HR Head

Atome; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 320,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Atome Financial, headquartered in Singapore, is seeking a Head of HR, Malaysia based in Kuala Lumpur to lead the people agenda as the BNPL licence progresses. You will serve as the country HR leader, partnering with regional teams and Singapore HQ to build local HR foundations and scalable processes.

You will drive organisation design, talent development, employee relations and data-driven HR practices, applying AI responsibly to improve insights while ensuring regulatory compliance and strong

Qualifications

• At least 10 years of progressive HR experience, including a minimum of 8 years in HR business partnering or a comparable strategic HR advisory role.
• Deep HRBP expertise plus at least one additional HR discipline (Total Rewards, Talent Development, L&D, or Organisation Development).
• Proven experience leading or shaping a country people agenda and advising senior leaders across multiple functions in a fast-changing, growth-oriented environment.
• Strong knowledge of Malaysian employment law; familiarity with Singapore employment practices is a plus.
• A strong AI adoption mindset: curious, hands-on and able to apply AI responsibly to improve HR insight, productivity and employee or manager experience.
• Commercial judgment and the confidence to challenge constructively, make clear recommendations and balance business pace with people risk.
• Ability to interpret people data and communicate a concise, decision-relevant story to leaders.
• Experience in fintech, technology, financial services, digital platforms or AI-native companies is strongly preferred.
• Regional and cross-market experience, with the ability to connect country priorities, KL-based regional teams and Singapore HQ stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Act as the dedicated HR Head for Malaysia translating growth and BNPL licence-readiness priorities into workforce, organisation, talent, governance and capability plans.
• Advise senior leaders on organisation design, workforce planning, role clarity, succession, leadership effectiveness and change.
• Own the Malaysia people agenda and employee lifecycle, including hiring governance, performance, rewards, engagement, retention, development, employee relations and exits.
• Lead complex employee-relations matters with sound judgment, fair processes, clear documentation and appropriate legal or specialist support.
• Drive performance and talent reviews, promotion and compensation cycles, succession planning and high-potential development with disciplined calibration and internal-equity thinking.
• Use people data—including headcount, attrition, engagement, hiring, performance and pay to identify patterns, challenge assumptions and recommend practical action.
• Coach leaders on feedback, difficult conversations, team dynamics, performance concerns and organisational change.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, Talent Development, L&D, Organisation Development and HR Operations to deliver consistent, scalable employee experiences.
• Partner with Singapore HQ and regional HR leaders on cross-market priorities, supporting regional resources based in KL with clear ownership, policy alignment and employee experience.
• Represent Malaysia’s market, regulatory and organisational needs in regional policy and programme design.
• Build HR readiness for Malaysia’s BNPL licence and regulated growth- including organisation structure, critical roles, governance, policies, records and people-risk controls- in partnership with Legal, Compliance and relevant functional owners.
• Ensure compliance with Malaysian employment law and company policy, escalating material risks early.
• AI adoption and data-driven HR
• Champion practical and responsible AI adoption across workforce insights, manager enablement, employee listening, knowledge management and workflow improvement.
• Identify high-value use cases, test them against clear success measures and help leaders and HR colleagues adopt new ways of working.
• Apply AI to improve insight and execution- not to automate sensitive people decisions. Human judgment remains accountable, with confidentiality, data privacy, fairness and approval controls protected.
• Learn new digital tools quickly and translate technology into simple, usable HR practices.

Skills

HRBP

People analytics

Change management

Employee relations

Organisation design

Stakeholder management

Leadership coaching

Data-driven HR

Cross-market collaboration

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business/Psychology

Postgraduate qualification

Job description

Headquartered in Singapore, Atome Financial is building a world-class tech enabled financial services platform that is the best companion of our customers lifetime. As a part of the Advance Intelligence Group, a Series D fintech unicorn and ranked Top 10 on LinkedIn’s 2023 Top Singapore StartUps list with over 1,400+ staff worldwide, we are united by a shared vision and purpose: to Advance with Intelligence for a Better Life--for our customers, colleagues and communities.

