Regional Head of Human Resources

Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 420,000 - 720,000; Full time

Job summary

MPI Group (Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad) seeks a Head of HR to lead regional HR strategy across Malaysia, Thailand and China, reporting to the Group Managing Director with a Group CHRO alignment. The role oversees industrial relations, workforce planning, and people practices across diverse manufacturing environments, with travel to Thailand and China plants.

You will build regional talent acquisition, lead HR technology initiatives, and ensure locally compliant compensation frameworks

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive HR experience including senior leadership roles
• Experience managing HR across multiple countries/sites in a matrix structure — SE Asia and China exposure preferred
• Strong track record in industrial relations and large-scale plant HR
• Experience in dual-reporting/matrix structures with business and HR leadership
• Degree in Human Resources or related field; MBA preferred
• Regional/cross-cultural leadership skills across Malaysia, Thailand and China
• Fluent business English; Mandarin a plus
• Comfort with significant regional travel and localization of HR policies
• Experience with HR transformation and digitalization initiatives

Responsibilities

• Own group-wide HR strategy across Malaysia, Thailand, and China
• Lead and align site/country HR heads with local legal and cultural contexts
• Partner with Group Managing Director and Group CHRO on policy, governance, and standards
• Oversee industrial relations strategy across all plants and unions
• Manage large manufacturing workforces including foreign workers
• Build regional talent acquisition for operator/technician and senior roles
• Lead workforce planning including shifts, capacity, and succession
• Design a group compensation and benefits framework compliant in each market
• Develop leadership pipelines and cross-site rotations
• Drive HR technology standardization and analytics across three countries

Skills

Strategic HR leadership

Industrial relations

People strategy

Talent management

Change management

Cross-cultural leadership

Stakeholder management

Workforce planning

Analytical skills

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business

MBA or postgraduate qualification

Tools

HRIS

Workforce analytics

Job description

Head of HR serving as the most senior HR leader for MPI Group (Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad), a semiconductor group with assembly and test (OSAT) operations spanning Malaysia, Thailand, and China. This is a regional leadership role, reporting to the Group Managing Director with a functional line to the Group CHRO. It requires both strategic capability at the group level and the credibility to guide industrial relations, workforce planning, and people practices across culturally and legally distinct manufacturing environments. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Group HQ), with travels to Thailand and China plant sites.

Key responsibilities

• Own group-wide HR strategy across Malaysia, Thailand, and China, translating business priorities into a coherent, multi-country people plan
• Lead, coach, and align site/country HR heads, ensuring consistent standards while allowing for local legal and cultural adaptation
• Partner closely with the Group Managing Director on people strategy, and align with the Group CHRO on group-wide HR policy, governance, and standards
• Oversee industrial relations strategy across all plants, ensuring compliance with Malaysian, Thai, and Chinese labour law and maintaining constructive relationships with unions and worker representatives
• Manage large-scale, high-volume manufacturing workforces, including foreign-worker populations in Malaysia and comparable local dynamics in Thailand and China
• Build a regional talent acquisition capability that can resource at volume for operator/technician populations as well as attract senior engineering and management talent
• Lead workforce planning across sites, including shift structures, capacity planning, and succession for critical roles
• Design and govern a group-wide compensation and benefits framework that stays locally competitive and compliant in each of the three markets
• Build leadership pipelines across the group, including cross-site rotation and development programs for high-potential talent
• Lead HR technology and process standardization across the three countries, including HRIS, workforce analytics, and digitalization of HR service delivery

About you

• 15+ years of progressive HR experience, including at least 5 years in a senior HR leadership role (Head of HR / HR Director / VP HR) within semiconductor, electronics, or high-volume manufacturing
• Proven experience managing HR across multiple countries/sites in a matrix structure — Southeast Asia and China exposure strongly preferred
• A strong track record in industrial relations and large-scale plant HR, including operator/technician workforces and foreign labour management
• Experience operating in a dual-reporting/matrix structure, partnering with both business leadership and a functional HR authority
• A degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field; an MBA or relevant postgraduate qualification is preferred
• Regional/cross-cultural leadership skills — able to lead through local HR heads rather than direct control alone
• A strong grasp of Malaysian employment law as a baseline, with working knowledge of (or the ability to quickly build fluency in) Thai and Chinese labour frameworks
• Comfort with significant regional travel
• Business-fluent English required; Mandarin is a plus given the China footprint
• Change management and HR transformation experience, particularly around digitalization

About us

MPI Group (Malaysian Pacific Industries Berhad) is a semiconductor group with assembly and test (OSAT) operations spanning Malaysia, Thailand, and China.