Employee Lifecycle Manager - APMEA & Europe

Kerry Group; Kuala Lumpur; Hybrid; MYR 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Kerry Group is seeking an Employee Lifecycle Manager for APMEA & Europe to lead EMS service delivery across multiple countries in a hybrid work setup at Powerhouse, PJ. The role manages onboarding, lifecycle processes, and HR support while driving continuous improvement and digital adoption.

The ideal candidate brings 5+ years in HR Operations leadership, strong stakeholder management, and expertise with HR systems like SuccessFactors and ServiceNow.

Qualifications

• Requires Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business Administration, Psychology, or related field
• Minimum 5 years of strategic leadership experience within HR Operations/Employee Lifecycle
• Experience leading service delivery teams and managing complex case processes
• Proven budget management and driving operational excellence
• Strong track record in talent development and team leadership

Responsibilities

• Lead EMS service delivery, driving efficiency, engagement, and experience
• Oversee end-to-end employee lifecycle services with accuracy and timeliness
• Manage complex escalations with strategic guidance and risk mitigation
• Champion customer-centric culture across lifecycle touchpoints
• Lead performance management, talent reviews, and succession planning
• Drive automation, AI adoption, and digital solutions across processes
• Partner with HRBPs, COEs, Payroll, and Talent Acquisition
• Deliver reporting and insights to support business decisions
• Ensure governance, SLAs, KPIs, and compliance

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder management

Process improvement

People leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business

Tools

Power BI

Power Automate

Copilot AI

SuccessFactors

ServiceNow

Job description

Employee Lifecycle Manager - APMEA & Europe

Position Type: FT Permanent

Workplace Arrangement: #LI-Hybrid

About Kerry

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

About the role

• Work Location:1Powerhouse, PJ (5mins walk from MRT Bandar Utama)
• Reporting to:Employee Experience Services Lead and Senior HRBP GBS APMEA & EUROPE

The Employee & Manager Support (E&MS) Manager is responsible for leading a team delivering exceptional employee lifecycle and onboarding services E2E within Kerry's Global Business Services (GBS) organization. This role ensures efficient, accurate, and compliant delivery of HR services while driving continuous improvement, operational excellence, digital fluency, IA adoption, and outstanding employee experience.

As a people leader, the E&MS Manager is accountable for service delivery performance, team development, strategic stakeholder engagement, and the successful execution of onboarding, employee lifecycle, and HR support processes across multiple countries and business functions as well as agile adjustments to business needs while transforming mindset, value/efficiency delivery to business and building strong talent pipeline for Kerry.

Key responsibilities

Service Delivery Excellence:

• Lead EMS service delivery, driving operational efficiency, employee engagement, and employee experience.
• Oversee end-to-end employee lifecycle services, ensuring accurate, consistent, and timely delivery.
• Manage complex employee escalations, providing strategic guidance and risk mitigation.
• Champion a customer-centric culture across all employee lifecycle touchpoints.
• Use service insights, feedback, and metrics to optimize processes and enhance service value.
• Ensure compliance with governance frameworks, SLAs, KPIs, and business objectives.
• Lead, coach, and develop Team Leads, SMEs, and Executives.
• Foster collaboration, accountability, customer centricity, and continuous improvement.
• Drive performance management, talent reviews, capability building, and succession planning.
• Lead employee engagement initiatives with an enterprise-wide mindset.

HR Operations & Compliance:

• Maintain and test Business Continuity Plans (BCP).
• Ensure employee data accuracy across SuccessFactors, ServiceNow, and HR systems.
• Uphold compliance with Kerry policies, GDPR, employment legislation, and audit requirements.
• Maintain robust document management standards, access controls, and data integrity.

Stakeholder Management:

• Partner closely with HRBPs, COEs, Payroll, Talent Acquisition, and business leaders.
• Provide expert guidance on employee lifecycle processes and support activities.
• Manage escalations effectively while maintaining stakeholder confidence and employee satisfaction.
• Deliver timely reporting and insights to support business decisions.
• Lead process improvement initiatives aligned with Kerry’s Continuous Improvement agenda.
• Analyze trends, risks, root causes, and opportunities using operational data and metrics.
• Drive automation, AI adoption, digital solutions, and process simplification.
• Support transformation initiatives that improve efficiency, scalability, quality, and employee experience.

Reporting & Analytics:

• Analyze service trends, case volumes, employee feedback, and performance metrics.
• Present actionable insights and recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Drive improvements in customer satisfaction, service quality, and operational effectiveness.

Qualifications and skills

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, Psychology, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of strategic leadership experience within HR Operations, Employee Lifecycle, Onboarding, or Shared Services environments.
• Proven experience leading service delivery teams, managing complex case management processes, and driving operational excellence.
• Demonstrated success in budget management, optimizing delivery efficiency, and achieving business outcomes.
• Strong track record in talent management, developing high-performing teams, and fostering a culture of performance and growth.

Service Delivery & Operations:

• Strong experience on HR Shared Services and Employee Lifecycle transformation journeys.
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Strong strategic customer service and employee experience mindset.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Advanced knowledge of HR systems including SuccessFactors, ServiceNow, or similar platforms.
• Power BI, Power Automate, Copilot agentic AI.
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills.
• Experience leveraging automation, reporting tools, AI-enabled solutions, and continuous improvement methodologies is highly desirable.

Compliance & Governance:

• Experience on BCP implementation and testing.
• Knowledge of employment legislation and HR compliance requirements.
• Understanding of GDPR and global data privacy regulations.
• Familiarity with statutory leave administration, immigration processes, and audit requirements.
• Ability to interpret regulations and provide appropriate guidance to stakeholders.