About us

MA Financial Group is a global alternative asset manager specialising in private credit, real estate and hospitality. We lend to property, corporate and specialty finance sectors and provide corporate advice.

We invest and manage $13.3 billion on behalf of our clients, have $165 billion in managed loans and have advised on over $125 billion in advisory and equity capital market transactions.

We have a team of over 900 professionals across locations in Australia, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, United States and the Philippines.

MA Financial is a place of opportunity and unlimited potential. It’s a place that empowers you to think, collaborate, and help create something truly valuable.

About the role

The Business Supervisor is a senior operational leadership role responsible for the day-to-day supervision, performance, engagement and wellbeing of approximately 50 Manila-based staff supporting MA Financial’s Australian business operations. The role sits at the intersection of two accountability lines: providing in-country people leadership for the team, while those same team members maintain direct functional reporting lines into their respective Australian business areas.

The Business Supervisor is the key escalation point and operational anchor for the Manila team — ensuring individuals are supported, issues are resolved, KPIs are met, and team culture reflects MA Financial’s values. The role works in close partnership with both Australian stakeholders and the Manila Entity Management team, who hold overall responsibility for office management, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, budget, facilities, payroll, labour relations and recruitment services.

What you will do

Team Supervision & Day-to-Day Operations

• Lead the day-to-day management and operational oversight of approximately 50 Manila-based staff supporting MA Financial's Australian lending and business operations.
• Ensure service delivery standards, turnaround times, productivity targets, quality metrics and customer outcomes are consistently achieved.
• Provide day-to-day supervision for Manila-based staff operating across multiple business functions.
• Serve as the primary in-country point of contact and escalation for team members, managing people matters, conduct, attendance and workplace issues.
• Develop and implement operational plans aligned with business growth objectives and service delivery requirements.
• Ensure the team operates efficiently, consistently and in alignment with MA Financial's standards, policies and operational requirements.
• Manage workload allocation, resource planning and capacity management across operational functions, proactively identifying and addressing resourcing risks.
• Maintain visibility across team activity to identify emerging operational risks, performance issues, service disruptions or operational blockers, intervening proactively where required.
• Escalate operational risks, incidents and service issues to Australian leadership as appropriate.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships with Australian business leaders, functional heads and team managers who hold functional accountability for Manila-based staff.
• Act as the primary operational liaison and conduit between the Manila team and Australian stakeholders, providing regular updates on operational performance, team capability, service delivery, morale and emerging risks.
• Facilitate structured communication between Australian business areas and the Manila team, ensuring alignment on priorities, expectations, deliverables and business objectives.
• Participate in regular operational and strategic meetings with Australian stakeholders, contributing to planning, resource allocation and performance discussions.
• Collaborate closely with the Manila Entity Management team on people, operational, compliance, governance and facilities matters affecting the Manila operation.

Issues Resolution & Escalation

• Act as the key escalation point for operational issues, service delivery matters, interpersonal concerns, conduct issues and team-level conflicts.
• Triage, assess and resolve issues within scope, escalating operational, compliance or people-related matters to Australian stakeholders or the Manila Entity Management team where appropriate.
• Maintain clear escalation frameworks, ensuring issues are addressed promptly, documented appropriately and followed through to resolution.
• Support the resolution of complex operational and people matters in partnership with HR, the Manila Entity Management team and Australian business leaders.
• Promote a proactive approach to risk identification, issue management and operational governance.

Performance & KPI Management

• Drive a high-performance culture by working with Australian business areas to establish clear, measurable operational and individual performance expectations aligned to business objectives.
• Monitor team and individual performance against agreed KPIs, service levels, productivity measures and quality standards, identifying trends and improvement opportunities.
• Conduct regular performance reviews, coaching sessions, goal setting and development planning in partnership with Australian functional managers.
• Implement performance improvement plans where required, providing structured coaching and support.
• Recognise and celebrate high performance to drive engagement, motivation and retention.
• Analyse operational metrics and provide recommendations to improve efficiency, customer outcomes and business performance.

