Compensation Manager (HR)

Clarks; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Clarks is seeking a Compensation Manager to serve as regional APAC lead, based in Malaysia. The role provides guidance to regional HR and business leaders, ensuring compensation programs are competitive, compliant, and aligned with the global reward strategy.

On-site five days per week, with occasional virtual coordination with US manager. The candidate will drive benchmarking, develop pay ranges, support annual pay reviews, and oversee global compensation projects across markets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, HR, Finance, or related field.
• Strong English written and verbal communication.
• 6+ years of experience in Compensation/Total Rewards.
• Multi-country and retail industry experience preferred.
• Strong analytical and Excel skills for pay benchmarking.
• Knowledge of compensation legislation and job evaluation.

Responsibilities

• Act as regional APAC compensation lead delivering reward programs.
• Lead benchmarking and survey participation for APAC.
• Develop and maintain APAC pay ranges reflecting market trends.
• Coordinate inputs for annual pay review process.
• Monitor compensation governance and ensure legal compliance.

Skills

English proficiency

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Detail oriented

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/HR/Finance

Tools

Excel

Job description

The Compensation Manager will serve as the regional compensation lead for APAC, providing expert guidance and day-to-day support to regional HR and business leaders. Based in Malaysia, this role will help ensure compensation programs and practices are competitive, compliant, and aligned with business need. The role will also have direct accountability for designated global compensation activities and projects, partnering with stakeholders across markets to support reward practices in line with Clarks' Global Reward Strategy.

Responsibilities

Work on-site five days per week and maintain flexibility to connect virtually with the US-based manager during evening hours, typically once per week.

• Act as the regional compensation lead for APAC, partnering with the global compensation community to deliver reward programs that support Clarks' business strategy and maximize return on investment in people.
• Serve as the day-to-day compensation advisor for regional HR partners and business leaders, while also supporting global stakeholders and initiatives as required.
• Design, develop, and manage compensation initiatives that address business needs while remaining aligned to global reward principles, using internal and external data to inform recommendations and measure impact.
• Lead pays benchmarking and compensation survey participation for assigned global locations, ensuring market data is accurate, complete, and appropriately applied.
• Support the development and maintenance of pay ranges across APAC, ensuring they reflect external market trends, internal equity, local requirements, and business priorities.
• Coordinate APAC inputs for the annual pay review process, ensuring recommendations are accurately costed, budgeted, legally compliant, market-informed, and supported by effective tools, templates, and communications.
• Monitor legislative and market developments related to compensation and reward governance to help maintain compliant pay practices.
• Build external networks and identify reliable market data sources to gather competitor and market insight, sharing relevant findings with regional and global stakeholders.
• Lead defined global compensation projects and audits, partnering with HR, Finance, and other stakeholders on analysis, program design, budgets, governance, communications, and implementation across multiple markets.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Human Resources, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience in lieu of a degree.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with strong English proficiency required.
• 6+ years of experience in Compensation, Total Rewards, or related field.
• Multi-country and retail industry experience highly preferred.
• Strong analytical and Excel skills, with experience in compensation analysis, pay benchmarking, annual review modeling, and using data to inform reward program design.
• Knowledge of compensation legislation, Total Rewards practices, job evaluation methodologies, and broader HR processes, with the ability to connect reward solutions to business needs.
• Ability to facilitate cross-functional and cross-cultural stakeholder groups, influence decision-making, and lead complex regional or global projects to successful outcomes.
• Self-motivated and highly detail-oriented, with the initiative to anticipate needs, take ownership, and drive work forward independently.

About Clarks

Two brothers, a small town, and shoes that changed the world. Based in Somerset, England, Clarks has redefined shoemaking since its foundation in 1825, when James and Cyrus Clark made a slipper from sheepskin off-cuts and forever transformed the future of footwear.

Sparking revolutions and defining generations, our archive of over 25,000 shoes includes the inimitable Clarks Desert Boot and Clarks Wallabee. And every pair we design today uses the same ground-breaking combination of invention and craftsmanship that started it all.

Progress is woven into our DNA. Whether we're pioneering cutting-edge comfort technologies, championing social change, or working on trailblazing collaborations with cultural icons and KOLs, we're always striding forward.

Join us in 2025 as we celebrate 200 years of giving people the freedom to move comfortably, proudly commemorating our legacy of craft, innovation, and impact - and looking boldly ahead, too.