Main purpose of the role:
The HR Manager is part of the APAC HR team to provide proactive life-cycle HR service to the Firm (operational and advisory/business partnering) whilst driving best practice to ensure compliance with firm policies/procedures, employment legislation and Law Society regulations to enable the region to deliver effective and efficient business performance.
Main duties and responsibilities:
Recruitment / Onboarding / Departure
- Manage the recruitment and selection process by supporting line managers in identifying role/person specifications, recruitment advertising, liaising with external agencies, sourcing suitable candidates to shortlist for interviews, making offers and providing feedback to candidates.
- Support and/or manage graduate recruitment and development of trainee solicitors in collaboration with Graduate Recruitment partners which includes attendance at Law Fairs and building relationships with university career advisors and student societies.
- Prepare and issue appropriate contractual documentation in relation to appointments, terminations, variations of employment, arrange for pre-employment vetting checks and ensure all administrative components of a new hire has been fulfilled.
- Deliver induction training for new employees and trainees and schedule regular catch-up meetings to ensure personal and professional development goals are being met.
- Take part in updating employee handbooks/policies/procedures in line with changes as advised by the Head of HR, Asia.
- Conduct departure interviews to gather data to inform future retention strategies and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Act as trusted advisor to Practice Group heads and Business Support Managers in providing strategic advice on talent management, team resourcing and succession planning.
- Manage the administration of client and international secondments which includes the trainee program.
Compensation and Benefits
- Moderate and administer the annual salary review process by providing comprehensive management information and reports about the workforce, providing appropriate analysis and benchmarking for salary compensation and benefits.
- Supervise the payroll process of new hires, changes and departures.
- Schedule renewal and negotiations of related insurance policies (professional indemnity, MPF/ORSO, group life, medical and employees compensation).
- Collect data and analysis reports for input into the HR budget as advised by Head of HR, Asia.
- Make sure all aspects of compensation & benefits are in accordance with statutory requirements in relevant jurisdiction(s) including pension, leave, insurance, etc.
Operations
- Responsible for day-to-day HRIS update and maintenance, upkeeping of employees e-P-files, leave management.
- Management of MOM Employment Pass and Family Dependent Pass applications, renewals, and terminations.
- Responsible for mandatory regulatory reporting and surveys (e.g. MOM Occupational Employment Dataset Survey)
- Manage foreign lawyer licence applications and renewals, assist lawyers with Practising Certificate applications and renewals where needed, and ensuring Notices of Change are filed in a timely manner.
- Provide HR data for Ministry of Law Annual Report as required.
Person specification:
Education / Qualifications:
- Degree qualified in Human Resources, business management or social sciences (preferred)
Experience:
- 10 years of experience working in a generalist operational HR advisory capacity and strong technical HR knowledge
- Experience working in an international law firm or organisations with partnership structure is preferred
- Familiarity with market best HR practices, employment trends, and employment regulations in Singapore i.e. Employment Act.
General Skills:
- Attention to detail and responsiveness in establishing priorities and organisational ability to drive towards results.
- Ability to work under pressure and with demanding stakeholders which require quick and accurate analyses of situations and provision of effective advice on complex and sensitive people management issues
- Confidence in managing stakeholders without compromising sensitivity or confidential information.
- Highly effective team working skills with an ability to collaborate with others and develop strong and effective working relationships.
- Ability to work well with ambiguity and provide solutions to unstructured problems with professional maturity.
- MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is essential.
- Proficiency in spoken and written English is a must.
- Experience with Workday system is highly advantageous.
Firm introduction:
Simmons & Simmons is a leading international law firm with over 1,600 professionals across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. We deliver commercially focused legal advice to top-tier clients, including major financial institutions and many FTSE 100 and Fortune Global 500 companies.
We believe our strength lies in our people and are committed to building diverse, high-performing teams that understand local markets and global business needs. Our firm is structured around key sectors - Asset Management & Investment Funds, Financial Institutions, Healthcare & Life Sciences, TMT, and Energy & Infrastructure, supported by core practice areas such as corporate, dispute resolution, financial markets, and more.
Our business services teams play a vital role in supporting our global operations and driving innovation in how we deliver value to clients.
Learn more at www.simmons-simmons.com.
