Senior Regional Lawyer

General Description The Senior Regional Lawyer has a dual role, namely supporting the Asia General counsel in providing legal advice and support to the regional office of the Asia Segment, as well as supporting the Asia General Counsel in providing legal oversight and support to select markets and functions of the Asia segment. This position will help ensure that the Asia Segment adheres to all legal and regulatory requirements, mitigate legal risks, and maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct. Top this end, it will provide strategic legal advice, and reasonably ensure that the Asia Segment operations align with applicable laws and regulations by working closely with local, regional, and global leadership teams, external regulators and the relevant Boards of Directors. Key Responsibilities: Legal Advisory and Strategy:

• Provide expert legal advice and support to the Asia regional business team on a broad range of legal issues and initiatives, including contracts, employment law, and regulatory compliance.
• Help develop and implement legal strategies to support the company's business objectives and growth initiatives.
• Oversee the drafting, review, and negotiation of complex contracts and agreements to protect the company's interests.
• Help manage and oversee any litigation or legal disputes involving any entities in the Asia Segment.
• Help manage and oversee regulatory reviews and inspections.

Regional Oversight:

• Oversee and support local legal teams across Asia to ensure consistency and alignment with company-wide legal strategies and policies.
• Serve as a liaison between local legal teams, the regional office, and the Group office to facilitate communication, reporting and best practice sharing.

Policy and Process Development and Implementation:

• Help implement Group legal policies and processes.
• Help develop and implement regional legal policies and processes to improve efficiency and compliance.
• Reasonably ensure that local legal teams adhere to global and regional standards and protocols.

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.

Risk Management and Compliance:

• Identify and assess legal and compliance risks across the Asia Segment.
• Develop and implement strategies to mitigate identified risks and ensure that risk management practices are integrated into the company's operations.
• Monitor the provision of training and support to employees on legal and compliance matters to promote a culture of compli ance and ethical behavior.

Cross-Functional 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 and compliance activities, and risk management to Group Law, Compliance 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:

• 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.
• Advanced legal education (LL.M) is a plus but not mandatory.
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant legal experience, with a significant portion of that time spent in a senior legal role.
• Experience from both law firms and financial services industry preferred.
• Strong leadership, strategic thinking skills and ability to build relationship 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.

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 . 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 . Working Arrangement In Office