Engagement & Retention

• Champion a positive, inclusive and high-performing culture that reflects MA Financial's values and supports employee engagement, wellbeing and retention.
• Lead, coach, mentor and develop Team Leaders and operational staff, supporting capability development and succession planning.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and customer focus.
• Proactively identify and address factors impacting morale, engagement or attrition, escalating systemic issues where appropriate.
• Lead employee engagement initiatives aligned with broader organisational programmes.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings and team check-ins to maintain strong engagement and identify wellbeing or development needs.

Recruitment Support

• Support the end-to-end recruitment process in partnership with the Manila Entity Management team.
• Liaise with Australian stakeholders to define role requirements, skills profiles and workforce planning needs.
• Participate in interviews and selection processes, providing operational and cultural assessment input.
• Support onboarding, induction and training to ensure new employees understand their responsibilities, reporting lines, operational standards and performance expectations.
• Coordinate onboarding logistics and employment documentation in accordance with Philippine labour law and MA Financial requirements.

Policy Compliance

• Ensure all operational activities comply with Australian regulatory requirements, MA Financial policies, internal controls and relevant Philippine labour and corporate governance obligations.
• Maintain strong operational risk management practices and promote a culture of compliance, accountability and operational discipline.
• Act as an in-country ambassador for MA Financial's compliance obligations, reinforcing expectations around conduct, data handling, conflicts of interest and regulatory requirements.
• Support internal and external audits and ensure timely implementation of audit actions.
• Ensure accurate record keeping, documentation and document retention standards are maintained.
• Support mandatory compliance training and ensure completion rates meet required standards.
• Identify, investigate and escalate policy breaches, compliance risks and operational issues in accordance with MA Financial's governance frameworks.

Process Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, service delivery, quality, productivity and customer outcomes across the Manila operation.
• Lead operational projects, process redesign, workflow enhancements and change initiatives supporting business growth.
• Implement automation and technology solutions where appropriate to improve operational effectiveness.
• Develop, maintain and continuously improve Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), supervision frameworks and operational documentation.
• Monitor and improve operational KPIs, service metrics and reporting to support informed decision-making.
• Support the implementation of new systems, tools and operational processes, including change management and communication activities.
• Contribute to broader organisational improvement initiatives as directed by Australian stakeholders or the Manila Entity Management team.

How you’ll know you’re doing great

• You are the trusted go-to for both the Manila team and Australian stakeholders — the person everyone knows will get things sorted
• The team feels supported, heard and motivated, and engagement and retention are consistently strong
• Issues are resolved quickly, escalated appropriately, and followed through — nothing falls through the cracks
• Australian business leaders have full confidence in the Manila team’s performance and alignment with business objectives
• You are known as the cultural bridge — someone who connects people, builds trust across geographies and makes the office thrive

An ideal person

Style

• Commercially minded with a strong understanding of the business context behind performance expectations
• People-first approach — genuinely invested in team engagement, wellbeing and individual development
• Confident in taking ownership and accountability, making decisions within scope and escalating appropriately
• Collaborative and transparent, comfortable operating across multiple stakeholder groups with competing priorities
• Outcome-focused with a consistent, structured approach to managing operational complexity

They are good at

• Building and maintaining professional, trust-based relationships with remote stakeholders
• Managing conduct, performance and people matters with professionalism and appropriate discretion
• Navigating hybrid and matrix reporting structures across a large, multi-functional team
• Communicating clearly and concisely with senior Australian stakeholders in written and verbal form

They are awesome at

• Maintaining calm and effectiveness in a fast-paced, high-volume environment with competing demands
• Reading people, anticipating needs and adapting communication style across diverse teams and cultures
• Being the connector — the person who brings cohesion and clarity across a distributed team
• Driving team performance and engagement without direct line authority over functional outcomes
• Bridging Australian and Filipino workplace cultures with empathy, credibility and cultural intelligence

Skills, qualifications and experience

• 5+ years’ experience in a supervisory or people leadership role, ideally within shared services, BPO, financial services or professional services
• Demonstrated ability to manage and engage a large, cross-functional team in a matrix or hybrid reporting environment
• Proven track record in performance management, conduct management and employee engagement
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills, with the ability to engage confidently with senior Australian stakeholders
• Sound understanding of Philippine labour law and HR best practice
• Experience working in or with Australian-headquartered organisations is highly regarded
• Tertiary qualifications in Business Administration, Human Resources, Operations Management or related field preferred
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365 suite