Sr. Manager, People & Culture Business Partner, South Asia

The Opportunity: 

The Senior Manager, People & Culture South Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, India), will be a key member of the South Asia Leadership Team, responsible for driving the People & Culture strategy and ensuring alignment with both regional and global objectives across the South Asia markets. Reporting directly to the Regional Director, People & Culture APAC, this role will lead the People & Culture function for the South Asia cluster, supporting business growth, organisational effectiveness, workforce capability, and transformation initiatives while fostering a culture of high performance and employee engagement.

The role partners closely with regional Centres of Excellence, People & Culture Business Partners, business leaders, and external partners to deliver strategic and operational People & Culture support across multiple countries within South Asia.

What Your Impact Will Be: 

Leadership:

• Develop and implement People & Culture strategies, policies, and programs that support business objectives across the South Asia markets.
• Serve as a strategic partner to the South Asia Leadership Team, providing insights and recommendations on workforce planning, talent management, organisational design, and employee engagement.
• Support organisational transformation and change management initiatives aligned with business priorities.
• Manage people-related investments and compensation planning aligned with Annual Operating Plan (AOP) objectives.
• Communicate and embed company values and expected leadership behaviours across the organisation.

Talent Acquisition

• Partner with the Talent Acquisition Centre of Excellence (COE) to deliver effective talent acquisition strategies that attract, retain, and develop high-performing and diverse talent across South Asia.
• Collaborate with the Talent Acquisition COE and offshore support teams on recruitment delivery, workforce planning, sourcing strategies, employer branding, and transactional recruitment activities.
• Support hiring leaders in identifying talent needs, organisational capability requirements, and strategic workforce priorities aligned with business objectives.
• Ensure effective onboarding and integration of new employees while strengthening employer brand positioning in local markets.
• Drive workforce planning initiatives to ensure capability alignment with current and future business needs.
• Facilitate the annual performance management cycle, including goal setting, performance reviews, and talent calibration processes.
• Partner with business leaders to establish career development pathways, succession plans, and development plans for employees.
• Identify and develop high-potential talent and future leaders across the region.

Capability Development

• Partner with Regional Organisation Development and Learning teams to ensure regional and global learning offerings meet South Asia business needs.
• Identify capability gaps and oversee the implementation of local development initiatives where required.
• Facilitate leadership coaching and capability-building initiatives across the business.
• Ensure robust talent reviews and organisational talent planning processes are completed for South Asia markets.

Employee Relations & Engagement

• Foster a positive, inclusive, and high-performing workplace culture that supports employee engagement, wellbeing, and diversity.
• Provide guidance and support to leaders and employees on employee relations matters, performance management, investigations, and conflict resolution.
• Ensure compliance with local labour laws, employment regulations, and company policies across South Asia markets.
• Partner with internal legal counsel and external advisors on escalated employee relations matters and compliance issues.
• Lead employee engagement initiatives and utilise employee insights, dashboards, and data analytics to improve employee experience and retention.
• Facilitate annual compensation review, merit, and equity planning processes.
• Review and maintain local People & Culture policies and practices to ensure compliance and alignment with global standards.

Payroll

• Oversee payroll governance and People operations processes across South Asia, ensuring compliance with local legislation and internal audit requirements.
• Ensure employee lifecycle processes including onboarding, transfers, promotions, and separations are managed accurately and efficiently.
• Partner with payroll vendors and Finance teams to ensure timely and accurate payroll processing.
• Ensure statutory obligations, government payments, and reporting requirements are met across all applicable markets.
• Oversee sales incentive payment processes in partnership with Commercial Finance where applicable.

Team Leadership

• Provide leadership, coaching, and mentorship to People & Culture team members within the South Asia cluster.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing team environment.
• Build strong partnerships and effective communication across People & Culture and cross-functional teams.