General Counsel, MGS Philippines

About the role

The General Counsel, MGS Philippines is the senior legal leader for Manulife Global Solutions in the Philippines. The role is accountable for the legal and corporate governance agenda, advises senior management and the Boards, supports compliance oversight with the Compliance function and leads the Legal function with significant independence. It also oversees the MGS Legal Shared Services function in the Philippines.

Key responsibilities

• Provide legal advice to senior management and Boards on corporate governance, contracts, employment and labor law, data privacy and regulatory compliance; draft, review and negotiate complex contracts and documents.
• Manage litigation, disputes and investigations, and engage and manage external counsel.
• Monitor compliance effectiveness, partner with Compliance teams on reviews, testing and remediation, and integrate legal and compliance considerations into business planning.
• Identify and communicate legal and compliance risks, prepare legal and compliance reports, and coordinate reporting to local, regional and global stakeholders.
• Lead corporate secretarial and entity governance, organize Board and committee meetings, maintain corporate records and liaise with Board members and shareholders.
• Lead the Legal Shared Services function, driving process improvement, technology enablement and service governance.
• Act as Data Protection Officer for MGS Philippines entities, overseeing privacy risk assessments, incident response and regulatory engagement.
• Lead, coach and develop the Legal team, set priorities, manage the function budget and ensure succession and professional development plans.

Required profile

• Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) or Juris Doctor (J.D.) from a recognized university; admission to the Philippine Bar and in good standing.
• Minimum of 15 years of relevant legal experience, including substantial senior legal leadership experience and exposure to compliance and data protection.
• Experience in a law firm and/or financial services environment, with exposure to business process outsourcing, shared services or similar complex environments.
• Advantages: advanced legal education (e.g. LL.M.), and exposure to shared services, legal operations or centers of excellence.

Required skills

• Expertise in corporate, contract, employment and labor law, compliance, corporate governance, data privacy and legal risk management.
• Strong strategic judgment, commercial acumen and negotiation, stakeholder management and influencing skills.