Head of HR Singapore

Liberty Specialty Markets; Singapore; On-site; SGD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Liberty Specialty Markets is seeking a Country Head of HR for Singapore to lead the country people strategy, governance and employee relations. You will partner with APAC HR Centres of Expertise, supervise the in-market HR team and report to the CEO, Singapore and Head of HR APAC.

Strong regulatory knowledge and leadership capabilities are essential. You will drive workforce planning, organisation design and leadership development while ensuring compliance with Singapore employment law and

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Admin, Law or related field.
• Master’s degree in HR strongly preferred.
• IHRP certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as trusted HR advisor to CEO, Singapore and local leadership on people matters.
• Co-develop and own country people strategy including workforce planning and org design.
• Lead risk-based labour relations and ensure regulatory alignment.
• Own governance updates to Board and committees on HR matters.
• Drive country talent review, succession planning and leadership development.
• Oversee in-market HR team and partner with regional HRBPs.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Board communication

ER & industrial relations

Regulatory knowledge

Stakeholder management

Negotiation & mediation

HR analytics

Change leadership

Team leadership

Confidentiality

Project management

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, Law

Master’s degree (MBA or MSc/MA) in HR

IHRP certification (Certified or Senior Professional)

Job description

Role Title: Country Head of HR - Singapore

Department: Talent

Type: Permanent

About the Role:

The Country Head of HR - Singapore is the senior HR leader and trusted advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, Singapore and the local leadership team on all people matters. Reporting to the Head of HR, APAC and the Chief Executive Officer, Singapore, the role owns the country people strategy, governance and employee relations, leads the local HR team, and partners the APAC HR Centres of Expertise to execute - building a single, high-performing One Liberty HR capability in market.

The role requires strong influencing skills, deep employee and industrial-relations experience, sound judgement in a regulated environment, and practical knowledge of Singapore employment legislation and the tripartite framework.

Your place in the APAC HR operating model:

• You are the how & now owner for Singapore - Accountable for country people strategy, delivery, employment law and governance.
• You own employee relations for everyone based in Singapore, including employees who report to a regional or functional leader based elsewhere.
• You translate regional frameworks into local action and set country people strategy with the Chief Executive Officer, Singapore and local leadership team.
• You lead the in-market HR team - the HRBPs who are the backbone of the model - and partner Regional HRBPs, International HR and the Centres of Expertise to execute.

Job Responsibilities:

Strategic HR & Business Leadership

• Serve as the trusted HR advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, Singapore and local leadership team on all people matters.
• Co-develop and own the country people strategy in support of short- and long-term business objectives, including workforce planning and organisation design.
• Provide data- and insight-driven recommendations on organisational capability, structure and culture.
• Serve as the trusted HR advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, Singapore and local leadership team on all people matters.
• Co-develop and own the country people strategy in support of short- and long-term business objectives, including workforce planning and organisation design.
• Provide data- and insight-driven recommendations on organisational capability, structure and culture.

Board, Executive & Governance Advisory

• Own and present human-capital updates, proposals, succession plans and HR risk items to the Board and its committees (e.g., Remuneration / Nomination Committee).
• Ensure the accuracy, context and regulatory alignment of Board-level HR deliverables, meeting fit-and-proper and governance expectations.

Employee & Labour Relations

• Hold accountability for employee relations for everyone based in Singapore; lead the most complex, sensitive and high-risk matters, investigations, disciplinary and grievance processes with confidentiality, fairness and legal compliance.
• Lead consultation, collective bargaining and engagement with unions and employee representatives; represent the company in MOM, TADM and Employment Claims Tribunal processes with Legal.
• Accountable for constructively challenging decisions and the consistent approach, consultation, governance and implementation of termination and redundancy decisions made by the Business
• Own the country talent review and succession planning with the Chief Executive Officer, Singapore and local leadership team; build the local leadership pipeline.
• Partner Regional HRBPs on leadership-team roles and cross-market moves.
• Own strategic consultation on leadership effectiveness and capability building.
• Own the country talent development strategy - partnering closely with the Talent Development & Inclusion lead to design & implement learning interventions

