Specialist, Asset Servicing at Manulife in Manila

Specialist, Asset Servicing

Location: Quezon City

The Asset Servicing team supports the accurate and timely processing, validation, and oversight of corporate actions and income-related activities across investment portfolios. The function works with operational teams, fund managers, custodian banks, and other stakeholders to maintain effective service delivery, strong controls, and adherence to established procedures and market practices.

The Specialist is accountable for data scrubbing, entitlement monitoring, election management, and accurate and timely processing of corporate action events. The position also supports proxy voting, class actions, custodian and client communications, quality reviews, exception resolution, management information, and continuous improvement activities. The role works independently with minimal guidance while escalating material issues through appropriate channels.

Position Responsibilities:

• Prepare management information and lead or participate in business governance calls.

• Work with clients and internal stakeholders to obtain timely responses or elections from fund managers.

• Submit responses and elections on time and confirm that instructions are received and accepted for processing by custodian banks.

• Perform quality checks for processed corporate action events and complete required checklists and supporting documentation.

• Verify entitlements with the relevant custodian banks for daily corporate action events.

• Ensure accurate and timely processing of trades and corporate action events in applicable systems.

• Administer proxy voting and class action activities and support related custodian or client communications.

• Work within established processes and comply with applicable procedures, policies, and controls.

• Recommend and initiate process improvements and enhancements to controls and service delivery.

• Participate in system transitions, user acceptance testing, process transformation, and other change initiatives.

• Support team continuity through role-specific training and interdepartmental cross-training.

• Remain current on relevant securities-industry developments and market-specific practices.

Accountabilities (Individual / Shared):

Individual Accountabilities:

• Accuracy and timeliness of assigned corporate action processing, election submissions, entitlement verification, quality checks, and supporting documentation.

• Independent management of routine exceptions and timely escalation of material or unresolved issues.

• Adherence to established procedures, policies, controls, and applicable market deadlines.

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Key Shared Accountabilities:

• Service delivery and issue resolution with Asset Servicing colleagues, fund managers, clients, custodian banks, and other stakeholders.

• Business governance reporting, process improvements, system transitions, transformation activities, training, and service continuity.

Problems/Challenges:

• Monitoring and processing time-sensitive corporate action events where late or inaccurate action could create financial or operational risk.

• Obtaining complete and timely elections or responses and confirming acceptance by custodian banks within market deadlines.

• Resolving differences across event notifications, positions, entitlements, instructions, and internal records while maintaining accuracy and thoroughness.

• Managing competing business-as-usual, quality-control, stakeholder, and change-related priorities.

Position Dimensions (Organizational Impact):

• Job level: Career Band 5

• Geographic coverage: MIM and General Account portfolios and stakeholders across 2 primary regions, Asia and North America

• Schedule: 5-day Mid shift, Monday to Friday, 2PM-11PM

• Primary location: Quezon City, Secondary: Cebu

• Hybrid Work Set-up: 3 days at the office, 2 days remote

• People leadership: 0 direct reports specified; the role provides coaching, professional guidance, and task coordination to less experienced team members

• Organizational contribution: May coordinate or lead small projects or workstreams and may serve as a point of escalation for professional advice

• Transaction volumes, number of customers supported, and financial or budget impact: To be confirmed by the business

• The role can influence financial and operational risk outcomes, service quality, control effectiveness, and stakeholder experience

• Works with internal and external stakeholders, including fund managers, clients, custodian banks, and operational partners.

Required Qualifications:

Must Have

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Economics, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Two to three years of relevant experience in asset servicing, securities operations, corporate actions, settlement, or investment operations.

• Knowledge of securities instruments, settlements, investment processes, corporate action events, elections, and entitlements.

• Ability to administer proxy voting and class action activities and manage related communications.

• Understanding of operational risk, procedural controls, quality reviews, checklists, documentation, and escalation requirements.

• Ability to maintain accuracy and thoroughness while working to tight deadlines.
• Intermediate to advance knowledge of Microsoft Office and third-party data or investment platforms used in asset servicing.

• Ability to navigate multiple systems to process, validate, investigate, or monitor corporate action information.
• Ability to prepare management information, identify exceptions, and interpret operational or control data.
• Strong analytical ability and attention to detail, with the ability to investigate issues and identify practical solutions.

• Ability to prioritize responsibilities and make sound decisions based on event information, procedures, risk, and deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.

• Ability to collaborate with team members, management, clients, fund managers, and custodian banks in a demanding business environment.

• Ability to influence and negotiate appropriately to obtain timely responses and resolve service issues.
• Client focus, ownership, teamwork, adaptability, initiative, and commitment to order and quality.

• Ability to work independently with minimal guidance, respond quickly, and manage competing priorities.

• Demonstrated learning orientation and willingness to support training and team continuity.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Exposure to multiple markets, products, or shared-services operating models.
• Experience supporting control enhancements, issue remediation, or audit requests.
• Experience with Bloomberg, SIX, Markit, SimCorp Dimension, BBH InfoAction, Aladdin workflow tools, or system implementations and enhancements.

• Experience with Microsoft Power Platform (Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate) and emerging AI technologies/tools.
• Exposure to reporting, visualization, automation, digitization, or transformation activities.
• Experience contributing to process improvements or control enhancements.
• Experience participating in business governance calls or stakeholder discussions.
• Experience acting as a process resource, peer coach, trainer, or project contributor.
• CPA qualification, CISI designation or another relevant professional certification.

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 hr@manulife.com.

Hybrid