Head of APAC HR Shared Services Centre

Company Description

SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 93,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 2,400 offices and laboratories around the world. 

Job Description

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITES

• To establish, lead, and manage the APAC HR Shared Services Centre, ensuring efficient, standardized, and high-quality HR service delivery across countries. The role is accountable for operational excellence, service governance, and continuous improvement of HR processes post-implementation.
• The Head of HR SSC acts as the operational owner, ensuring services are delivered in line with defined SLAs, compliance requirements, and business expectations.

Scope of Services

• Employee Lifecycle (Hire-to-Retire)
• Payroll & Benefits Administration
• HRIS & Data Management (e.g. Workday/ Local Payroll System)
• HR Helpdesk / Ticketing (ServiceNow / AskHR Bot/ SSC Portal)
• HR Reporting & Compliance
• SOP, Documentation & Process Governance

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITES

• Establish and Lead the Team: Build and lead the HR Shared Services team, including hiring new members and developing a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Improve Operational Efficiency: Design and implement centralized processes to achieve operational efficiency while providing high-quality HR services.
• Service Delivery: Develop and execute a service delivery framework to ensure exceptional responsiveness and alignment with the organization’s strategic priorities.
• Employee Experience: Oversee the smooth execution of employee life-cycle events such as onboarding, benefits administration, leave management, and offboarding programs.
• Data Integrity and Reporting: Ensure the accuracy of employee data within HR systems and generate regular reports to track key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Continuous Improvement: Identify gaps, refine processes, and implement innovative solutions to enhance the overall effectiveness of the shared services model.
• Compliance: Ensure adherence to local labour laws and HR policies across all regions served by the shared services team.
• Stakeholder Management: Partner with HR Business Partners, Centres of Excellence, and senior leadership to align shared services priorities with broader organizational goals.
• Training and Development: Mentor and coach team members to foster growth and ensure high engagement within the team.
• Other duties as assigned, dependent on organizational needs and employee skills

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, or a related field is required.
• 10+ years of HR operations or shared service centre experience, with at least 5+ years in a leadership role overseeing high-performing teams.
• Experience in global/ regional HR operations, process improvement, and change management initiatives is strongly preferred.
• Proven expertise in leveraging HRIS systems to support shared services delivery.
• Experience with Workday and ServiceNow preferred.
• Familiar with the latest update in ISO9001 or relevant standard, as well as the Labour Law in multiple countries in APAC region, particularly in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, etc
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with proven experience in building and mentoring effective teams.
• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to design scalable processes.
• Demonstrated ability to drive efficiency and operational excellence.
• Strong data-driven mindset to track and improve KPIs.
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Collaborative style with strong stakeholder management skills.
• Strong knowledge of global HR operations, policies, and compliance frameworks.
• Excellent communication skills, good command of English & Bahasa Malaysia both written and communication. Mandarin/ Cantonese Speaker is added advantage.
• Knowledge in using computer/MS Office is a prerequisite, and exposure to HRIS (particularly in Workday, Dayforce / Ascender, Technosoft & SmartRecruiter) and process automation (such as Power Automate, Copilot Studio, RPA) is an added advantage.

Additional Information

Equal Opportunity Statement

SGS is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.