Associate Director, Operations Insights Automation at Manulife in Hong Kong

Job description

The Associate Director, Operations Insights Automation will lead the Asia Operations data insights and automation portfolio, working closely with a team of five data engineers to deliver scalable insights, KPI automation, dashboards, and data solutions across key Operations value streams. The role will serve as a key link between regional, market, and global stakeholders, the Data Office, and Technology partners, translating business priorities into scalable solutions while driving delivery excellence, team capability, data governance, and adoption . Position Responsibilities: Regional insights and automation portfolio management Support the Head of Asia Operations Insights Automation and Low Code Solutions in managing the regional portfolio, roadmap, priorities, and delivery commitments. Lead the intake, assessment, prioritization, and delivery planning of new dashboard, KPI, data-insight, and automation requirements. Maintain clear visibility of scope, milestones, risks, dependencies, resourcing, decisions, and delivery outcomes. Coordinate delivery across Asia markets and Operations value streams, aligning regional standards with market requirements. Assess requests against business value, strategic alignment, delivery effort, data readiness, operational risk, and long-term supportability. Business analysis and insight development Partner with regional value-stream leaders, market Operations teams, Business Management, Risk and Control, Data, and Technology to clarify objectives and reporting needs. Translate business problems into structured requirements, KPI definitions, functional specifications, data requirements, user stories, and acceptance criteria. Conduct current-state and gap analysis across processes, systems, data sources, reporting logic, controls, and operating models. Lead the development of actionable insights beyond routine reporting, including productivity drivers, service outcomes, financial impact, cost and benefit realization, adoption, and operational risk indicators. Challenge unclear or conflicting requirements constructively and facilitate alignment on definitions and expected outcomes before development begins. KPI, dashboard, and data automation delivery Lead end-to-end delivery of KPI automation, dashboards, and insight solutions from discovery and design through development coordination, testing, deployment, hypercare, and ongoing enhancement. Work with data engineers and solution architects to translate business logic into scalable data models, automated calculations, and reporting solutions. Oversee changes arising from product or system updates, source-data changes, KPI-definition revisions, migrations, and new management requirements. Ensure calculation logic, source-to-report mappings, data dictionaries, validation evidence, assumptions, and decision records are complete and maintained. Coordinate the investigation and resolution of data-quality, pipeline, access, reconciliation, and reporting issues with market Data and Technology teams. Stakeholder and delivery leadership Serve as a primary regional contact for Operations insights and automation initiatives, engaging regional, market, and global stakeholders. Facilitate workshops and decisions involving regional, market, and global business owners, subject-matter experts, data engineers, IT, the Data Office, Risk, and Control partners. Manage team capacity, objectives, development plans, performance, and succession readiness to sustain delivery capability. Lead, coach, and develop team members while coordinating offshore and cross-functional resources, setting clear expectations, and strengthening accountability and performance. Communicate progress, risks, dependencies, decisions, trade-offs, and required actions to senior stakeholders in a timely manner. Prepare concise executive updates, recommendations, decision materials, portfolio reports, and team communications. Manage expectations and escalate unresolved ownership, scope, data, r