Procurement Lead, Philippines

Manulife Makati, National Capital Region, Philippines Position Overview The Procurement Lead is responsible for leading all procurement activities in the country, serving as the primary contact for interactions with external vendors. This includes organizing and chairing the local Procurement Council, ensuring alignment with the Asia Procurement strategy and objectives, developing local procurement policies that adhere to global governance frameworks, overseeing vendor management, leading cross‑functional sourcing teams, identifying procurement opportunities that yield economic benefits, process efficiencies, and risk mitigation, and developing training programs to enhance organizational understanding of procurement policies. Position Responsibilities Heads all country procurement matters and acts as the first point of contact for all procurement‑related activities with external third‑party vendors. Organize and chair the local Procurement Council and review and coordinate the execution of relevant resolutions. Assist the Procurement Council to manage the company's procurement following the Asia Procurement strategy and objectives. Support rollout of procurement best practices within the company. Develop local procurement policy supplement to ensure the policy aligns with global governance frameworks and shareholder requirements; ensure efficient and transparent local policy formulation. Develop training and communication programs to enhance organizational understanding of relevant procurement policies. Provide overall oversight and review of procurement and vendor management; monitor vendor performance and contract implementation to ensure initiatives meet relevant policies, regulations, and code of ethics. Build and actively maintain a vendor database with market insight information, including past experiences of the company using that vendor, pricing, quality and reliability for purchasing departments' reference. Monitor the overall control of procurement initiatives. Liaise with the Asia Procurement category team and local subject‑matter experts (legal, compliance, operational risk, informational risk, tax, etc.) as needed. Identify procurement opportunities that will result in economic benefits, process efficiencies, and risk mitigation. Lead cross‑functional teams for sourcing events based on thresholds set in the Global Procurement Policy and Local Procurement Supplement. Ensure vendors are pre‑qualified and complete confidentiality agreements, as required by current policy. Work with Asia Procurement to develop/enhance the underlying category Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) model and benefits‑tracking approach for sourcing events. Develop vendor analyses using Manulife standard tools to present potential vendors to the cross‑functional sourcing team. Lead the RFx process by developing the RFx from Manulife standard templates and distributing it according to policies and procedures; collect data and information necessary to define Manulife’s requirements for the RFx. Respond to, escalate, track, and analyze vendor inquiries regarding the RFx. Engage and coordinate local functional subject‑matter experts (legal, tax, risk management, etc.) in support of procurement initiatives. Develop RFx summaries and vendor evaluation matrices using Manulife standard templates for the cross‑functional sourcing team to evaluate vendor responses. Document results from the sourcing activities. Deliver target savings and report the results based on the developed savings methodology. Develop the necessary analyses to support the various category management activities. Other duties as assigned. Required Qualifications Graduate degree (business, finance, accounting, or law preferred). 8+ years of progressive experience in procurement, contract management, and/or vendor management roles. Undergraduate degree (business, finance, accounting, or legal studies preferred). Solid knowledge of procurement, vendor management, and contract best practices, processes, and tools. Solid analytical skills. Experience working in a global organization and leading a team is an added advantage. Familiar with end‑to‑end procurement process and operating model (offshore COE model). Experience implementing or managing procurement P2P tools (e.g., Ariba, Ivalua). Experience in procurement strategy development and execution. Preferred Qualifications Professional certification (CIPS, CPPM, CPM, etc.). Familiar with business operations, strategies, and financials in an insurance setup. Good command of English written and/or spoken. Knowledge in technology, systems, and digital transformation procurement will be an added advantage. 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 . 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 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, color, 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 Working Arrangement Hybrid Seniority level Mid‑Senior level Employment type Full‑time Job function Purchasing and Supply Chain Industries Insurance #J-18808-Ljbffr