Atome Financial operates in 5 ASEAN markets (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand). We have 3 key products:

• Atome BNPL: A leading buy now pay later brand in ASEAN and partners over thousands of online and offline brands
• Atome Card: A paylater anywhere card.
• Kredit Pintar: A leading Indonesia digital lending apps, regulated and supervised by Indonesia's Financial Services Authority (OJK).

Our culture is built on values that are core to who we are and what we stand for:

• 1. We foster an INNOVATION mindset
• 2. We achieve results with EFFICIENCY and excellence
• 3. We take pride in the QUALITY of our work
• 4. We uphold INTEGRITY in all we do
• 5. We embrace COLLABORATION to work across business lines and borders

We are looking for a Head of HR, Malaysia to lead the people agenda for our fast-growing Malaysia business as it prepares for its BNPL licence and next stage of growth. Based in Kuala Lumpur, you will serve as the accountable country HR leader while providing strategic HRBP support to regional teams in the KL office and, when required, our Singapore headquarters.

This is a hands-on leadership role with clear country accountability and meaningful regional exposure. You will build strong local HR foundations for a growing and increasingly regulated business, challenge constructively, use data and technology effectively, and bring deep HRBP capability together with a second HR specialism such as Total Rewards, Talent Development, Learning & Development, or Organisation Development.

What you will do

• Act as the dedicated HR Head for Malaysia, translating business growth and BNPL licence-readiness priorities into workforce, organisation, talent, governance and capability plans.
• Advise senior leaders on organisation design, workforce planning, role clarity, succession, leadership effectiveness and change.
• Own the Malaysia people agenda and employee lifecycle, including hiring governance, performance, rewards, engagement, retention, development, employee relations and exits.
• Lead complex employee-relations matters with sound judgment, fair processes, clear documentation and appropriate legal or specialist support.
• Drive performance and talent reviews, promotion and compensation cycles, succession planning and high-potential development with disciplined calibration and internal-equity thinking.
• Use people data—including headcount, attrition, engagement, hiring, performance and pay to identify patterns, challenge assumptions and recommend practical action.
• Coach leaders on feedback, difficult conversations, team dynamics, performance concerns and organisational change.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, Talent Development, L&D, Organisation Development and HR Operations to deliver consistent, scalable employee experiences.
• Partner with Singapore HQ and regional HR leaders on cross-market priorities, supporting regional resources based in KL with clear ownership, policy alignment and employee experience.
• Represent Malaysia’s market, regulatory and organisational needs in regional policy and programme design.
• Build HR readiness for Malaysia’s BNPL licence and regulated growth- including organisation structure, critical roles, governance, policies, records and people-risk controls- in partnership with Legal, Compliance and relevant functional owners.
• Ensure compliance with Malaysian employment law and company policy, escalating material risks early.

AI adoption and data-driven HR

• Champion practical and responsible AI adoption across workforce insights, manager enablement, employee listening, knowledge management and workflow improvement.
• Identify high-value use cases, test them against clear success measures and help leaders and HR colleagues adopt new ways of working.
• Apply AI to improve insight and execution- not to automate sensitive people decisions. Human judgment remains accountable, with confidentiality, data privacy, fairness and approval controls protected.
• Learn new digital tools quickly and translate technology into simple, usable HR practices.

What we are looking for

• At least 10 years of progressive HR experience, including a minimum of 8 years in HR business partnering or a comparable strategic HR advisory role.
• Deep HRBP expertise plus at least one additional HR discipline, such as Total Rewards, Talent Development, Learning & Development or Organisation Development.
• Proven experience leading or materially shaping a country people agenda and advising senior leaders across multiple functions in a fast-changing, growth-oriented environment.
• Strong knowledge of Malaysian employment law and employee-relations practices. Familiarity with Singapore employment practices is an advantage.
• A strong AI-adoption mindset: curious, hands-on and able to apply AI responsibly to improve HR insight, productivity and employee or manager experience.
• Commercial judgment and the confidence to challenge constructively, make clear recommendations and balance business pace with people risk.
• Ability to interpret people data and communicate a concise, decision-relevant story to leaders.
• Experience in fintech, technology, financial services, digital platforms or AI-native companies is strongly preferred.
• Regional and cross-market experience, with the ability to connect country priorities, KL-based regional teams and Singapore HQ stakeholders.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology or a related discipline. A relevant postgraduate or professional qualification is an advantage.