Search Engine Optimization Specialist

Manulife Makati, National Capital Region, Philippines Search Engine Optimization Specialist Manulife is embarking on a multi-year journey to build a Global Performance Marketing Shared Service Center of Excellence which will fuel our bold ambition to become a Digital Customer Leader. The function brings a comprehensive, full-funnel approach designed to drive tailored customer journeys powered by connected data, that when integrated raises brand awareness, drives quality traffic, generates leads, secures sales, and fosters brand loyalty. The SEO Specialist will drive our continued organic search growth in Asia. The ideal candidate has a firm grasp on SEO best practices and has demonstrable experience planning, executing, and measuring organic growth search strategies. You’ll be a part of a growing cross‑functional team, working alongside other SEO SMEs as well as world‑class product managers, designers, engineers, content writers, data folks, and subject‑matter experts. Position Responsibilities Effectively convey SEO (including GEO, AEO, AXO and ASO) concepts, best practice and strategies to our partners across Asian markets in a concise, easy‑to‑understand and actionable manner. Deliver full stack SEO services to 8 Asian markets including Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan and Vietnam etc. Technical SEO Identify, track, and resolve technical SEO issues using SEO tools. Provide best practice recommendations and collaborate with local markets on implementation and maintenance. Content SEO: Conduct competitor analysis, keyword research, analyze search data to understand user intent and drive content strategy to uncover business opportunities. Create SEO content briefs and SEO friendly content. Reporting and Analysis: Build SEO performance dashboards, create reports and deliver performance review presentations to key stakeholders. Translate performance insights into actionable insights to guide search strategies across 7 markets. Stakeholder Engagement: Champion collaboration by proactively partnering with local and regional teams (e.g., product, marketing, UI/UX, brand) to align stakeholders and drive toward shared goals. Deliver regular updates and presentations to management and stakeholders, highlighting status, issues and risks. Innovation & Growth: Stay ahead of recent digital and search trends (e.g. AI, voice search, UIUX), use data to assess their potential business applications. Advocate for and help strengthen the search practice within the organization, serving as a strategic thought leader and educator. Required Qualifications Experience: 5+ years of experience working in SEO, with proven success in improving search performance across multiple Asia markets. Background in financial industry highly preferred. Fluency in written and spoken English. Additional local language (e.g. Vietnamese, Japanese, Bahasa, traditional Chinese) is preferred. Technical SEO expertise: Demonstrable proficiency with technical or off‑page SEO, from error identification (e.g. broken links, site speed, XML sitemap error, redirection error, indexing issue etc.), concrete solution design, and implementation. Content SEO expertise: Demonstrated ability to perform keyword research, identify potential topics, conduct content audits to uncover content gaps, create SEO content briefs, and deliver SEO‑driven content. Leverage translation tools to support multi‑language content development and optimization. Analytical capability: Experienced in systematic reporting to measure search performance, leveraging analytics and frameworks to track, evaluate, and improve SEO outcomes. Experienced in opportunity sizing and growth projection, using data‑driven approaches to justify SEO initiatives and forecast results. Communication & collaboration skills: Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly communicate complex SEO concepts and insights, influence stakeholders across functions and regions, and foster alignment toward shared objectives. Skilled in creating presentation decks to visualize complex SEO concepts, insights, action items and projected benefits. Ability to coach stakeholders and delegate SEO related tasks cross‑functionally to the content team. Experienced in cross‑functional and cross‑regional collaboration, working closely with local and regional product owners, content, and brand teams. Risk management skills: Strong understanding of SEO’s impact on overall business performance. Able to articulate how changes to critical elements may affect organic performance. Technologies & Tools: Experience with SEO tools for crawlability test, rank tracking, competitor and keyword research, and technical auditing, such as BrightEdge, SEMrush, SiteImprove, Ahrefs, Moz, Screaming Frog, Google Ads, etc. Proficient in AEM and Adobe Analytics. Working knowledge of data visualization tools such as Power BI and Domo. 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 to 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, colour, 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 Marketing and Sales Industries Insurance #J-18808-Ljbffr