Head of Human Resources

On behalf of our client in the engineering sector, we are seeking a talented and dynamic Head of Human Resources, reporting directly to the Group CEO.

The Company is undergoing a strategic transformation - moving beyond being a pure-play precision machining supplier to becoming an innovation-led semiconductor solutions partner. As they integrate new acquisitions, they are simultaneously building out their Design and Innovation capabilities to deliver next-generation semiconductor test solutions. The Group HR Head must architect the people strategy that enables this dual transformation: optimizing their manufacturing operations while simultaneously building a world-class R&D and product design culture that attracts top engineering talent and accelerates time-to-market for new products.

The Opportunity:
This is not a traditional HR leadership role. The Company is at an inflection point—moving from a precision machining subcontractor to a differentiated, innovation-led semiconductor solutions provider. They are integrating a recent acquisition while simultaneously investing heavily in Design, R&D, and advanced engineering capabilities.

The Group HR Head will be the chief architect of their people strategy—building a unified organization that can excel at both high-volume precision manufacturing and high-velocity product innovation. This requires a leader who can bridge two worlds: the disciplined, quality-focused culture of the factory floor, and the creative, risk-tolerant culture of the R&D lab. If you have successfully managed this kind of operational-to-innovation pivot in a manufacturing environment and can partner with a private equity-backed CEO to drive EBITDA growth through talent, this is a career-defining role.

HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Responsibilities:

1.    Strategic HR Leadership & Innovation Workforce Strategy

• Develop and implement HR strategies that support the overall business goals of the group to fit the transformation/ value creation agenda of the Company business.
• Design and execute an HR roadmap that directly contributes to the Group's 24-36 month value creation plan (VCP), including workforce optimization, organizational redesign, and cost synergy realization from M&A. Quantify HR's contribution to EBITDA improvement through measurable KPIs (e.g., labour cost per unit, revenue per FTE, attrition cost reduction).
• Exhibit strong business partnering role with business through collaboration with senior management to identify HR needs and develop solutions to drive profitable growth.
• Partner with the CEO and shareholder to provide board-ready HR insights on organizational health, talent risk, and integration progress. Serve as a trusted advisor to site leaders in Singapore, Malaysia, China, and the Philippines, translating global strategy into local execution
• Design and execute a specialized talent strategy for the Design & Innovation teams, distinct from manufacturing operations. This includes defining new job families (e.g., Principal Design Engineer, Systems Architect, Application Scientist), establishing alternative career ladders, and creating an employee value proposition (EVP) that appeals to R&D and creative engineering talent.
• Partner with the CTO/Head of Innovation to forecast capability gaps for emerging semiconductor technologies (e.g., advanced packaging, heterogeneous integration, AI-driven test solutions) and develop targeted recruitment and upskilling campaigns.

2.    Talent Acquisition and Management

• Lead aggressive, targeted talent acquisition for new innovation roles (Product Designers, R&D Engineers, Application Engineers) while continuing to secure top-tier precision manufacturing talent. Develop sourcing channels (e.g., university partnerships, semiconductor industry networks, global R&D hubs) that build a pipeline for both operational and innovation talent pools
• Implement and manage talent management programs, including succession planning and career development initiatives to enable continuous upgrade of talent capital within the group.
• Lead the talent retention strategy for the company and post-acquisition affiliates, including retention bonuses, career pathing, and cultural integration plans. Develop an early-warning system to track voluntary attrition of mission-critical roles.

3.    Employee Relations

• Architect a hybrid organizational culture that balances the discipline of manufacturing (Kaizen, quality, safety) with the agility of innovation(experimentation, fail-fast, design thinking). Design targeted engagement interventions for R&D teams (e.g., hackathons, innovation labs, cross-functional design sprints) while preserving operational excellence for production sites.
• Proactively shape a unified, high-performance culture across the combined organization. Diagnose cultural friction points between legacy teams and Champion teams, and design targeted interventions(e.g., joint offsites, leadership alignment workshops) to accelerate integration.

