Director of FP&A

·       Lead Japan’s planning and forecasting processes, including planning assumptions, timelines and governance.

·       Develop forward-looking forecasts reflecting business trends, management actions, risks and opportunities.

·       Challenge assumptions and ensure financial plans are aligned with business strategy and financial objectives.

·       Provide the CFO and senior leadership with a clear and timely view of the financial outlook and key sensitivities.

·       Lead analysis of actual results versus plan, forecast and prior periods, with clear explanation of key financial and business drivers.

·       Translate financial and operational information into actionable insights and recommendations for management decisions.

·       Identify emerging risks and opportunities, assess their financial implications and recommend management actions.

·       Partner with business and Finance stakeholders to establish meaningful financial and operational KPIs and strengthen performance accountability.

·       Lead high-quality management reporting for the CFO, senior leadership and relevant governance forums.

·       Turn complex financial information into concise, decision-oriented insights focused on business drivers, outlook, risks, opportunities and required actions.

·       Own communication and performance reporting with Regional FP&A, ensuring clear and consistent articulation of Japan’s results and outlook.

·       Support executive presentations, business reviews and ad hoc analyses for senior leaders.

·       Simplify, standardize and automate planning, forecasting, analytics and management reporting processes.

·       Use data and analytics to improve forecast quality, transparency and speed of insight generation.

·       Partner with Regional, Global, shared-service and cross-functional teams to develop scalable FP&A processes and ways of working.

·       Drive continuous improvement in FP&A capabilities, data discipline and decision-support tools.

·       Lead, coach and develop the FP&A team with clear ownership, accountability and a strong business-partnering mindset.

·       Build capabilities in financial analysis, forecasting, communication, commercial thinking and data-driven decision making.

·       Promote collaboration across Controllers, Finance and the wider business, and develop a sustainable talent pipeline and future leaders.

·       Lead or support strategic and financial projects requiring scenario analysis, financial modelling or performance assessment.

·       Provide FP&A leadership and decision support for material business initiatives, including assessment of financial impacts, risks, opportunities and performance implications.

·       Collaborate with relevant business functions and Finance partners to ensure financial considerations are incorporated early into business decisions.

Knowledge / Skills / Competencies / Education

·       Significant progressive experience in FP&A, financial management, business finance or a related discipline; Director-level leadership capability expected.

·       Bachelor’s degree or higher in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business or a related field.

·       Strong financial planning, forecasting, scenario analysis and analytical capabilities, with the ability to identify business and financial drivers.

·       Strong commercial and strategic mindset with the ability to balance financial discipline with business objectives.

·       Excellent senior-stakeholder management and business-partnering skills, including the confidence to constructively challenge assumptions and influence decisions.

·       Ability to communicate complex financial matters clearly and concisely to finance and non-finance audiences.

·       Proven leadership, people-management and talent-development capability in a complex, fast-moving environment with competing priorities.

·       Business-level Japanese and English.

·       Preferred: life insurance, insurance or financial-services experience; understanding of insurance financial performance and key financial/value metrics; multinational experience; modern planning/reporting/analytics tools; CPA/JCPA/CFA or equivalent finance qualification / advanced business degree.

Problems / Challenges

Manulife Japan operates in a dynamic environment where FP&A must support business growth while maintaining financial discipline and providing management with a reliable forward-looking view. The role must integrate changing business conditions, multiple stakeholder perspectives and competing priorities into a clear financial outlook, while constructively challenging assumptions and translating complex information into practical management actions. At the same time, the Head of FP&A must improve the speed, scalability and insight of planning and reporting through simplification, analytics and automation, and maintain effective alignment across Japan, Regional and broader Finance stakeholders.

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 https://www.manulife.com/en/about/our-story.html.

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 hr@manulife.com.