Senior Executive - People & Culture

JOB PURPOSE

The Senior Executive, People & Culture plays a strategic operational role in supporting the delivery of a
high-performing, compliant, and people-centric HR function at Garden International School.
The role works closely with the P&C Manager to ensure best-in-class HR practices aligned with
Malaysian regulatory requirements and international school standards. The incumbent supports
workforce planning, budgeting, expatriate lifecycle management, compensation & benefits
benchmarking and continuous improvement of HR systems and processes.
This role contributes to building a positive employee experience that enhances the school's reputation.

STRATEGIC KEY RESULT AREAS
1. Workforce Planning & Budget Management
. Assist the P&C Manager in annual manpower planning aligned with academic and operational
requirements.
. Support the preparation and consolidation of the annual P&C budget, including:
Headcount projections
Salary benchmarking
Insurance renewals
Expatriate-related costs (visa, relocation, flight benefits)
Professional development allocations
Staff engagement initiatives
. Conduct cost simulations for new hires and replacement scenarios.
. Track and monitor P&C budget utilisation and provide variance analysis and forecasting support.
. Provide data-driven insights to support strategic staffing decisions.
2. Compensation & Benefits Strategy and Market Benchmarking
. Support periodic review of compensation structures to ensure competitiveness within:
International schools in Malaysia
Comparable premium private education institutions
Regional expatriate employment markets
. Conduct market research and benchmarking on:
Medical insurance plans
Expatriate benefits and allowances
Flight entitlements
Wellness and employee engagement benefits
3. Regulatory Compliance & Expatriate Lifecycle Management
. Lead and oversee the end-to-end process of employment permits, teaching permits, nursing
licenses, admin permits and permits to study.
. Act as primary liaison with:
Immigration Department of Malaysia
Ministry of Education (MOE)

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Senior Executive, People & Culture
Manager - People & Culture
0

Job Title:
Reporting to:
No. of direct reports:

. Ensure full compliance with:
Malaysian Employment Act
Immigration regulations
MOE requirements for international schools
. Proactively monitor regulatory updates impacting expatriate employment and advise the P& C
Manager accordingly.
. Oversee compliant and smooth onboarding and offboarding of expatriate as well as local staff.
4. HR Operations Excellence & Governance
. Drive continuous improvement of non-payroll HR processes to enhance efficiency and employee
experience.
. Strengthen HR governance by ensuring proper documentation, audit readiness and data integrity.
. Oversee accurate HRIS management and reporting.
. Develop and refine SOPs aligned with international school governance standards.
. Generate HR analytics dashboards (headcount, turnover, leave trends, expatriate status tracking)
to support leadership decision-making.
5. Recruitment & Talent Support
. Support recruitment strategies for academic and non-academic positions.
. Ensure recruitment practices align with safeguarding and child protection standards.
. Support onboarding programs that enhance new joiner integration and uphold the school's
employer brand.
. Contribute to employer branding initiatives to strengthen the school's market positioning.
6. Employee Experience & Engagement
. Execute and enhance staff welfare and engagement programs.
. Provide professional, solutions-oriented support on employment-related queries.
. Support professional development administration and logistics.
. Contribute to initiatives that promote retention, wellbeing, and positive workplace culture.
7. Strategic HR Projects
. Lead or support ad hoc P&C projects such as:
HR digitalisation initiatives
Policy review and harmonisation
Employee engagement surveys
Organisational restructuring exercises
Benefits redesign projects
. Participate in cross-functional school initiatives where HR input is required.
. Support change management efforts during organisational transformation.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Senior Executive, People & Culture
Manager - People & Culture
0

Job Title:
Reporting to:
No. of direct reports:

8. Other Job Tasks
. Manage database on staff insurance and provide support to staff on claims enquiries and
submission
. Facilitate in registration, booking of hotel and transport arrangement for professional development
activities
. Administer on a daily basis, staff attendance and leaves
. Handles queries from staff with regards to their employment matters
. Manages end-to-end process of flight cash equivalent
. Assist in the compilation and submission of relevant HR reports
. Any other relevant duties as assigned from time to time
JOB SPECIFICATIONS
Academic / Professional Qualification
. Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field.
. Professional HR certification (e.g., MIHRM or equivalent) is an advantage.
Experience
. Minimum 5-7 years of progressive HR experience.
. Experience within an international school or expatriate-heavy environment preferred.
. Exposure to budgeting, workforce planning, and compensation benchmarking would be preferred.
. Experience liaising with Malaysian government authorities is essential.

COMPETENCIES
Technical Competencies
. Strong understanding of Malaysian Employment Act and immigration requirements.
. Knowledge of MOE regulations applicable to international schools.
. Experience in compensation analysis and benefits benchmarking.
. Strong analytical skills with ability to interpret HR metrics.
. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and HRIS systems.
Leadership & Behavioral Competencies
. Strategic and analytical thinker.
. High integrity and strong confidentiality standards.
. Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
. Proactive, solution-oriented, and able to manage ambiguity.
. Ability to balance operational execution with strategic contribution.
. Strong service mindset aligned to international school culture.