4.    Performance Management

• Develop and manage performance appraisal systems that drive employee performance and accountability.
• Provide guidance to managers on performance-related issues and employee development.
• Align performance management systems directly with value creation milestones (e.g., synergy targets, operational KPIs, OKRs). Ensure executive and plant-level incentives are tied to delivery of the 100-day and 24-month integration plan.
• Redesign the organizational structure to integrate Design and Innovation teams effectively with manufacturing and commercial functions. Define clear interfaces (e.g., Design-to-Manufacturing handoff processes, NPI governance) to ensure that innovation outputs are successfully scaled into production.

5.    Training and Development

• Design a dual-track learning ecosystem: (a)Operations Track: Lean, Kaizen, quality certifications for factory teams; (b)Innovation Track: Design Thinking, AI/Data Science, advanced semiconductor physics, and patent/IP management for R&D teams. Establish partnerships with universities and research institutes to co-develop innovation capability.
• Promote continuous learning and professional development opportunities.

6.    Compensation and Benefits

• Oversee the development and administration of competitive compensation and benefits programs for the Company.
• Develop distinct compensation philosophies for manufacturing vs. innovation talent—benchmarking manufacturing roles against precision engineering peers, and innovation roles against semiconductor R&D and design houses (which command premium rates). Design incentive structures that reward patent filings, product commercialization milestones, and time-to-market for innovation teams, while maintaining production-linked incentives for operations.
• Lead the harmonization of compensation, benefits, and job grading between the company and other affiliates within the first 6–9months. Benchmark against semiconductor/private equity portfolio peers, not just general market, to ensure competitiveness without overspending.

7.    HR Compliance and Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with labour laws and regulations across all jurisdictions.
• Develop and implement HR policies and procedures that mitigate risk and promote best practices.
• Manage cross-border compliance across Singapore, Malaysia, China, and the Philippines, including labour laws, union relations, and data privacy (PDPA/GDPR). Conduct periodic pay equity and workforce risk audits to pre-empt shareholder concern.

8.    M&A

• Lead full-cycle M&A HR integration, including:(a) pre-deal human capital due diligence (culture, compensation, key-man risk, union exposure), (b) Day 1 readiness (payroll, reporting lines, communication),and (c) post-close integration (C&B harmonization, org design, talent retention, system consolidation). Champion the people agenda through the entire deal lifecycle.

9.    HR Metrics and Reporting

• Design an HR dashboard that reports on value-relevant metrics, including: cost synergy realization, critical talent retention rate, organizational health index, and labor productivity trends. Present quarterly to the CXOs and shareholder, linking HR progress directly to the investment thesis.
• Design and track HR metrics specific to innovation capability, including: % of revenue from new products launched in last 24months, patent filings per engineer, time-to-market for NPI projects, and R&D talent retention rates. Present these alongside operational metrics to demonstrate the balance of the dual strategy.
• ·Digitize manual processes (including onboarding, offboarding, new employee orientation etc) and implement HRIS systems where applicable to drive efficiency.

Requirements:

• Degree in Human Resources or related discipline.
• Minimum 12 to 15 years of progressive HR experience, with proven experience in a senior HR leadership role.
• Strong full-spectrum HR experience including talent management, compensation and benefits, performance management, employee relations, HR compliance, workforce planning, and HR transformation.
• Demonstrated ability to design differentiated talent strategies for diverse workforce segments (e.g., production staff vs. R&D engineers).
• Prior experience in manufacturing or precision engineering, with exposure to R&D, product design, or NPI (New Product Introduction) environments. Candidates who have successfully managed the cultural and organizational shift from a purely operational model to an 'operations + innovation' hybrid model will be strongly preferred.
• Experience in M&A due diligence, post-acquisition HR integration, organization restructuring, or transformation projects will be an advantage. Experience in transforming organizational culture - particularly transitioning a heritage manufacturing culture to embrace innovation, design thinking, and product commercialization.
• Intellectual curiosity and ability to understand the company’s technology roadmap (semiconductor test solutions, advanced packaging) to credibly engage with Product Design and Innovation leaders on talent and capability needs.
• Strong business partnering experience with CEO, senior management, and functional leaders.
• Strong understanding of employment laws, HR governance, and regional HR practices.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
• Strong analytical capability with the ability to use HR data to supportbusiness decisions.
• Excellent communication, influencing, stakeholder management, and leadership skills.

Salary: Negotiable

We regret that only successful candidates will be notified.