Head of AI & Data, China at Manulife in Shanghai

Job description

The Head of AI and Data, China is a strategic executive leader responsible for driving Manulife China’s transformation into a Data- and AI-driven organisation. This role oversees the development and execution of advanced analytics, AI, and data platform strategies, ensuring robust governance, operational excellence, and alignment with business objectives. The role will also build organisation-wide AI literacy and adoption, develop strategic ecosystem partnerships, and engage proactively with regulators and industry bodies to support responsible innovation and help shape the future of AI in China. The incumbent will champion innovation, foster a culture of continuous improvement, and position Manulife as an industry leader in leveraging AI and Data for competitive advantage. Position Responsibilities: Strategic Leadership & Vision Formulate and execute a comprehensive data, analytics, and AI strategy aligned with Manulife China’s business objectives and integrates within the broader Manulife Asia AI and Data strategies. Partner with the China Senior Leadership Team to identify and redesign priority end-to-end business processes, moving beyond individual use cases to deliver measurable and significant impact on growth, customer outcomes and productivity. Integrate emerging AI and Data technologies, including cloud-based solutions, to enhance scalability, security, and customer experience. Build organisation-wide AI and Data literacy and adoption through a structured capability-building and change programme, equipping leaders and employees to use AI responsibly and embed new ways of working at scale. Lead the integration of AI and Data initiatives across various business units. Engage key stakeholders to ensure cohesive and unified data strategies that drive informed decision-making and foster innovation. Platform & Governance Design and maintain scalable, resilient data infrastructure supporting business growth and regulatory compliance with alignment to Manulife’s Asia strategy Alignment to enterprise model and AI policies to ensure compliance with all relevant standards including both global Manulife policies and local regulatory requirements Establish and enforce comprehensive data governance frameworks, ensuring data accuracy, integrity, security, and compliance with all relevant standards. Implement structured data ownership models, assigning accountability to business units and fostering a culture of data stewardship. Oversee data quality management, metadata management, and data lineage tracking. Advanced Analytics & AI Lead teams of data scientists, ML engineers, and data professionals to build and deploy advanced analytics and AI solutions across multiple domains. Develop and implement cutting-edge AI solutions to solve complex business challenges. Standardize processes, techniques, and tools for analytics and AI, sharing best practices locally and globally. Drive enterprise adoption and value realisation of AI, Data and analytics solutions, with clear business ownership, workforce adoption plans and benefits tracking against agreed growth, customer and productivity outcomes. Program & Project Delivery Oversee end-to-end delivery of AI and Data transformation initiatives, from process redesign and technology deployment through change adoption and benefits realisation, ensuring delivery on time, within budget and against agreed business outcomes. Manage a significant data delivery portfolio, orchestrating efforts across multiple squads and functions. Collaborate with PMO, IT, and business units and regional teams to ensure resource optimization, risk management, and successful project outcomes. Stakeholder Engagement & Team Leadership Build and nurture high-performing teams, providing clear direction, coaching, and professional development opportunities. Engage senior executives and business leaders to secure shared ownership of end-to-end transformation priorities and measurable business outcomes. Develop and manage str