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.