Job Description

The Head of Human Resources acts as the chief HR authority for MM Century Sdn. Bhd., a Malaysian-owned environmental services firm that focuses on General Waste, Technology Waste (including e-waste, IT asset disposition, and data centre decommissioning), Scheduled Waste, and certified Data Destruction services. This role is fully responsible for the strategy, operations, and governance of the human resources function across all operational sites, primarily based at the Group headquarters in Penang Science Park North.

This position leads and nurtures a two-member HR team, collaborates directly with the Executive Directors and Heads of Departments, and ensures that the human capital function effectively supports the Company’s commercial expansion, sustainability initiatives (such as ISO 14064-1 GHG inventory and ISO 14001:2015 environmental management), regulatory compliance with the Department of Environment (DOE), and customer-oriented ethical labor audits in line with the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Code of Conduct.

The role requires a high degree of autonomy, sound judgment, and the capacity to function efficiently with limited supervision, while establishing disciplined HR practices, strengthening the current team, and transforming HR from an administrative role into a strategic partner for the Board and Operations.

Job Requirements

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management, Business Administration, Industrial Relations, Organisational Psychology, Law, or a related discipline. A Master’s Degree (MBA / MHRM) is an advantage.
• Recognised professional certification from MIHRM (CAHRM or CHRM), SHRM-CP / SHRM-SCP, CIPD, or equivalent is strongly preferred.
• Minimum 10 to 12 years of progressive HR experience, with at least 4 to 5 years in a Head of HR, HR Manager, or senior HRBP capacity leading a full-spectrum HR function.
• Demonstrable experience in the manufacturing, environmental services, recycling, logistics, oil and gas, semiconductor, or electronics-supply-chain sectors.
• Verifiable track record managing HR for multi-site operations, mixed local and foreign workforces, and customer-audited environments.
• Hands-on experience leading or supporting RBA, Sedex / SMETA, or comparable ethical-labour audits is highly preferred.
• Working knowledge of Bursa Sustainability Reporting and ESG / human-capital disclosure expectations is an advantage.

Skills & Attributes

• Comprehensive command of Malaysian employment law including the Employment Act 1955 (with all 2022 to 2025 amendments), Industrial Relations Act 1967, OSHA 1994, Act 446, Minimum Wages Order, EPF Act, SOCSO Act, and EIS Act.
• Strong commercial acumen and the ability to translate business strategy into workforce, organisational, and capability plans.
• Proven HR analytics capability, including dashboard design and the use of HRIS, payroll, and time-attendance platforms.
• Mature industrial-relations judgement with a track record of leading domestic inquiries and managing termination cases without adverse Industrial Court outcomes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication in English and Bahasa Malaysia; conversational Mandarin or Tamil is an advantage given workforce diversity.
• Strong stakeholder-management ability, including direct engagement with Executive Directors, customer auditors, regulators, and union or worker representatives.
• Hands-on, structured leadership style with the ability to coach inexperienced team members into independent operators.

Personality Fit (Key Requirement)

• High personal integrity and the ability to handle highly confidential and sensitive information with absolute discretion.
• Mature, calm, and composed under pressure; able to make balanced decisions in complex industrial-relations situations.
• Self-driven and accountable; capable of operating with minimal supervision and delivering committed outcomes.
• Strong ownership mindset; willing to be hands-on across both strategic and operational matters.
• People-focused yet firm and consistent when applying policy and discipline.
• Continuous learner; actively keeps abreast of legislative, ESG, and HR-practice developments.
• Collaborative team-builder who develops capability in others rather than retaining knowledge as personal leverage.
• Aligned with MM Century’s sustainability values and committed to the Group’s long-term mission.

Strategic HR Leadership & Organisational Development

• Develop and execute the multi-year HR strategy aligned to MM Century’s commercial, ESG, and operational expansion plans, including new sites at Simpang Pulai and Kapar 2.
• Serve as the principal HR advisor to the Executive Directors and Heads of Department on workforce planning, organisational design, leadership succession, and change management.
• Lead annual manpower budgeting, headcount planning, and HR operating budget preparation in line with Group financial planning.
• Champion a high-performance, safety-first, and integrity-led organisational culture consistent with the Group’s ESG and sustainability mandate.
• Provide regular HR dashboards, board-level reports, and risk updates to the Executive Directors.

Industrial Relations & Statutory Compliance

• Ensure full and accurate compliance with the Employment Act 1955 (including 2022 to 2025 amendments), Industrial Relations Act 1967, Trade Unions Act 1959, Minimum Wages Order, and all related subsidiary legislation.
• Administer statutory contributions and reporting under EPF, SOCSO, EIS, HRD Corp, LHDN (PCB / Form E / EA), and Immigration / Department of Labour requirements.
• Monitor and operationalise legislative updates such as the Minimum Wages Order 2024 (RM 1,700), revised SOCSO/EIS ceilings, mandatory EPF coverage for foreign workers, extended paternity leave, and flexible working arrangement requests.
• Lead all industrial relations matters including domestic inquiries, misconduct investigations, performance-management cases, grievance handling, and termination procedures, ensuring fair, consistent, and legally defensible outcomes.
• Represent the Company in dealings with the Department of Labour, Industrial Relations Department, Industrial Court, and other statutory bodies, supported as required by external legal counsel.
• Maintain a comprehensive HR compliance register and conduct quarterly internal compliance reviews.