• Own the country talent review and succession planning with the Chief Executive Officer, Singapore and local leadership team; build the local leadership pipeline.
• Partner Regional HRBPs on leadership-team roles and cross-market moves.
• Own strategic consultation on leadership effectiveness and capability building.
• Own the country talent development strategy - partnering closely with the Talent Development & Inclusion lead to design & implement learning interventions

Reward & Performance Governance

• Own local delivery and governance of the year-end performance and reward cycle, partnering with the Talent Development and Rewards Centres of Expertise.
• Present executive compensation proposals in applicable board forums, ensuring alignment to regulatory remuneration and MAS expectations.

• Lead people-related change for the market and drive One Liberty agenda, embedding a consistent culture and operating mindset.
• Drive adoption of regional frameworks and Centre of Expertise products in market.

Leading the Country HR Team & Operating-Model Stewardship

• Build, coach and lead a high-performing in-market HR team

Risk, Compliance & Regulatory Governance

• Ensure statutory and regulatory compliance across the market, including the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), fit-and-proper and remuneration governance where applicable.
• Proactively manage HR related risks - establishing appropriate controls and risk mitigation strategies
• Maintain a thorough working knowledge of Singapore employment law and manage or elevate HR risks in line with governance expectations.

HR Operations, Data & Insight

• Partner with HR Operations to ensure reliable, compliant day-to-day HR delivery (onboarding, payroll, CPF, lifecycle administration).
• Use HR analytics and KPIs to measure impact, inform decisions and report progress.
• As a member of the APAC HR Leadership Team, contribute to regional HR strategy, share best practice across markets and represent Singapore in regional forums.

Key Skills:

• Strategic thinking and business acumen: able to translate business priorities into HR solutions.
• Board and executive-level communication: confident presenter and writer for Board and governance materials and executive briefings.
• Deep employee and industrial-relations expertise: investigations, disciplinary processes, union negotiations and industrial-relations strategy.
• Employment law and regulatory knowledge: practical understanding of Singapore employment legislation and the tripartite framework and the applicable regulatory framework.
• Stakeholder management and influence: builds credibility and trust with senior leaders, unions and external advisers.
• Negotiation and mediation: effective at resolving disputes with constructive outcomes.
• HR analytics and data-driven decision making: leverages people data to recommend actions and measure impact.
• Change leadership: plans and drives people-centered change with strong execution.
• Team leadership and coaching: builds and develops a high-performing HR team.
• Confidentiality and professionalism: high ethical standards when handling sensitive employee and Board matters.
• Project management: able to manage multiple complex, time-sensitive initiatives.
• Collaboration: effortlessly navigates cross-functional and intra-team collaboration.

Job Experience & Qualification Requirements:

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Law or a related field. Master's degree (MBA or MSc/MA in HR) strongly preferred.
• Professional certifications: IHRP (Certified or Senior Professional) preferred.
• Experience: 10+ years of progressive HR experience, with at least 5 years in a senior HR business-partner or HR leadership role in a multinational or complex organisation.
• Board exposure: proven experience preparing and presenting HR materials to Boards and executive committees, and advising on governance and succession.
• Employee relations: demonstrated track record handling complex ER matters, investigations and union / collective bargaining in Singapore or a similar jurisdiction.
• Regulatory knowledge: strong working knowledge of the IAC Framework and its applications, Employment Act, Tripartite Guidelines and TAFEP practices, MOM / TADM and Employment Claims Tribunal processes, CPF and work-pass regulations (EP / S Pass).
• Language: excellent written and verbal communication in English; additional languages an advantage.
• Data & analytics: demonstrated experience leveraging data to drive HR strategy and measurable outcomes.
• Personal attributes: strategic, decisive, trustworthy, pragmatic, resilient, and able to operate effectively in ambiguity and at pace.