, memoranda, and other legal documents. Identify, assess, and mitigate legal, regulatory, reputational, and operational risks arising from business activities, transactions, strategic initiatives, products, and projects. Advise stakeholders on the interpretation and application of laws, regulations, regulatory issuances, and internal policies. Support business initiatives by providing risk-based legal solutions that enable informed business decision-making. Manage the legal risk exposure of the Company by ensuring compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Communicate and negotiate with regulators, external counsels, counterparties, industry associations, and other stakeholders as necessary. Ensure timely and quality responses to Requests for Legal Assistance (RLA) within agreed turnaround times and service standards. Support legal matters involving local and regional affiliates and subsidiaries as required. Assist the Head of Legal in overseeing the Legal Department's advisory, litigation, governance, regulatory, compliance, and operational functions and act on delegated matters as required.

Corporate Governance

Advise and support the Board of Directors, Board Committees, Senior Management, and Corporate Secretary on corporate governance matters and regulatory developments. Assist in drafting, reviewing, and filing corporate documents, including board resolutions, minutes, disclosures, secretary’s certificates, and corporate approvals. Coordinate and support board and committee meetings, including preparation of agendas, materials, and governance documentation. Maintain and oversee corporate records and governance-related documentation. Monitor compliance with corporate governance requirements prescribed by regulatory authorities and internal governance frameworks. Recommend enhancements to governance policies, procedures, and practices in alignment with regulatory expectations and industry best practices. Support governance-related audits, regulatory examinations, and special projects. Assist the Corporate Secretary in implementing governance initiatives and strategic projects.

Data Privacy and Information Governance

Provide legal advice regarding compliance with the Data Privacy Act and applicable privacy regulations. Review privacy notices, consent forms, data sharing agreements, data processing agreements, and related documentation. Assist in the investigation, assessment, mitigation, escalation, and reporting of personal data breaches and privacy incidents. Coordinate with Compliance, Information Security, Risk Management, Procurement, and the Data Protection Officer on privacy-related matters. Monitor developments in privacy laws and regulations.

Contract Management

Draft, review, negotiate, and advise on commercial agreements, vendor agreements, technology agreements, distribution agreements, confidentiality agreements, and other contractual arrangements. Partner with business stakeholders to understand commercial objectives while protecting the Company's legal and regulatory interests. Develop and maintain contract templates, clause libraries, and contracting standards. Identify contractual risks and recommend practical and commercially appropriate solutions. Provide legal support for contract disputes and recommend dispute resolution strategies. Ensure contracts comply with applicable laws, regulations, and internal policies.

Litigation and Dispute Management

Develop and implement effective litigation and dispute resolution strategies. Manage and maintain an accurate litigation portfolio and reporting mechanism for ongoing cases and regulatory matters. Represent the Company in judicial, quasi-judicial, administrative, arbitration, mediation, and regulatory proceedings, where authorized. Review and oversee pleadings, legal submissions, and other litigation-related documents. Coordinate and manage external retained counsels to ensure quality, consistency, cost efficiency, and effective representation. Advise management regarding litigation risks, potential liabilities, settlement options, and legal exposure. Respond to subpoenas, notices, directives, inquiries, investigations, and enforcement actions from courts, government agencies, and regulators. Attend meetings, hearings, mediations, and negotiations involving legal disputes and regulatory matters. Facilitate resolution of disputes through negotiation, mediation, and alternative dispute resolution whenever appropriate.

Distribution Compliance and Employment Law Support

Provide legal advice to Distribution, Agency, Bancassurance, Group Insurance, Brokerage, and other distribution channels. Advise on Insurance Commission regulations, market conduct requirements, sales practices, agent conduct requirements, and distribution-related regulatory matters. Review marketing materials, sales campaigns, customer communications, incentive programs, and distribution initiatives from a legal and regulatory perspective. Support investigations involving agents, advisors, distributors, sales personnel, and market conduct concerns. Review disciplinary documentation, including Notices to Explain, Investigation Reports, Findings, Recommendations, and Notices of Decision. Provide legal advice regarding labor and employment matters and assist in managing employment-related risks. Partner with Human Resources in addressing employee relations issues, disciplinary actions, labor disputes, and employment litigation. Support the implementation of policies and procedures designed to mitigate legal and regulatory risks associated with distribution activities.

Legal and Regulatory Monitoring

Monitor legal and regulatory developments affecting the insurance and financial services industries. Analyze laws, regulations, circulars, advisories, and regulatory issuances. Support regulatory examinations, audits, inspections, inquiries, and remediation activities.

Legal Records Management and Legal Operations

Maintain complete, accurate, and confidential legal records and litigation files. Manage and maintain the Legal Request for Assistance (RLA) tracker and other legal management systems. Ensure legal opinions, contracts, litigation matters, and advisory work are properly documented, coded, and recorded. Monitor legal service metrics, turnaround times, and workload reporting. Ensure compliance with document retention, records management, and information governance requirements. Maintain confidentiality and proper chain-of-custody procedures for legal documents.

Training and Participation in Value-Adding Projects

Conduct or participate in training and awareness programs on legal, governance, privacy, and regulatory matters. Provide legal support for strategic, transformational, and enterprise-wide projects. Participate in significant corporate initiatives, digital transformation projects, regulatory implementation programs, and business initiatives as required. Keep abreast of legal, regulatory, and industry developments and share relevant insights with stakeholders. Complete all required professional development, legal education, and compliance training programs.

