Manager, Asia Finance Operations & Systems
Carlyle · Hong Kong · 1mo ago
Position Summary
The Manager, Asia Finance Operations & Systems serves as the regional techno-functional lead for the Finance Process & Operations (FPO) team across the Asia-Pacific region including offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney, Seoul, Mumbai, and Singapore. Based in Hong Kong, this role operates within a coordinated reporting structure, reporting directly to US FPO leadership while maintaining a collaborative reporting relationship with Hong Kong finance leadership to align regional operations with global standards. The role pairs deep regional process and systems knowledge with hands-on technology capability - spanning AI, low-code/no-code development, and scripting - to evaluate processes, deliver solutions, and modernize finance operations across the region. Unlike a single-function role, this position spans financial systems broadly, owning how Asia operations map to the firm’s global platforms.
The Manager acts as the AI and technology champion for the region, identifying high-impact opportunities to apply emerging technology and building solutions directly - from generative AI workflows and Power Platform applications to scripted automations and integrations. A defining feature of the role is accounting for Asia-specific requirements, including GST, withholding taxes, multi-currency, cross-border, and local statutory and regulatory reporting nuances, when scoping and validating solutions.
Stakeholder management sits at the heart of this position. The Manager serves as the primary liaison and trusted partner between Asia end-users and US FPO/GTS, bridging time zones, facilitating alignment across geographically distributed teams, and influencing outcomes without direct authority. The role operates with a high degree of independence, owning regional requirements end to end and leading small-to-medium initiatives with limited oversight.
Primary Responsibilities:
Regional SME & AI/Technology Leadership (~35%)
- Serve as the regional SME for Asia finance business processes across financial systems broadly, not limited to any single function, owning how regional operations map to firmwide platforms
- Serve as the regional SME for the Asia technical landscape - systems, integrations, and data flows - and how it connects to the US/global environment
- Act as the AI/technology champion for the Asia region, identifying high-impact opportunities to apply AI and emerging technology and driving adoption across regional teams
- Apply AI tooling - generative AI, prompt engineering, agent workflows, SQL, and BI - to analyze data, accelerate work, and design more efficient regional workflows
- Account for Asia-specific regulatory and operational requirements – such as GST, withholding taxes, multi-currency, cross-border, and local statutory and reporting nuances - when scoping and validating solutions
Solution Development & Delivery (~30%)
- Design, build, and maintain low-code/no-code solutions and workflow automations on the Power Platform, and comparable platforms such as Appian, to solve regional process problems directly
- Apply hands-on scripting and coding such as Python, SQL, and VBA where appropriate to build integrations, automations, or data transformations beyond what low-code tools allow
- Create and maintain reusable components - prompt libraries, automation templates, and documentation - that scale across the region and back to global teams
- Document business requirements, functional specifications, and user stories with clear acceptance criteria
- Lead business-side testing, including UAT, for regional initiatives, validating that delivered systems meet documented requirements
- Oversee small-to-medium regional initiatives end to end, from discovery through deployment and stabilization, participating in agile delivery and proactively flagging obstacles
Stakeholder Management & Regional Partnership (~20%)
- Serve as the primary liaison and trusted partner between Asia end-users and US FPO/GTS, bridging time zones and translating regional needs into firmwide solutions
- Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders across functions and seniority levels, from regional end-users to US finance and technology leadership
- Facilitate workshops and working sessions with business owners and SMEs to drive requirements, alignment, and initiative outcomes
- Manage stakeholder expectations across a cross-regional reporting line, proactively communicating status, risks, and trade-offs, and escalating with proposed solutions
- Influence and drive consensus across diverse, geographically distributed groups without direct authority, acting as escalation partner for complex regional scenarios
Process Improvement, Support & Change Management (~15%)
- Perform data analysis to support troubleshooting, reporting, process evaluation, and data-flow documentation
- Identify process gaps and automation opportunities, recommending solutions that weigh risk, control, and business impact, and drive process standardization and modernization across Asia
- Provide regional production support, triaging and resolving issues and escalating to US FPO/GTS with proposed solutions where needed
- Support monthly and quarterly financial close cycles across the region, troubleshooting issues, validating data flows, and coordinating with US FPO/GTS to ensure timely and accurate closes
- Drive change management across Asia through training, documentation, and communication to ensure adoption of new tools and processes
- Train and enable regional business users on AI and low-code/no-code capabilities, supporting citizen-developer enablement
Requirements
Education & Certificates
- Bachelor’s degree required; concentration in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Information Systems, or a related field preferred
Professional Experience
- 5–7 years in finance operations, business systems, or a techno-functional and process improvement role, with regional/Asia-Pacific exposure
- Hands-on experience building with low-code/no-code platforms such as Power Platform or Appian - required, not just familiarity
- Working coding ability such as Python, SQL, or VBA for automation, integration, and data work
- Demonstrated experience applying AI tools to real business problems
- Knowledge of Asia finance specifics - GST, withholding taxes, multi-currency, cross-border, and local statutory and regulatory reporting
- Ability to work independently and lead initiatives with minimal oversight across a cross-regional reporting line
- Experience supporting development teams in an agile environment, writing requirements, functional specs, or process documentation
- Background in private equity or alternative investment operations preferred
Competencies & Attributes
- Proficiency with generative AI tools (mainland Chinese AI tools a plus), and a strong track record of applying AI to finance workflows
- Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills across functions, seniority levels, and geographies, able to drive consensus without direct authority
- Financial systems experience required across accounting, ERP, treasury, or comparable platforms
- Advanced Excel required; SQL and data-querying skills strongly preferred
- Exposure to BI and reporting tools such as Sigma Computing or Power BI a plus
- Understanding of finance operations and financial reporting principles
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with an inquisitive, forward-thinking mindset
- Ability to translate complex business needs into clear, structured requirements and working solutions
- Excellent written and verbal communication, tailored to finance, technology, and leadership audiences
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple competing priorities independently
- Familiarity with Jira or similar agile project management tools
Language
- Fluent written and spoken English required; fluent Cantonese and Mandarin strongly preferred
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