Financial Operations Manager, Asia AI Program

Manulife

. Own the monthly financial cycle for centrally funded AI projects, including actuals, forecasts, budget variance and commentary .

Posted 9/15/2026full-timeKuala Lumpur • MalaysiaMid-LevelSeniorWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in financial planning and analysis, including budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis, while effectively managing AI project portfolios and delivering executive-level reporting. Proficient in utilizing enterprise planning systems and advanced Excel for data reconciliation and analysis.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Financial Planning And AnalysisBudgeting And ForecastingAdvanced Excel SkillsEnterprise Planning SystemsPortfolio And Project Governance

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Budget Variance AnalysisCapitalization Of LaborBusiness Case ConstructionBenefit TrackingRisk And Dependency ManagementMilestone TrackingStatus ReportingAccrualsProject Code StructuresForecast Maintenance

Soft Skills

Strong Written EnglishExecutive-Level Communication

Tools & Technologies

AnaplanOraclePlanviewGeneral Ledger ToolsExpense Reporting Tools

Certifications & Qualifications

CPAACCACFAPMPPRINCE2

Industry Keywords

AI InitiativesFinancial ServicesConsultingTechnology InvestmentRegional Asia Experience

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

OraclePMP

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Own the monthly financial cycle for centrally funded AI projects, including actuals, forecasts, budget variance and commentary
Calculate and confirm capitalization of technology and data science labor
Develop and validate business cases for new funding requests and present financial analysis
Keep the enterprise planning system current for workforce budgets, forecasts and capitalization
Maintain the regional AI project register and ensure project information remains accurate
Manage the monthly portfolio performance review and release reporting on schedule
Produce monthly delivery status reports covering achievements, work in progress and the 90-day forward plan
Track project progress, identify risks and propose improvements to portfolio management and oversight
Report realized AI value across the region and reconcile portfolio extracts
Verify country benefit data and explain movements in revenue, cost savings and cost avoidance
Maintain forecasts for external delivery partners and specialist data science resources
Participate in flagship project delivery sessions, identify blockers and provide advice
Conduct pre-governance check-ins with country project offices to surface timeline and cost risks
Coordinate country AI leads, project offices, delivery teams, finance, technology delivery and global AI program stakeholders
Draft executive materials, commentary, highlights and remarks for leadership forums

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, economics, business or a related discipline
3 to 5 years in financial planning and analysis, business finance, finance transformation, a project or program office, business management, or management consulting
Genuine interest in the delivery and execution side of AI initiatives
Command of budgeting and forecasting, actuals-versus-forecast variance analysis, cost center and project code structures, accruals, capitalization of labor and infrastructure, business case construction, and benefit tracking
Advanced Excel skills, including large models, multi-source reconciliation, pivot analysis and clean model structure
Executive-standard PowerPoint skills
Working confidence with enterprise planning and portfolio systems such as Anaplan, Oracle, or Planview, and general ledger and expense reporting tools
Demonstrated day-to-day use of AI tools to improve personal productivity and work quality
Experience in portfolio and project governance, milestone and roadmap tracking, risk and dependency management, and status reporting to a fixed calendar
Strong written English and ability to prepare executive-ready commentary
Professional qualification such as CPA, ACCA, progress towards CFA, PMP, PRINCE2 or Agile is welcome but does not replace hands-on experience
Preferred: insurance, banking or consulting background; exposure to technology, AI or digital investment initiatives; regional Asia experience

Benefits

Comp & perks

Flexible environment supporting learning, career growth, well-being and inclusion
Equal opportunity employment
Reasonable accommodation during the application process