Senior AI Engineer Lead - Asia Data Office
John Hancock Manulife
Senior AI Engineer Lead – Asia Data Office
We are seeking a Senior AI Engineer Lead to drive the design and implementation of advanced AI engineering frameworks and solutions in partnership with the AI Solution Architect. This role is critical in enabling business units to innovate faster, optimize operations, and deliver localized AI capabilities. The successful candidate will participate in strategic initiatives such as Marketing AI, Operations AI Automation, and other Regional/Local BOW AI programs.
As part of ADO, you will have the opportunity to:
Lead cutting-edge AI initiatives impacting regional and global operations.
Collaborate with AI architects, data scientists, and business leaders in a dynamic, forward-thinking environment.
Drive innovation and shape the future of AI adoption within the organization, including Generative AI (GenAI), Large Language Models (LLMs), Agentic AI, and advanced solutions leveraging OpenAI GPT models and AliCloud Qwen models.
Position Responsibilities:
1. Lead AI Engineering Design and Delivery
Partner with the AI Solution Architect and cross-functional technical teams to design, build, and deploy enterprise-grade AI models and applications, including GenAI, LLM-based solutions, Agentic AI systems, and integrations with OpenAI and Qwen models.
Ensure seamless integration of AI solutions with existing business platforms and applications.
Define engineering standards and enforce best practices for scalability, performance, and reliability.
Oversee end-to-end engineering delivery from concept to production, including testing, deployment, and monitoring.
2. Develop and Evolve AI Engineering Frameworks
Establish robust AI frameworks, pipelines, and reusable components to accelerate AI adoption across business units.
Implement automation for model training, deployment, and monitoring to improve efficiency and reduce operational overhead.
Continuously enhance frameworks by incorporating emerging technologies, MLOps practices, Agentic AI orchestration, GenAI capabilities, and LLM fine-tuning techniques.
3. Technical Leadership and Troubleshooting
Provide hands-on technical leadership during implementation phases, guiding engineering teams through complex challenges.
Act as the primary escalation point for AI-related engineering issues across multiple projects.
Conduct code reviews, performance tuning, and optimization to ensure high-quality, secure deployments.
4. Compliance, Security, and Risk Management
Integrate compliance and security controls into AI solutions, ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements and internal governance standards.
Proactively identify risks related to AI deployment, data privacy, and ethical considerations, and implement mitigation strategies.
Maintain documentation and audit trails for all AI engineering activities.
5. Innovation and Technology Strategy
Stay ahead of AI trends, tools, and methodologies, including Generative AI, LLMs, Agentic AI, and Alibaba Cloud Qwen advancements, to introduce advanced techniques that improve performance and cost efficiency.
Drive innovation initiatives across marketing, operations, and other business domains to maximize AI impact.
Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend adoption strategies aligned with organizational goals.
6. Community of Practice Contribution
Actively contribute to the AI Engineering Community of Practice by sharing best practices, reusable assets, and technical insights.
Mentor and upskill engineering teams on advanced AI techniques, including GenAI, LLMs, Agentic AI, and cloud-native AI solutions.
Foster collaboration and knowledge exchange across regions to accelerate AI maturity within the organization
Required Qualifications:
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, AI/ML, Data Engineering, or related field.
10+ years in AI/ML engineering, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
Proven track record in designing and deploying enterprise-grade AI solutions, including GenAI, LLMs, Agentic AI systems, and integrations with OpenAI and Qwen models.
Strong proficiency in AI/ML frameworks, data pipelines, and cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP, Alibaba Cloud).
Experience with OpenAI GPT models, Qwen LLM, MLOps, CI/CD, and scalable architecture design.
Soft Skills: Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills
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 https://www.manulife.com/en/about/our-story.html.
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 recruitment@manulife.com.
Working Arrangement