HR Director – APAC

Position overview

This senior HR leadership role acts as the APAC people strategy lead, connecting workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, and governance with business outcomes in a global listed-company setting. Reporting to the CFO of Global Supply Chain and AMS, the position ensures the regional workforce agenda is closely tied to performance, financial discipline, and organizational results across Asia Pacific. It is also the main APAC liaison for HR leadership in the US and Europe, balancing regional priorities with global consistency. The role demands strong executive presence, structured thinking, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders.

Primary mandate

• Build workforce and organization plans that can scale with growth while maintaining cost discipline and high performance.
• Strengthen leadership depth, succession readiness, and a strong pipeline of future talent.
• Represent the APAC region in global HR discussions and turn enterprise frameworks into practical regional execution.

Key responsibilities

Strategic business and leadership advisory

• Work closely with the leadership team on organization design, workforce strategy, and capability planning.
• Offer data-backed guidance on complex people-related decisions.
• Convert business requirements into clear, structured workforce plans that support decision-making.

Workforce planning and financial alignment

• Own headcount planning in line with operating plans and financial targets.
• Improve productivity, cost control, and overall workforce efficiency.
• Present scenarios and trade-offs in a format suited for executives.

Organizational design and capability building

• Create and implement organization structures that are efficient and scalable.
• Spot capability gaps and prioritize hiring needs accordingly.
• Translate organization design into practical frameworks and rollout plans.

Talent management, leadership development, and training

• Lead performance management, talent reviews, and succession planning.
• Coach leaders on performance, capability, and organizational effectiveness.
• Develop and run leadership programs aligned to global standards.

Culture, engagement, and regional leadership

• Own the employee engagement agenda and related action plans.
• Make sure regional initiatives reflect global culture principles.
• Advocate for APAC priorities in global forums with clarity and influence.

Executive communication and decision support

• Create high-quality executive presentations for leadership and global stakeholders.
• Turn HR metrics into insights, business implications, and next-step recommendations.
• Use structured storytelling to build alignment and support timely decisions.

Employee relations and risk management

• Handle complex, high-risk employee relations matters.
• Provide practical, defensible advice that balances business goals and legal exposure.
• Work with legal counsel when needed.

Governance, controls, and compliance

• Ensure people decisions follow internal control requirements in a listed-company environment.
• Maintain strong standards for documentation, approvals, and audit readiness.

Rewards and hiring advisory

• Advise on pay positioning and calibration decisions.
• Help define hiring priorities and role scope.
• Support senior hiring decisions together with HR Operations.

Data, insights, and reporting

• Convert HR data into clear and actionable insights.
• Track patterns in attrition, engagement, and performance.
• Deliver reporting that helps leaders make informed decisions.

HR operations oversight and scalability

• Define and oversee the HR operations and governance model, including roles, controls, and execution standards.
• Own accountability for end-to-end HR operations effectiveness, with a focus on scalability and efficiency.
• Provide guidance to HR Operations and be prepared to lead the function as the business evolves.

Qualifications and experience

• A bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, or a related discipline.
• At least 3 to 5 years of proven experience in a HR Director position within a global, listed, or highly regulated organization.
• Experience working in a global matrix structure with stakeholders across regions.
• Exposure to global HR frameworks, system rollouts, and governance models.
• Previous experience supporting senior executive leadership.

Critical success profile

• Strong executive presentation and storytelling ability is essential.
• Ability to influence across a global matrix without direct authority.
• Sound judgment in sensitive and complex matters.
• Capability to simplify complexity into practical, decision-ready insights.
• Strong commitment to financial discipline and governance.
• High ownership in a lean operating model.
• Confident presence and credibility in global, cross-cultural settings.

Success indicators

• Workforce plans clearly connected to financial and business outcomes.
• An organization structure that supports growth at scale.
• A strong leadership pipeline with readiness for succession.
• Effective leadership development and training initiatives.
• Healthy engagement and retention levels.
• APAC priorities clearly represented in global leadership conversations.
• Executive materials that enable quick and confident decisions.