COUNTRY HR MANAGER - Philippines
FUNCTION - People & Capability / Human Resources
LOCATION - Philippines (Metro Manila)
REPORTING - Dual — Country Manager, CFO
▪THE ORGANISATION
Our client is a fast-growing consumer firm operating in the Philippines . With a footprint spanning design, sourcing, logistics, and omnichannel retail.
This is a startup in character — resource-constrained, fast-moving, and still writing its operating playbook. The People & Capability function sits at the centre of this build. Every hire matters, and the HR infrastructure must stay ahead of the organisation, not catch up to it.
▪THE ROLE
This is a hands-on HR leadership role for a builder — someone equally comfortable designing a performance framework and sitting across the table from a line manager navigating a difficult people situation. The Country HR Manager will be the primary HR partner for the JV, owning the full People & Capability agenda from day one.
This structure reflects both the operational autonomy given to the local business and the expectation of alignment with group-wide people standards.
Core Responsibilities
- Build and lead the local HR team — hiring, coaching, and retaining the right people as the organisation scales; this is a growing function, not a steady-state one.
- Own end-to-end talent acquisition for the JV, partnering with business leaders to anticipate hiring needs and source effectively in a competitive Philippine market.
- Design and embed a performance management framework suited to the JV's growth stage, ensuring line managers have the capability and confidence to deliver meaningful reviews.
- Introduce and localise global HR policies within the JV context — finding the right balance between group standards and the operating realities of a Philippine business, including full DOLE compliance.
- Champion culture integration: this is a JV with two distinct corporate heritages. The Country HR Manager will play a deliberate role in forging a shared identity that draws on the strengths of both organisations without subordinating either.
- Lead employee relations matters — investigations, disciplinary processes, and case management — in line with Philippine labour law.
- Partner with the global P&C team to deploy capability programs, succession frameworks, and engagement initiatives across the business.
- Drive the adoption of HR systems and people data to inform business decisions and report outcomes to JV leadership.
▪THE CANDIDATE
The right candidate brings genuine HR generalist depth — not a CoE specialist who has only ever owned one function — combined with the personal presence and commercial instincts to earn credibility with senior business leaders in a fast-moving environment. This person does not wait to be asked. They anticipate, structure, and move.
Professional Requirements
- 8–12 years of progressive HR generalist experience, with a meaningful portion in a country HR or senior HRBP capacity owning the full people agenda for a business unit or entity.
- Background in retail, logistics, e-commerce, FMCG, or a similarly fast-paced consumer-facing industry — the pace and operational intensity of this environment must be familiar, not a shock.
- Solid command of Philippine labour law, DOLE regulations, and statutory compliance — a non-negotiable foundation for this role.
- Demonstrated experience building or significantly scaling an HR function — candidates who have only maintained inherited structures need not apply.
- Exposure to a matrixed or JV environment, with experience navigating dual reporting lines (local leadership and regional/global P&C function) strongly preferred.
- Track record of introducing and embedding HR policies and frameworks — particularly translating global standards into locally compliant, culturally relevant practice.
- SuccessFactors or equivalent HRIS proficiency preferred.
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology, or a related discipline.
Leadership Profile
Hands-on.
- This is not a people manager who delegates execution — the successful candidate is in the work, not above it.
Commercially oriented.
- HR decisions are business decisions; the candidate must connect people strategy to P&L outcomes with confidence.
Culturally fluent.
- A JV demands genuine sensitivity to different corporate values, management styles, and expectations — and the ability to build bridges rather than declare winners.
Principled under pressure.
- Employee relations matters, restructures, and cultural tensions do not wait for convenient timing. This person stays composed and grounded.
