Regional HR Director

Businesslist; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 250,000 - 400,000; Full time

Job summary

Businesslist is seeking an accomplished Strategic HR Leader to partner with regional and site leadership, shaping HR strategy across APAC manufacturing sites.

You will drive organizational design, succession planning, and leadership development, while aligning talent and engagement initiatives with business growth and performance targets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, business administration, psychology or related field.
• Minimum 12–15 years of progressive HR experience with at least 5 years in regional leadership.
• Significant experience in manufacturing, EMS, automotive, or high‑volume production environments.

Responsibilities

• Partner with regional and site leadership to develop and execute HR strategies aligned with business objectives.
• Drive organizational effectiveness, workforce productivity, and talent capabilities to support growth.
• Provide guidance on org design, succession planning, leadership development, and workforce transformation.
• Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders across operations, supply chain, engineering, quality, and commercial.
• Lead regional talent reviews and succession planning for leadership roles.
• Champion performance management and career development frameworks across the region.
• Oversee employee relations, investigations, and workplace disputes with a proactive, high‑performance culture.
• Ensure compliance with local labor laws and governance standards across all countries.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Change management

People analytics

Education

Bachelor's Degree in HR, Business Administration, Psychology, or related

Job description

Strategic HR Leadership

• Partner with regional and site leadership teams to develop and execute HR strategies aligned with business objectives.
• Drive organizational effectiveness, workforce productivity, and talent capabilities to support business growth.
• Provide strategic guidance on organizational design, succession planning, leadership development, and workforce transformation initiatives.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior stakeholders across operations, supply chain, engineering, quality, and commercial functions.

Talent Management & Succession Planning

• Lead regional talent review and succession planning processes for critical and leadership positions.
• Develop programs to attract, retain, and develop high-potential talent.
• Partner with business leaders to build leadership capability and strengthen talent pipelines.
• Champion performance management and career development frameworks across the region.

Employee & Industrial Relations

• Provide expert advice on employee relations matters, investigations, disciplinary actions, and workplace disputes.
• Ensure positive employee engagement while promoting a high-performance culture.
• Manage labor relations matters, including union engagement and collective agreements where applicable.
• Drive employee engagement initiatives and monitor organizational health metrics.

HR Operations & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with local labor laws, employment regulations, and corporate governance standards across all countries.
• Establish and standardize HR policies, processes, and best practices across manufacturing sites.
• Oversee audits, compliance reviews, and risk mitigation initiatives.
• Partner with legal and compliance teams on employment-related matters.
• RBA and customer social compliance audits,

Compensation & Benefits

• Lead regional compensation and benefits strategies to ensure competitiveness and internal equity.
• Support annual salary reviews, incentive programs, and workforce cost planning.
• Conduct market benchmarking and recommend reward strategies aligned with business objectives.

Workforce Planning & Manufacturing Support

• Partner with operations leaders on workforce planning, manpower forecasting, and labor productivity initiatives.
• Support plant expansions, new product introductions, restructuring programs, and organizational changes.
• Develop talent strategies to address skilled labor shortages and critical workforce challenges.
• Drive initiatives related to retention, absenteeism, workforce flexibility, and operational efficiency.

Change Management & Organizational Development

• Lead regional transformation and change management initiatives.
• Support mergers, acquisitions, integrations, and restructuring activities where applicable.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and employee engagement.
• Drive diversity, equity, inclusion, and employer branding initiatives.

People Analytics

• Utilize HR metrics and workforce analytics to support decision-making.
• Monitor key HR KPIs including turnover, engagement, absenteeism, hiring effectiveness, productivity, and succession readiness.
• Present workforce insights and recommendations to executive leadership.

The Successful Applicant

• Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, or a related field.
• Minimum 12-15 years of progressive HR experience, with at least 5 years in a regional HR leadership role.
• Significant experience within manufacturing, contract manufacturing, electronics manufacturing services (EMS), automotive, industrial, or other high-volume production environments.
• Strong knowledge of labor laws and employment practices across multiple APAC countries.
• Proven track record partnering with senior business leaders and managing complex stakeholder relationships.
• Experience leading organizational transformation and change initiatives.
• Excellent communication, influencing, and leadership skills.

What's on Offer

This is an exciting opportunity to join a leading global contract manufacturer in a highly visible regional leadership role. You will partner closely with senior business leaders to shape the people strategy across APAC while driving transformational initiatives in a complex manufacturing environment.

ContactBen ChewQuote job refJN-082026-7087778Phone number6012 329 0871