Country Manager

About the job

About the role

The Country Manager plays a pivotal leadership role in steering the success of our operations in Vietnam. You will oversee all local business functions under a broad remit - from developing and executing a comprehensive strategy to grow our integrated delivery offering, continuing to build a high-performing team and culture, delivery of high-end consulting projects and establishing strong relationships with key stakeholders across Mantel and our clients.

Strategic Leadership & Market Growth

• Providing strategic leadership, developing and executing a multi-year expansion strategy for our integrated delivery offering.

Team Leadership

• Support the Development Managers to lead their teams to deliver technical excellence and create high quality client experiences.
• Proactively lead recruitment activities to ensure resources and client demand is appropriately allocated and aligned.

Culture & Talent

• Work collaboratively with People & Culture to build an engagement strategy that drives an aligned culture that is people focused and fosters a culture that bridges Mantel standards with local nuances.
• Build Mantel as an employer of choice through strategic branding initiatives.

Legal, Financial & Corporate Governance Leadership

• Provide overall leadership and accountability for the legal, financial, and administrative integrity of the Vietnam entity, ensuring alignment with both local regulatory requirements and global group standards.
• Work closely with Finance, Legal, and Operations teams to ensure robust governance frameworks are in place and effectively executed, including statutory compliance, tax reporting, and corporate obligations.
• Oversee, through relevant functional leads, the integrity of financial management practices - covering budgeting, forecasting, cash flow oversight, and adherence to internal controls and approval frameworks.
• Ensure appropriate structures and processes are in place to manage corporate governance requirements, including board-related matters, statutory filings, and engagement with external auditors, legal advisors, and regulatory bodies.
• Guide and challenge local teams on tax, audit, and regulatory matters, ensuring risks are anticipated, well-managed, and escalated where appropriate.
• Maintain executive oversight of contractual and commercial risk exposure, ensuring key client and vendor agreements are reviewed and aligned with group policies and local enforceability requirements.
• Ensure that the necessary administrative backbone is established and maintained (e.g., banking relationships, insurance coverage, office infrastructure), leveraging internal teams and external partners as appropriate.
• Act as a senior representative of the entity in interactions with government authorities, regulators, and external stakeholders, in close coordination with functional experts.
• Bring a pragmatic understanding of operating in Vietnam or similar environments within South East Asia, with the ability to navigate complexity through structured delegation and strong governance.

Operational Excellence & Compliance

• Oversee daily operations, ensuring local compliance with Vietnamese labor laws and business regulations.
• Oversee the budget for the Vietnam entity, working collaboratively with Finance and Client Operations to ensure sustainable growth, accurate forecasting, and budget optimisation.
• Implement and drive consistency and standardisation across Vietnam operations in partnership with the Client Operations and our People Experience teams.
• Ensure responsibility for facilities, ensuring a conducive work set up and equipment for team members.
• Ensure a safe, healthy and sustainable workplace for all employees and contractors, report workplace hazards, and provide a safe and positive workplace.
• Complete all necessary training and compliance requirements and professional development opportunities.

Stakeholder Relationships

• Support business development activities such as client visits, presentations and pitches to drive growth of our integrated delivery offerings.
• Serve as the primary contact for our partnerships in Vietnam (including AWS, Databricks, Google).
• Engage in client and government liaison and advocacy activities to foster positive relationships.

What you’ll need to be successful:

• Relevant experience working within the Vietnam market, and/or similar environments within Southeast Asia.
• Experience working in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, or Hong Kong, or have a proven track record of interfacing with businesses in these jurisdictions.
• Experience operating in joint venture or multi-entity environments, with the ability to balance the interests of multiple stakeholders.
• Proven experience in business operations, client engagement, and stakeholder management.
• Extensive leadership experience working in professional services or tech consulting, working with a diverse range of internal stakeholders and functions to deliver outcomes.
• Strong leadership skills with a track record of driving employee engagement and cultural development. The ability to inspire and lead others, even without direct authority, is essential.
• The capacity to identify, analyse, and engage with various stakeholders is vital are critical aspects of the role.
• Exceptional communication and negotiation skills are crucial for conveying key messages. You should excel in written and verbal communication to effectively engage and inform stakeholders.
• The ability to address conflicts and manage resistance to change is critical. You should be experienced in conflict resolution techniques to navigate challenging situations.
• Strong problem-solving skills will enable you to identify barriers to change and develop creative solutions to overcome them.
• Understanding organisational culture and the impact of change is crucial. You should be culturally aware and adept at aligning optimisation efforts with the existing culture or driving cultural shifts when necessary.
• You will be expected to think innovatively and introduce creative approaches.
• The ability to collaborate effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders is a critical competency.
• Experience collaborating with diverse cross-functional teams, including HR, IT, finance, and operations.
• You take ownership, always stepping up to help and prioritising your teammates. You're also a clear, kind communicator who makes sound decisions based on good judgement.

What you can expect from us:

• We believe in unique experiences for all. Our My Deal program allows you to tailor your yearly plan, with the support of your Leader, to decide on what’s most important to you. That might be extra professional development, extra annual leave, time to work on your side hustle, or something else completely different! One size does not fit all.
• You’ll get all the tools you need to hit the ground running including a new phone, laptop & swag.
• We support a flexible hybrid approach to working which is guided by our principles; we trust each other to “make good choices” about the best workplace locations for the requirements of the project, role and client. This can change based on our client needs.
• Our elite partnerships are a direct result of our deep platform mastery. For you, this means you'll be working alongside teams with the highest levels of technical expertise and tackling the most complex, high-profile projects on the market.