People Partner - Asia

Role title

People Partner – Asia

Grade

4A – Principal Specialist

Reports to (title)

Chief People Officer

Version date

November 2024

We are the world’s leading global assurance provider, helping our clients navigate a new era of risk by solving their business challenges so they can focus on growth.  We work together to create a fairer, safer, more sustainable world.  Every colleague in LRQA has a part to play in having an impact, we are all determined to make a difference so that we shape a better future. 

LRQA’s next chapter is set to be an exciting, transformational period of growth. We’re well placed to build on everything we’ve done and further our ambitions for the future. At such an exciting time this is a fantastic opportunity to be part of the team.  We are looking for talented people who will support us to build on our strengths and transform our business to be the best partner for our clients.

LRQA has strong ambitious plans for growth both through M&A activity and organically and we believe that now is the right time to focus on our broader client needs through the One LRQA vision to accelerate our longer-term growth and continued business success. 

We are seeking a highly talented and motivated People Partner who can provide first class People Partnering support to the Americas Region.  You will work closely with the Americas leadership teams to contribute to the development of the business strategy, allowing you to make a real impact in developing robust people plans.  We are looking for a bright team player, who has strong strategic thinking capabilities.  You will be commercially savvy with excellent senior stakeholder management skills.  You must have strong negotiation skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and work well under pressure. This is a highly proactive and collaborative role and will act as the key liaison point between People Services and our Communities of Excellence (CoE).

This is a leadership position that will work with EVP Asia Pac and the EVP Greater China and their Leadership teams to successfully support its growth ambitions through both organic and inorganic activities.   You will also be part of the People Function Leadership Team ensuring that the business needs are fed into our people strategy so that we continue to enable the business to unlock their full potential. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Planning: contribute to business strategy and strategic priorities identified to deliver the Full Potential Plan; develop local people strategy and plans, work with CoE and People Services to ensure effective execution of plans via People Services; manage strategic people projects, monitor People Services performance and workforce indicators on behalf of business and act as the feedback loop to enable continuous improvement.

• Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) – support due diligence processes on M&A projects, and lead the planning and implementation of post-acquisition integration projects, ensuring all acquisitions are integrated into LRQA successfully.

• Organisation effectiveness: Coach and support the business on organisation design and development, ensuring it operates in a way that maximises performance and efficiency.  Review organisation capability and develop interventions to improve and adapt to changing circumstances; Ensure that change is managed and embedded well; Oversee LRQA’s employee value proposition (EVP) and issues relating to employee experience / engagement in the business, challenging ways of working and developing action plans to improve.

• Resourcing: Develop strategic workforce and resource plans and work with CoE’s to ensure delivery of high-quality resource requirements in timely manner; Participate in assessment / interviews for senior leadership roles.

• Performance management: Provide input and lessons learnt to BYB (Be Your Best) process; ensure business leadership understand and deliver the BYB process effectively; create people related objectives with senior leadership teams and ensure they are cascaded through business; Facilitate calibrations for senior leadership only; Support leadership in resolution of significant performance and capability issues at senior level;

• Capability Development: Oversee the identification, development and delivery of technical competencies in line with people strategy;  Establish overall learning requirements and development needs for business (high level TNA –outcome focused) via strategic planning process and feed into CoE as part of L&D planning process.  Ensure appropriate focus and priority on learning and development in business areas.  Approve overall L&D plan on behalf of business area. Commission new / changing requirements with Learning team on behalf of business and monitor to ensure delivery of outcomes.

• Reward: Provide input to Reward CoE to reflect business priorities and issues;  Work with CoE to ensure effective delivery of pay review and on-going effective employee pay and benefits progression in business area; Calibrate moves, promotions and grades locally at senior levels to ensure consistency. Support the implementation of the new job architecture framework, supporting line manager upskilling and embedding across the organisation.

• Talent Management: Work with senior leadership teams to deliver Organisation Capability Review and associated talent management processes for own business extracting T&LD impacts etc.  Track and ensure delivery of leadership development and succession plans on behalf of the business for all except Senior leadership/board level roles. Support local coaching/mentoring programmes for talent development

• People Services: Ensure that employees use the appropriate channels for advice and services; support the embedding of the People Services Operating Model by working with the wider People team to identify and remove issues that act as barriers to execution.

• Leadership and Coaching: participate in the leadership of the business area; act in a professional advisory capacity to leadership teams, offering guidance on organisation, people matters, ensuring delivery of proactive support; provide trusted one-to-one coaching to business leaders and colleagues; Behave as a role model for change and performance improvement.

• Senior Leadership Team Development:  Proactively assess team and senior leadership development needs, make recommendations, and implement appropriate key interventions in collaboration with the Learning and Development Team

• Culture Transformation:   Act as a role model/ambassador of LRQA organisational culture support business leaders to plan and implement organisational culture activities aligned to the target culture.

Key health & safety responsibilities:

Assess the risks and work in a safe manner at all times, robustly implementing health and safety rules, instructions and systems and refuse to undertake work that compromises your safety or health.

Report in a timely manner all incidents including near miss and safety observations (NMSO), accidents and injuries and raise any health and safety concerns with your line manager.

Number of direct reports

O

Geographic area of impact

Asia Pac

Size of budget

N/A

Key stakeholders

EVP Asia Pac
EVP Greater China

Asia Pac/Greater China Leadership Team

Inspection Practice Leadership Team

People Leadership Team

People COE’s, People Services

Technical / Professional Qualifications / Requirements:

• Experienced People professional - A graduate or appropriately qualified professional with deep experience and expertise e.g. MCIPD
• Demonstrable experience of mergers and acquisitions activity including leading People due diligence processes and implementing People integration plans
• Extensive experience of operating as a people partner within a professional services environment.
• Strong strategic thinking ability with the ability to develop robust people plans.
• Excellent skills in organisation development, organisation design and change management.
• Demonstrable experience of building sustainable relationships with multi-culture clients, influence multiple stakeholders at all levels and successfully function within a highly complex matrix organisation.  
• Extensive experience of coaching senior management on a range of people and wider organisational issues.
• Good understanding of business strategy/planning and strong commercial acumen.
• Good negotiation skills with the ability to work under pressure.
• Result oriented, assertive, flexible and enthusiastic team player with a “can do” attitude.
• Experienced in formulating and implementing business plans and strategies to meet operational objectives
• Customer focused with the ability to build sustainable, operational and commercial relationships.