Total Rewards Manager

Ambu; Penang; On-site; MYR 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Ambu A/S is seeking a Total Rewards Manager based in Penang, Malaysia to lead design, governance and enhancement of compensation, benefits and rewards programs. You will partner with Global Total Rewards and the People & Culture team to deliver competitive and equitable reward strategies for a workforce of over 2,000 across multiple functions.

The role emphasizes analytical decision-making, market benchmarking, and governance, with a focus on data-driven insights and process improvements.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in Compensation & Benefits, Total Rewards, or similar

Responsibilities

• Partner with Global Total Rewards to deploy and localize frameworks
• Lead annual compensation cycle including salary reviews, promotions, and market adjustments
• Develop, review and maintain salary structures, pay ranges, job grades and governance
• Ensure alignment of compensation with business strategy, market competitiveness and equity
• Conduct pay equity and compensation analyses and recommend data-driven actions
• Provide market intelligence and reward insights to leaders and HR stakeholders
• Drive governance and compliance for total rewards processes
• Support digitalization and automation of total rewards activities

Skills

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Communication skills

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business/Finance

Professional certifications in compensation/benefits/HR analytics

Tools

SuccessFactors

Excel

Job description

Ambu A/S is currently looking for a Total Rewards Manager to be based in Penang, Malaysia.

You will be part of the People & Culture team in Malaysia, reporting directly to the People & Culture Director. In this role, you will lead the design, implementation, governance, and continuous enhancement of Ambu Malaysia's compensation, benefits, and reward programs. You will act as the subject matter expert for Total Rewards, ensuring our reward framework remains competitive, equitable, compliant, and aligned with Ambu's business objectives and global reward philosophy.

This role is based at our Penang Global Hub, supporting a workforce of more than 2,000 employees across Operations, R&D, Shared Services, and Commercial functions. The position is ideal for a highly analytical and commercially minded rewards professional who enjoys translating market insights and workforce data into impactful reward strategies.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner closely with Global Total Rewards to deploy and localize global reward frameworks, policies, and initiatives.
• Lead the annual compensation cycle, including salary reviews, promotions, bonus planning, and market adjustments.
• Develop, review, and maintain salary structures, pay ranges, job grades, and reward governance frameworks.
• Ensure alignment of compensation practices with business strategy, market competitiveness, and internal equity.
• Conduct pay equity and compensation analyses, identifying trends and recommending data-driven actions.

Market Benchmarking & Job Architecture

• Lead participation in compensation surveys and benchmark roles against relevant market data.
• Conduct job evaluations and maintain job grading methodologies to ensure consistency and fairness across the organization.
• Provide market intelligence and reward insights to business leaders and HR stakeholders.

Benefits Management

• Evaluate, design, and manage employee benefit programs to ensure competitiveness, cost effectiveness, and employee value.
• Review benefit utilization and cost trends, making recommendations for continuous improvement.
• Partner with vendors and internal stakeholders to ensure smooth delivery of benefit programs.

Analytics, Governance & Compliance

• Develop reward dashboards, reports, and analytics to support strategic workforce and compensation decisions.
• Conduct financial modelling, budgeting, and forecasting of compensation and benefits programs.
• Ensure compliance with local labor legislation, tax regulations, and governance requirements related to compensation and benefits.
• Monitor emerging compensation, benefits, and reward trends to continuously enhance Ambu's Total Rewards offerings.

Process Excellence & Digitalization

• Drive simplification, automation, and digitalization of Total Rewards processes.
• Improve data quality, reporting capabilities, and system utilization related to compensation and benefits.
• Support rewards-related projects, system implementations, and process enhancements.

Suggested Candidate Profile

Skills and experiences can be gained in different ways. However, you are likely to succeed in this role if you have:

Experience

• 7+ years of progressive experience in Compensation & Benefits, Total Rewards, Reward Consulting, or a similar specialized rewards role.
• Proven experience managing salary structures, annual compensation reviews, job evaluations, and market benchmarking.
• Experience designing and administering short-term incentive, bonus, and reward programs.
• Experience working in multinational organizations with complex workforce structures.
• Exposure to global Total Rewards frameworks and governance practices is highly preferred.

Technical Expertise

• Strong understanding of compensation principles, job architecture, grading methodologies, and market benchmarking practices.
• Advanced analytical skills with the ability to interpret large datasets and provide actionable recommendations.
• Experience with HRIS platforms such as SuccessFactors and strong proficiency in Excel and reward analytics.
• Knowledge of compensation budgeting, workforce cost modelling, and reward financial planning.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to engage leaders at all levels.
• Data-driven, detail-oriented, and highly analytical.
• Able to balance strategic thinking with operational execution.
• Strong project management and continuous improvement mindset.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Statistics, or a related discipline.
• Professional certifications in Compensation & Benefits, Total Rewards, or HR Analytics would be an advantage.