Regional Head of Centre of Excellence

ZALORA Malaysia; Kuala Lumpur; Hybrid; MYR 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology firm in Kuala Lumpur is seeking a Regional Head of COE to lead integrated talent strategies across several domains including Total Rewards and Talent Management. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with senior management to shape frameworks that align with business needs while ensuring effective employee development. Responsibilities include overseeing performance reviews and developing competitive compensation strategies. This is a full-time hybrid role offering a balance between office and remote work.

Benefits

Work-life balance with a hybrid model

Opportunity for significant impact on culture and structure

Exposure to senior leadership

Qualifications

• 8+ years of broad HR experience with expertise in Total Rewards.
• Proven experience designing frameworks across multiple countries.
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to use data for decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of competitive total rewards strategies.
• Oversee annual performance review and succession planning.
• Design learning and development strategies to strengthen capabilities.

Skills

Leadership skills

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Problem-solving

Proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources or related field

Job description

Job Overview

Our Regional Head of COE under the People & Culture department leads the design and execution of integrated strategies across Talent Development, Talent Management, Total Rewards, Organisation Design and Corporate Communications. This position will direct report to the Regional Director, People & Culture, and will be based in Kuala Lumpur.

This role is both strategic and hands‑on, with responsibility for shaping frameworks and policies that align talent programs to business needs while ensuring employees are effectively developed, engaged, and retained. The successful candidate will oversee initiatives such as the annual performance review cycle, employee engagement survey and partner closely with the Senior Management Team (SMT) and HR Business Partners to build a high‑performing and future‑ready workforce.

Responsibilities

Total Rewards

• Lead the development and management of competitive total rewards strategies to attract and retain top talent while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements
• Plan and execute annual compensation cycles, including annual increment exercises, Short Term Incentive (STI) modelling and payout administration, and Long Term Incentive (LTI) allocation.
• Oversee job evaluation, salary benchmarking, and pay structure design.
• Develop recognition programs that reinforce desired behaviors and culture.

Talent Development

• Design and implement organisation‑wide learning and development strategies and competency frameworks to strengthen leadership and functional capabilities.
• Drive leadership development frameworks to support future business growth.
• Measure learning effectiveness and ensure alignment to ZALORA’s organisational priorities.
• Design, deploy, and analyse employee engagement and pulse surveys to measure sentiment and pinpoint improvement areas. Collaborate with SMT to convert survey insights into actionable plans to boost engagement and organisational culture.

Performance Management

• Lead the annual performance review exercises, including planning, communication, calibration, and system management.
• Provide guidance and training to managers on giving effective feedback, goal setting, and development planning.
• Continuously refine performance management practices to promote a culture of continuous feedback and high performance.

Talent Management

• Oversee annual succession planning and key talent programs.
• Partner Talent Acquisition to conduct talent mapping and maintain a pipeline for business‑critical roles.
• Track key talent outcomes, engagement, and retention, and provide recommendations on intervention measures if needed.
• Coordinate with Global Fashion Group to shape and implement group‐wide Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB) initiatives.

Headcount Planning

• Lead ZALORA’s annual headcount planning cycle, ensuring alignment with the annual payroll budget and business priorities.
• Develop and maintain a cost management tool to track headcount, payroll budgets, and cost implications of workforce decisions.
• Prepare and present regular headcount and cost reports for the Senior Management Team, highlighting risks, variances, and recommendations.

Organisation Design & Operating Model Effectiveness

• Partner with the Senior Management Team to review and refine the organisation’s structure to ensure efficiency, agility, and scalability.
• Develop frameworks for role clarity, spans/layers, and organisation health. Lead operating model optimisation, governance, decision‑making structure refinement, and support re‑organisation/restructuring during transformation.

Corporate Communications

• Develop internal communication strategies and narratives that effectively engage stakeholders and employees, and support CEO and Executive communications to ensure clarity, alignment, and impact for organisation‑wide messages across various channels.

Strategic Leadership & Collaboration

• Serve as a thought partner to the Senior Management Team on organisational and talent effectiveness, culture, and transformation.
• Partner with HRBPs and business leaders to deliver integrated people strategies and programmes to enable business needs.
• Lead, coach, and develop a team of specialists across rewards, learning, and communications.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Organisational Development, or related field.
• 8+ years of broad HR experience with demonstrated expertise in Total Rewards.
• Proven experience designing and implementing frameworks/programmes across multiple countries.
• Proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets, with advanced skills in pivot tables, dashboards, and financial modelling.
• Excellent analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to use data and insights to inform decisions and planning.
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills; able to influence at senior levels.
• Ability to thrive in dynamic, fast‑paced, and evolving business environments.
• Full‑time position, Hybrid (4 days WFO and 1 day WFH).

What We Offer

• Strategic Impact: Own critical people pillars and play a pivotal role in shaping the organisation’s culture, structure, and long‑term effectiveness.
• Visibility & Influence: Collaborate closely with the Senior Management Team and senior business leaders across the organisation.
• Innovation & Growth: Opportunity to design of forward‑looking people programmes across the region.
• Work‑Life Balance: Hybrid working model with 4 days in the office and 1 day working from home.