Senior HR Business Partner

Overview

The Senior Human Resources Business Partner serves as the lead HR partner for Malaysia, providing strategic and operational HR leadership to business leaders and managers across the country. The role partners closely with the APAC HR Manager and local leadership teams to develop and implement people strategies that support business objectives, organizational effectiveness, workforce capability and sustainable growth.

As a senior HR professional and recognized subject matter expert, the role is accountable for translating regional HR priorities into local people initiatives, leading complex employee relations matters, influencing leadership decision-making, and driving workforce planning, talent management, organizational development and change initiatives.

The role also contributes to the development of HR practices, standards and continuous improvement initiatives across the APAC region, in alignment with Subsea7 policies and relevant legislation.

The HRBP is expected to contribute to creating a culture of ethics and integrity within Subsea 7 and ensure familiarity with and adherence to our Code of Conduct. Furthermore, contribute to a positive HSEQ culture within Subsea7 and ensure familiarity with and adherence to local HSEQ codes and practices.

What will you be doing?

Strategic HR Business Partnership

• Act as the primary HR advisor to Malaysia business leaders and managers.
• Partner with leadership teams to align workforce strategies with business priorities and operational objectives.
• Lead annual workforce planning, talent planning and succession discussions.
• Provide data-driven insights and recommendations on organizational capability, workforce risks and talent trends.
• Influence business decisions through strong commercial understanding and HR expertise.

Organization Effectiveness & Change

• Lead organizational design and restructuring initiatives to support evolving business needs.
• Drive change management strategies associated with business transformation and growth initiatives.
• Assess organizational effectiveness and recommend interventions to improve performance, capability and employee experience.
• Facilitate leadership team effectiveness workshops and action plans.

Talent & Leadership Development

• Lead implementation of talent review and succession planning processes within Malaysia.
• Coach leaders on performance, development, succession and talent decisions.
• Identify critical capability gaps and develop targeted development interventions.
• Partner with Centres of Expertise to deploy leadership development and learning solutions.

Employee Relations & Risk Management

• Lead complex and sensitive employee relations cases.
• Provide expert guidance on Malaysian employment legislation, industrial relations and compliance requirements.
• Mitigate people-related risks through proactive interventions and leadership coaching.
• Manage regulatory and audit requirements relating to people practices.

Culture, Engagement & Inclusion

• Lead employee engagement initiatives and action planning.
• Promote an inclusive and high-performance culture aligned with Subsea7 values.
• Support leadership teams in strengthening employee experience and retention.
• Drive local diversity and inclusion initiatives aligned with global priorities.

Regional & Functional Contribution

• Partner with the APAC HR Manager on regional HR priorities and projects.
• Contribute expertise to the development and enhancement of HR policies, frameworks and methodologies.
• Share HR best practices across the region and support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Act as a key contributor to regional HR transformation and change programs.

What experience would we like you to have?

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or related discipline.
• Master's degree preferred.
• Professional HR qualification (CIPD, SHRM-SCP, SPHR or equivalent) preferred.
• Minimum 12–15 years progressive HR experience.
• Minimum 5 years operating as a senior HR Business Partner supporting senior leaders.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex organizational and people initiatives.
• Strong expertise in workforce planning, organizational development, talent management and employee relations.
• Proven ability to influence and challenge senior stakeholders constructively.
• Strong understanding of Malaysian labour legislation and employment practices.
• Experience in a multinational and matrix environment.
• Experience in engineering, energy, construction or project-based industries would be advantageous.

Personal Skills

• Creative yet pragmatic problem solving - able to suggest and develop new methods and ways of working based on best practices and evidenced research
• Sound communication skills – able to communicate ideas and results to various stakeholders both in written reports and in meetings, presentations etc.
• Ability to work in a team as well as individually with no supervision.
• Ability to organize and prioritize own work and as such have responsibility for discrete work packages ongoing simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Understanding both business and employees’ needs and the ability to suggest and apply solutions.
• Strong resilience and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Proactive, possess good problem-solving skills and take pride in delivering a professional and quality HR service to the business.

Key Internal Stakeholders

• APAC HR Manager and GPC East HR team.
• Functional managers.
• HR Centers of Expertise (Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, Reward).
• HR Shared Services.

Key External Stakeholders

• Local labour authorities and regulators.
• Legal advisors (for labour law matters).
• External consultants (training providers, recruitment agencies, payroll consultants).

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