Talent Acquisition, Onboarding & Retention

• Lead end-to-end talent acquisition for executive, professional, technical, and operational roles across all MM Century sites.
• Develop the employer brand for MM Century in the Penang and Klang Valley industrial markets, including recruitment partnerships with technical and vocational institutions (TVET, polytechnics, IPTAs).
• Standardise structured onboarding programmes covering induction, scheduled-waste safety briefings (SW 104, SW 108, SW 110, SW 325), RBA awareness, and role-specific competencies.
• Track talent acquisition KPIs including time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, offer-acceptance rate, 90-day attrition, and quality-of-hire.
• Design and implement targeted retention strategies for critical operational and technical roles, with particular focus on certified e-waste handlers and licensed drivers.

Performance Management & HR Analytics

• Operate and continuously improve the Group performance-management framework including KPI setting, goal cascading, mid-year reviews, and year-end appraisals.
• Guide line managers on confirmation reviews, performance improvement plans (PIP), and disciplinary follow-through where required.
• Establish a structured HR analytics dashboard covering manpower cost ratio, voluntary and involuntary turnover, absenteeism rate, training hours per employee, gender and diversity ratios, and overtime trends.
• Provide quarterly workforce analytics to the Executive Directors with recommended interventions.

Compensation, Benefits & Payroll Governance

• Govern monthly payroll execution end to end, ensuring accurate, timely, and confidential processing for all employee categories.
• Conduct annual market benchmarking against published salary surveys and adjust the compensation structure to remain competitive against the Penang and Klang Valley industrial labour market.
• Review and recommend enhancements to the Group benefits portfolio, including medical insurance (GHS / GTL / GPA), outpatient coverage, leave entitlements, and long-service recognition.
• Oversee the Group mileage reimbursement framework and ensure quarterly review against the APM weekly fuel-price benchmark.
• Implement and maintain a robust HRIS with full audit trail across attendance, leave, payroll, claims, and performance modules.

Learning, Development & Team Mentorship

• Prepare and execute the Annual Training Plan (ATP), aligned to HRD Corp grant schemes (HRDF) and the Group competency framework.
• Coordinate mandatory regulatory training including DOE-recognised scheduled waste handler training, OSHA, NIOSH, CHRA, ERT, and forklift / lorry licensing.
• Deliver structured coaching and mentorship to the two HR Executives, with measurable progression milestones, formal monthly one-to-ones, and a documented development plan for each.
• Sponsor the existing HR team’s progression through recognised certification pathways such as MIHRM (CHRO, CHRM), SHRM, or CIPD where appropriate.
• Track training effectiveness through pre-and-post training assessments and on-the-job application reviews.

Foreign Worker Management & Worker Welfare

• Oversee the full lifecycle of foreign worker management including Department of Labour quota applications, Immigration documentation, FWCMS / e-PLKS, FOMEMA, work-permit renewal, and repatriation.
• Ensure full compliance with the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act 1990 (Act 446), including worker accommodation certification (Sijil Akomodasi) and routine welfare inspections.
• Adopt and enforce ethical recruitment practices in line with the Employer Pays Principle, eliminating recruitment fees charged to workers and prohibiting passport retention.
• Maintain transparent worker grievance and whistleblowing channels, with multilingual coverage and protection against retaliation.

RBA, ESG & Customer Audit Readiness

• Lead HR compliance with the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Code of Conduct (Version 8.0) covering Labour, Health & Safety, Environment, Ethics, and Management Systems.
• Establish and maintain the documentation, processes, and evidence base required for RBA Validated Assessment Programme (VAP) audits and direct customer audits from semiconductor, electronics, telecommunications, and oil and gas clients.
• Coordinate HR inputs to ESG and sustainability reporting, including human-capital disclosures aligned with Bursa Sustainability Reporting Guide and the Group ISO 14064-1 GHG Inventory boundary.
• Drive corrective and preventive actions arising from internal audits, customer audits, and certification audits to closure within agreed timelines.

Workplace Health, Safety & Environmental Integration

• Partner with the Safety and Health Officer (SHO) and site managers to integrate human-capital practices with the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (OSHA) and the Environmental Quality Act 1974 framework.
• Embed scheduled-waste handling competencies (SW 104, SW 108, SW 110, SW 325) into hiring, induction, and training programmes for operational staff.
• Maintain accurate WHS reporting including JKKP submissions, incident logs, and near-miss tracking.
• Champion structured employee mental-health and wellbeing initiatives including counselling access, stress-management awareness, and return-to-work programmes.

HR Policy, Documentation & HRIS

• Own the MM Century Employee Handbook and ensure annual review against legislative changes and Group policy positions.
• Develop, document, and maintain HR Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) covering recruitment, onboarding, payroll, leave, performance, training, discipline, and exit.
• Maintain confidentiality, data integrity, and PDPA 2010 compliance across all employee data and HR systems.
• Implement structured records management, retention schedules, and audit-ready documentation for all HR records.

Skills