Senior Manager - People & Culture

Job Description

The Opportunity: 

The Senior Manager, People & Culture serves as a strategic and operational HR leader for Mattel Malaysia, responsible for workforce planning, talent acquisition, foreign workforce management, industrial relations, compensation & benefits benchmarking, payroll oversight, and early career talent programs.

The role supports a workforce of approximately 3,500 employees at Mattel Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (MMSB) and 200 employees at Mattel Development & Tooling Sdn. Bhd. (MDT).

Leading a team of approximately 5-6 employees through 3 direct reports, this position is responsible for ensuring the organization attracts, develops, and retains the talent required to achieve business objectives while maintaining compliance with employment legislation, immigration requirements, ethical recruitment standards, and company policies.

As a key member of the Malaysia leadership team, this role partners closely with business leaders, government authorities, educational institutions, recruitment partners, and external stakeholders to drive workforce effectiveness, organizational capability, employee engagement, and operational excellence.

What Your Impact Will Be: 

1. Workforce Planning & Talent Acquisition

Lead workforce planning and talent acquisition strategies to support manufacturing, technical, and corporate functions across MMSB and MDT.

• Partner with business leaders to forecast workforce requirements and develop short- and long-term hiring plans.
• Lead recruitment for Direct Labour, Indirect Labour, Staff, and critical positions.
• Oversee sourcing, candidate assessment, selection, offer management, onboarding, and workforce integration.
• Build sustainable talent pipelines through employer branding, employee referrals, recruitment campaigns, educational partnerships, and agency relationships.
• Monitor recruitment metrics including time-to-fill, quality-of-hire, hiring costs, and retention.
• Ensure recruitment activities comply with approved budgets, headcount plans, responsible hiring principles, and company standards.

2. Foreign Workforce Management

Lead the planning, recruitment, administration, and compliance of the foreign workforce to support operational requirements.

• Develop foreign workforce strategies and intake plans aligned with approved manpower requirements.
• Manage quota applications, workforce approvals, permit renewals, and immigration-related activities.
• Oversee recruitment partners and service providers to ensure compliance with ethical recruitment and social compliance standards.
• Monitor workforce utilization, retention, permit status, contract renewals, and associated costs.
• Ensure effective onboarding, accommodation, transportation, welfare, and integration programs for foreign employees.
• Maintain productive relationships with government agencies, embassies, recruitment agencies, and relevant stakeholders.

3. Industrial Relations & Workforce Compliance

• Lead and oversee Industrial Relations matters to maintain a compliant, fair, and productive workplace.
• Advise management on disciplinary matters, misconduct investigations, grievances, workplace disputes, and employment-related risks.
• Lead investigations, Domestic Inquiries, and disciplinary actions in accordance with company policies and legal requirements.
• Ensure compliance with Malaysian employment legislation, Industrial Relations practices, and regulatory requirements.
• Partner with legal counsel, government authorities, labour departments, and employee representatives on workplace matters.
• Represent the company in conciliation meetings, labour disputes, Industrial Court cases, and other official proceedings where required.
• Monitor workforce trends, compliance risks, and employee concerns, implementing corrective and preventive actions.
• Coach leaders and managers on effective people management and industrial relations practices.

4. Compensation, Benefits & Payroll Governance

• Lead compensation and benefits benchmarking exercises to ensure market competitiveness and support talent attraction and retention strategies.
• Partner with regional and global stakeholders on salary structure reviews, pay positioning, incentive programs, and workforce cost analysis.
• Provide recommendations based on market data, internal equity, business objectives, and budget considerations.
• Oversee annual salary review, promotions, and bonus administration processes.
• Ensure payroll operations are executed accurately, timely, and in compliance with statutory, audit, tax, and company requirements.
• Oversee payroll vendors and internal payroll processes to ensure service excellence and regulatory compliance.
• Monitor payroll accuracy, governance controls, and process improvements.
• Provide workforce analytics and reports relating to compensation, benefits, payroll costs, and labour spend.

5. Leadership, Governance & Operational Excellence

Provide leadership to the People & Culture team and ensure effective governance, compliance, and continuous improvement.

• Lead, coach, and develop People & Culture team members.
• Drive employee engagement initiatives, company events, CSR activities, and organizational programs.
• Support internal and external audits and ensure timely closure of findings.
• Ensure compliance with employment legislation, immigration regulations, company policies, and audit requirements.
• Monitor HR operational metrics and deliver accurate reporting and workforce insights.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, including Kaizen and process optimization.
• Contribute as a member of the Malaysia management team and perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

What We’re Looking For: 

• Demonstrated a growth mindset by staying curious and continuously learning, embracing challenges, and improving themselves.
• Minimum 15 years of progressive Human Resources experience within a manufacturing, industrial, or high-volume operational environment.
• Strong expertise in Talent Acquisition, Workforce Planning, Foreign Workforce Management, Industrial Relations, Compensation & Benefits, and Payroll Governance.
• Minimum 8 years of leadership experience managing managers and multi-disciplinary HR teams.
• Proven experience supports large employee populations, preferably exceeding 2,000 employees.
• Demonstrated experience working with government authorities, immigration processes, employment legislation, labour relations, and regulatory compliance.

Additional Information

Don’t meet every single requirement? At Mattel, we are dedicated to an inclusive workplace and a culture of belonging. If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

How We Work:
We are a purpose driven company aiming to empower generations to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential. We live up to our purpose employing the following behaviors:

• We collaborate: Being a part of Mattel means being part of one team with shared values and common goals. Every person counts and working closely together always brings better results. Partnership is our process and our collective capabilities is our superpower.
• We innovate: At Mattel we always aim to find new and better ways to create innovative products and experiences. No matter where you work in the organization, you can always make a difference and have real impact. We welcome new ideas and value new initiatives that challenge conventional thinking.
• We execute: We are a performance-driven company. We strive for excellence and are focused on pursuing best-in-class outcomes. We believe in accountability and ownership and know that our people are at their best when they are empowered to create and deliver results.

Our Approach to Flexible Work:
We embrace a flexible work model designed to empower a culture of growth, optimism, and wellbeing, where every employee can reach their full potential. Combining purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility, our focus is to optimize performance and drive connection for moments that matter.

Who We Are:
Mattel is a leading global toy and family entertainment company and owner of one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world. We engage consumers and fans through our franchise brands, including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, American Girl, Thomas & Friends, UNO, Masters of the Universe, Matchbox, Monster High, MEGA and Polly Pocket, as well as other popular properties that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include toys, content, consumer products, digital and live experiences. Our products are sold in collaboration with the world’s leading retail and ecommerce companies. Since its founding in 1945, Mattel is proud to be a trusted partner in empowering generations to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential.

Mattel’s award-winning workplace culture has been recognized by Forbes, Fast Company, Newsweek, Great Place to Work, TIME, and more.

Visit us at https://jobs.mattel.com/ and www.instagram.com/MattelCareers.
Beware of recruiting scams: Mattel will only contact you through official @mattel.com or @smartrecruiters.com email addresses and will never ask for payment or sensitive personal information during the hiring process.

Mattel is an Equal Opportunity Employer where we want you to bring your authentic self to work every day. We welcome all job seekers, and all applicants will receive consideration for employment.

Videos to watch:
The Culture at Mattel
Corporate Philanthropy