Assistant HR Manager

Our client is seeking a hands-on and commercially minded Assistant HR Manager to lead the day-to-day Human Resources function for their Singapore operations while providing HR support and coordination for Malaysia.

Human Resources will form the core responsibility of this position, covering recruitment, workforce planning, employee relations, payroll, performance management, HR operations and process improvement.

In addition, the role will provide finance administration and cost-control support in coordination with the Finance team, as well as oversee essential office administration.

The successful candidate should be an experienced HR generalist who is comfortable operating in a fast-paced SME environment, able to work independently with management, lead a small team, and remain hands-on when required.

Key Responsibilities

1. Human Resources – 70%

Recruitment & Workforce Planning
• Lead end-to-end recruitment for Singapore and support recruitment requirements for Malaysia, including sourcing, screening, interviewing, offer management and onboarding.
• Partner with management and hiring managers to understand manpower requirements, recruitment priorities and workforce plans.
• Monitor recruitment pipelines, hiring progress, time-to-fill and recruitment costs.
• Review candidate salary expectations and manage salary discussions within approved manpower budgets.
• Review employment offers and contracts before issuance.
• Evaluate recruitment channels and recommend improvements to recruitment effectiveness, quality and cost.
• Maintain visibility of approved headcount, vacancies and manpower movements.

HR Operations & Employee Lifecycle
• Take ownership of day-to-day HR operations and act as a key HR point of contact for management and employees.
• Manage the employee lifecycle including onboarding, probation, confirmation, employee movements, transfers and off-boarding.
• Ensure employment contracts, HR correspondence, personnel records and HR documentation are properly maintained.
• Advise managers and employees on HR policies, procedures and employment matters.
• Handle employee relations matters, grievances, performance concerns and disciplinary cases, escalating sensitive or higher-risk matters to management where appropriate.
• Coordinate performance appraisal, training and employee engagement activities.
• Review and improve HR policies, procedures and workflows to support changing business requirements.
• Ensure HR practices comply with applicable Singapore employment requirements and company policies.

Payroll, Compensation & Benefits
• Manage end-to-end Singapore payroll processing, including attendance, leave, claims, salary adjustments and payroll verification.
• Ensure salaries, CPF and other applicable statutory submissions are processed accurately and on time.
• Maintain appropriate payroll controls, supporting documentation and reconciliation processes.
• Investigate and resolve payroll discrepancies promptly.
• Manage employee benefits, insurance and claims administration.
• Support Malaysia payroll coordination by ensuring accurate employee information and payroll inputs are provided to the relevant local team or service provider.
• Maintain visibility of payroll and manpower costs and support management with relevant workforce cost information.

Malaysia HR Support
• Coordinate with relevant colleagues and external service providers on Malaysia HR matters.
• Support recruitment, employee documentation, payroll inputs and other HR operational requirements for Malaysia.
• Ensure appropriate coordination between Singapore and Malaysia while recognising differences in local employment requirements and practices.

HR Team Leadership & Process Improvement
• Lead, coach and develop a small HR team.
• Establish clear responsibilities, priorities and service expectations within the team.
• Review the accuracy and timeliness of key HR deliverables.
• Remain hands-on in complex employee, recruitment and operational matters when required.
• Establish effective HR workflows, approval processes and internal controls.
• Improve the utilisation of Lark, HRIS and other systems to reduce manual work and improve data accuracy.
• Prepare regular management reports covering recruitment, headcount, employee movements, manpower costs and key HR matters.
• Identify HR operational gaps and proactively implement practical improvements.

2. Finance Coordination & Cost Control – 20%
(This role provides finance coordination and cost-control support and is not responsible for full-set accounting, statutory accounting or ownership of the Finance function.)
• Provide day-to-day finance administration support in close coordination with the Finance team.
• Review invoices, payment requests, employee reimbursements and supporting documentation for completeness, accuracy and appropriate approval.
• Coordinate with Finance, internal stakeholders and vendors regarding payment schedules, outstanding items and discrepancies.
• Track HR, payroll and office operating expenses and maintain appropriate supporting records.
• Assist management with budget preparation, expense summaries and cost reporting.
• Monitor expenditure against approved budgets and highlight significant variances.
• Identify opportunities for better cost control and operational efficiency.
• Maintain organised financial supporting documentation for reporting and audit purposes.

3. Administration & Office Operations – 10%
• Oversee essential Singapore office administration to ensure smooth day-to-day operations.
• Coordinate office facilities, equipment, supplies, procurement and maintenance requirements.
• Manage relevant office vendors, service providers, quotations and contract renewals.
• Support company meetings, employee activities and other administrative requirements when necessary.
• Coordinate Malaysia administrative requirements with relevant local colleagues and service providers where required.

Requirements

• Diploma or Bachelor's Degree in Human Resource Management, Business Administration or a related discipline.
• Minimum 5–7 years of progressive HR experience, preferably within an SME, fast-growing or multi-functional business environment.
• Strong hands-on HR generalist experience covering recruitment, employee relations, HR operations and payroll.
• Prior experience supervising or leading a small HR team.
• Sound knowledge of Singapore employment practices, MOM requirements, payroll administration and CPF.
• Experience supporting Malaysia HR operations or familiarity with Malaysian employment practices would be an advantage.
• Practical exposure to finance administration, invoice/payment coordination, expense monitoring and budgeting is preferred.
• Comfortable overseeing basic office administration, vendors and procurement.
• Strong Excel skills and confidence working with HRIS and other business systems; experience with Lark would be advantageous.
• Strong organisational and analytical skills with good attention to detail.
• Able to prioritise multiple responsibilities and operate effectively in a fast-moving environment.
• Good judgement and discretion when handling confidential employee and financial information.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the confidence to work directly with managers and senior management.
• Proficiency in spoken Mandarin and the ability to read and write Chinese are required to communicate with Chinese-speaking stakeholders and handle Chinese-language correspondence on HR, finance and operational matters.
• Proactive, adaptable and solutions-oriented, with the ability to take ownership rather than wait for instructions.

Who We Are Looking For

The ideal candidate profile - an HR professional first, rather than a Finance or Administration candidate with some HR exposure.

The ideal candidate is someone who can independently manage day-to-day HR operations, provide practical advice to management, lead a small team and personally step in when operational issues require attention.

The individual should be comfortable balancing strategic priorities with hands-on execution and should demonstrate strong ownership, judgement and the ability to improve existing processes rather than simply maintain them.