Head of People

Description

The Head of People and Culture (Assistant General Manager) at Hitachi Asia is a senior leadership role responsible for delivering a people strategy that enables business performance through an engaged, capable, and future-ready workforce. This role leads three core pillars: People Value Proposition, People Operations & Analytics, and Workplace Experience & Safety, with full accountability for shaping a meaningful and consistent People Experience across the organization.

Culture is at the heart of this mandate. We believe employee experience is built not only through values and vision, but also through the everyday interactions that come from operational excellence and empathetic leadership. This role is expected to raise the bar on both, ensuring that every process, policy, and platform supports a thriving, inclusive, and high-performance culture.

Reporting to the CHRO, the Head of People and Culture serves as both strategic partner and operational leader, overseeing shared services (including payroll), HR systems (notably Workday), and employee engagement programs. The role collaborates closely with Talent Enablement, the Executive & Transformation Office, and regional business leaders, while also engaging with Hitachi headquarters to ensure alignment with global people priorities.

This is a rare opportunity to help shape the next chapter of Hitachi Asia's people strategy with the support of a high-performing team and the scope to grow your leadership and enterprise impact over time.

People Value Proposition

• Lead the execution and evolution of Hitachi Asia's Employee Value Proposition (EVP)
• Design and manage employee engagement surveys, focus groups, and follow-up action planning
• Oversee internal HR communications and cross-entity employee initiatives across the Hitachi Group
• Champion inclusive, purpose-driven workplace programs aligned to Hitachi's values

People Operations & Analytics

• Oversee post-recruitment operations across onboarding, offboarding, and employee lifecycle
• Lead HR shared services and payroll administration for local Group Companies
• Govern HR and administrative policies in collaboration with team leads
• Drive Workday optimization and HR systems improvements to enhance user and business experience
• Lead data analytics and reporting to enable strategic workforce decisions
• Manage total rewards programs aligned with evolving business needs

Workplace Experience & Safety

• Oversee workplace administration including facilities, travel governance, and vendor partnerships
• Ensure workplace safety and compliance with relevant regulatory standards (e.g., ISO, BizSafe)

HR Business Partnering & Leadership

• Serve as senior HR Business Partner to designated business units, supporting workforce planning, organizational design, and performance enablement
• Collaborate with Talent Enablement and the Executive & Transformation Office on regional and group-wide initiatives
• Lead and develop the People & Culture team to foster collaboration, continuous learning, and high performance
• Oversee departmental budget, resource planning, and policy governance in line with internal controls
• Drive alignment between HR strategy and business outcomes across both regional operations and headquarters

Leadership Profile

We are looking for a senior HR leader who is values-driven, hands-on, and operationally strong - yet comfortable thinking systemically and acting strategically. You bring structure where there is ambiguity, empathy where there is change, and steadiness in the face of complexity. With a proven track record in HR operations, shared services, and people analytics, you combine a builder's mindset with an operator's discipline.

You are highly adaptable and energized by transformation. You thrive in culturally diverse, matrixed environments and can influence across levels - from local teams to global stakeholders. You lead with integrity, drive change with purpose, and energize those around you. Most importantly, you embody Hitachi's values of harmony, sincerity, and pioneering spirit.

You likely bring:

• Regional HR leadership experience in a complex or group company setting
• Deep expertise in HR operations, payroll, policy governance, and shared services
• Proficiency in Workday or other enterprise HR systems
• Strong capability in people analytics, employee engagement, and total rewards
• Excellent communication and stakeholder partnership skills
• A track record of navigating change and building alignment across cultures and regulatory landscapes in Asia