Expense Efficiency

Manage legal costs and external counsel expenses prudently and efficiently. Monitor legal spend against approved budgets and identify cost-saving opportunities. Promote process efficiencies, digitization, and automation of legal and governance processes. Support sustainability initiatives through reduced paper usage and increased utilization of technology solutions.

Perform Other Duties As Assigned

Perform other duties and responsibilities that may be assigned from time to time by the General Counsel or Senior Management.

Individual Accountabilities

• Deliver timely, practical, risk-calibrated legal advice and recommendations that enable informed business decisions while protecting the Company’s legal, regulatory, reputational, and operational interests.
• Own the legal quality and risk management of assigned contracts, legal opinions, policies, memoranda, and other legal documents, within delegated authority and with appropriate escalation where required.
• Anticipate, identify, assess, mitigate, and clearly escalate material legal and regulatory risks arising from assigned matters, projects, products, transactions, and strategic initiatives.
• Achieve effective, well-governed, and cost-conscious management of assigned litigation, disputes, investigations, and regulatory matters, including strategy, reporting, external counsel performance, and resolution outcomes.
• Ensure that legal support is responsive, high-quality, commercially practical, and aligned with agreed service standards, while constructively challenging business stakeholders where necessary.
• Provide sound, senior-level legal judgment on governance, privacy, distribution, employment, and regulatory matters to support compliant, well-controlled, and business-enabling outcomes.
• Ensure external counsel are engaged only where appropriate and are managed for quality, consistency, efficiency, cost discipline, and alignment with Company objectives.
• Maintain reliable legal records, documentation, matter tracking, and reporting to support accountability, continuity, confidentiality, audit readiness, and effective legal operations.
• Demonstrate senior individual-contributor behaviors, including ownership, sound judgment, proactive communication, collaboration, enterprise thinking, integrity, and timely escalation of material issues.

Key Shared Accountabilities

• With the Head of Legal, General Counsel, Compliance, Risk, and business leaders, contribute to enterprise management of legal, regulatory, reputational, operational, and conduct risks.
• With the Corporate Secretary, Board stakeholders, senior management, and governance partners, support effective governance practices, clear approvals, reliable records, and regulatory-ready governance documentation.
• With the Data Protection Officer, Compliance, Information Security, Risk, Procurement, and business units, support privacy‑by‑design outcomes, sound incident assessment, timely escalation, and compliant breach response.
• With Compliance, Risk, Audit, and business owners, support effective responses to regulatory examinations, audits, investigations, and remediation activities, with clear ownership and defensible legal positions.
• With Distribution, Compliance, Risk, Human Resources, and business leaders, help deliver legally sound and customer‑focused outcomes on distribution, market conduct, sales practices, and intermediary conduct matters.
• With Human Resources, Employee Relations, business leaders, and external counsel where appropriate, support fair, defensible, and well‑documented management of employment, disciplinary, labor, and workplace‑related legal risks.
• With Compliance, Risk, Operations, and affected business units, help translate regulatory developments into practical implementation actions, risk assessments, controls, and accountable business decisions.
• With the Head of Legal, General Counsel, senior management, business owners, and external counsel, support strategic, efficient, and reputation‑conscious resolution of significant litigation, investigations, disputes, and enforcement matters.
• With senior management and cross‑functional partners, enable strategic business objectives through solution‑oriented legal advice, constructive challenge, prudent risk‑taking, and timely escalation of material issues.

Requirements

• College graduate with a Law Degree (Juris Doctor, Bachelor of Laws, or its equivalent).
• Bar Passer and Member of the Philippine Bar in good standing.
• Minimum of eight (8) years of relevant experience in the practice of law, including substantial corporate, regulatory, insurance, financial services, or other highly regulated industry legal experience.
• At least five (5) years of experience in the insurance, banking, financial services, or other highly regulated industries, preferably including life insurance or financial services regulation.
• Proven experience as legal counsel in a corporate environment, financial institution, insurance company, multinational organization, or reputable law firm.
• Comprehensive knowledge of insurance laws, regulations, and regulatory requirements.
• Strong knowledge of corporate law, corporate governance, and board governance principles.
• Strong knowledge of contract law, litigation, dispute resolution, and regulatory matters.
• Strong knowledge of the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and applicable National Privacy Commission regulations.
• Knowledge of distribution compliance, market conduct requirements, and insurance regulatory frameworks.
• Experience dealing with regulators and government agencies.
• Ability to work independently and make sound legal decisions.
• Strong legal drafting, negotiation, advocacy, analytical, and problem‑solving skills.
• Above‑average reading, comprehension, and writing skills.
• Highly developed communication and relationship‑building skills.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Leadership and project management capability.
• Computer proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other business applications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting corporate governance functions and board‑related matters.
• Experience handling insurance distribution compliance and market conduct matters.
• Experience supporting privacy and data governance programs.
• Experience managing external counsel and legal budgets.
• Experience leading cross‑functional regulatory or strategic projects.
• Privacy, governance, compliance, or risk management certifications are an advantage.

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.

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