About the Role
We are looking for a proactive and people-focused HR Assistant Manager to strengthen talent retention, lead talent acquisition, and support key HR functions that drive business growth.
Reporting to the HR Director, this role will work closely with employees, managers and stakeholders across our Malaysia, China and Taiwan teams. As the role involves regular engagement with Mandarin-speaking stakeholders, strong Mandarin communication skills are essential.
The role will own Talent Retention and lead the Talent Acquisition team, which reports directly to this position. It will also support the HR Manager in overseeing Compensation & Benefits, and act as a key HR advisor to HODs, managers and employees on engagement and people matters.
Key Responsibilities
Talent Retention
- Develop and drive talent retention initiatives, with a focus on critical, high-performing and key technical talent.
- Identify potential flight risks through employee engagement, stay interviews, HR data and business feedback.
- Work with HODs and managers to understand retention concerns and recommend suitable actions.
- Track and analyse turnover trends, resignation reasons, tenure and critical talent movements.
- Prepare and monitor retention action plans and measure their effectiveness.
- Support career development and internal mobility programmes.
- Provide regular Talent Retention insights and recommendations to the HR Director and management.
Talent Acquisition
- Lead, supervise and coach the recruitment team, which reports directly to this role.
- Drive the overall hiring strategy and talent pipeline in line with business needs.
- Work closely with hiring managers to understand current and future talent needs.
- Ensure all hiring is aligned with approved workforce plans and headcount budgets.
- Monitor recruitment metrics such as time-to-fill, offer acceptance rate and quality of hire.
- Build talent pipelines for critical and hard-to-fill positions.
- Develop relationships with universities, professional networks and external talent sources.
- Ensure the team maintains high standards in candidate assessment and hiring quality.
Compensation & Benefits
- Support the HR Manager in overseeing compensation and benefits for all employees.
- Assist in salary benchmarking, annual salary reviews, bonus and increment exercises.
- Support the preparation of salary proposals and offer packages, ensuring internal equity and market competitiveness.
- Review benefits programmes and recommend improvements to support retention and engagement.
- Ensure C&B practices comply with company policies and statutory requirements.
- Provide C&B data analysis and insights to support management decisions.
Employee Engagement & HR Advisory
- Plan and drive employee engagement initiatives that strengthen culture, morale and belonging.
- Conduct engagement surveys, analyse results and work with management on action plans.
- Act as a trusted HR advisor to HODs, managers and employees on people matters, policies and employee relations.
- Provide practical guidance on performance, career development and workplace concerns.
- Flag emerging workforce and talent risks early and propose solutions.
- Support organisational development and workforce planning initiatives.
- Handle sensitive employee matters with high confidentiality and professionalism.
Key Success Measures
- Improved retention of critical and high-performing talent
- Reduced regrettable and avoidable turnover
- Strong talent pipeline and improved hiring quality
- A capable, well-led and high-performing recruitment team
- Competitive, fair and well-managed compensation and benefits
- Improved employee engagement scores and participation
- Strong, trusted partnership with HODs, managers and employees
Requirements
- Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology, Management or a related field.
- 5–7 years of relevant HR experience covering at least two of: HR Business Partnering, Talent Management, Talent Acquisition, Compensation & Benefits or Employee Engagement.
- At least 2 years of experience leading or supervising a team, preferably in recruitment.
- Good working knowledge of C&B practices, salary structures and Malaysian employment law.
- Strong written and spoken Mandarin is essential. Candidates must be comfortable conducting meetings, employee discussions and daily business communication in Mandarin with teams in China and Taiwan.
- Experience in semiconductor, engineering, technology or manufacturing organisations is an advantage.
- Strong analytical skills, with the ability to turn HR data into clear insights and recommendations.
- Strong communication, influencing and problem-solving skills.
- Able to engage confidently with HODs, managers and senior stakeholders.
- Hands-on and execution-oriented, with the ability to think strategically.
- High integrity, discretion and sound people judgment.
What We Are Looking For
We are looking for someone who goes beyond routine HR administration. The right person will lead a team, understand our people, spot talent risks early, partner effectively with managers, and take ownership of attracting, rewarding and retaining the talent that matters most to the business.