Regional Head of Centre of Excellence

Our Regional Head of COE under the People & Culture department leads the design and execution of integrated strategies across Talent Development, Talent Management, Total Rewards, Organisation Design and Corporate Communications. This position will direct report to the Regional Director, People & Culture, and will be based in Kuala Lumpur. This role is both strategic and hands-on, with responsibility for shaping frameworks and policies that align talent programs to business needs while ensuring employees are effectively developed, engaged, and retained. The successful candidate will oversee initiatives such as the annual performance review cycle, employee engagement survey and partner closely with the Senior Management Team (SMT) and HR Business Partners to build a high-performing and future-ready workforce. Responsibilities: Total Rewards Lead the development and management of competitive total rewards strategies to attract and retain top talent while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements Plan and execute annual compensation cycles, including annual increment exercises, Short Term Incentive (STI) modelling and payout administration, and Long Term Incentive (LTI) allocation. Oversee job evaluation, salary benchmarking, and pay structure design. Develop recognition programs that reinforce desired behaviors and culture. Talent Development Design and implement organisation-wide learning and development strategies and competency frameworks to strengthen leadership and functional capabilities. Drive leadership development frameworks to support future business growth. Measure learning effectiveness and ensure alignment to ZALORA’s organizational priorities. Design, deploy, and analyze employee engagement and pulse surveys to measure sentiment and pinpoint improvement areas. Collaborate with SMT to convert survey insights into actionable plans to boost engagement and organizational culture. Performance Management Lead the annual performance review exercises, including planning, communication, calibration, and system management. Provide guidance and training to managers on giving effective feedback, goal setting, and development planning. Continuously refine performance management practices to promote a culture of continuous feedback and high performance. Talent Management Oversee annual succession planning and key talent programs. Partner Talent Acquisition to conduct talent mapping and maintain a pipeline for business-critical roles. Track key talent outcomes, engagement, and retention, and provide recommendations on intervention measures if needed Coordinate with Global Fashion Group to shape and implement group-wide Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB) initiatives. Headcount Planning Lead ZALORA’s annual headcount planning cycle, ensuring alignment with the annual payroll budget and business priorities. Develop and maintain a cost management tool to track headcount, payroll budgets, and cost implications of workforce decisions. Prepare and present regular headcount and cost reports for the Senior Management Team, highlighting risks, variances, and recommendations. Organisation Design & Operating Model Effectiveness Partner with the Senior Management Team to review and refine the organisation’s structure to ensure efficiency, agility, and scalability. Develop frameworks for role clarity, spans/layers, and organisation health. Lead operating model optimization, governance, decision-making structure refinement, and support reorganization/restructuring during transformation. Corporate Communications Develop internal communication strategies and narratives that effectively engage stakeholders and employees, and support CEO and Executive communications to ensure clarity, alignment, and impact for organisation-wide messages across various channels. Strategic Leadership & Collaboration Serve as a thought partner to the Senior Management Team on organisational and talent effectiveness, culture, and transformation. Partner with HRBPs and business leaders to deliver integrated people strategies and programs to enable business needs Lead, coach, and develop a team of specialists across rewards, learning, and communications. Requirements : Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Organisational Development, or related field. 8+ years of broad HR experience with demonstrated expertise in Total Rewards Proven experience designing and implementing frameworks/programs across multiple countries. Proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets, with advanced skills in pivot tables, dashboards, and financial modelling. Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use data and insights to inform decisions and planning. Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills; able to influence at senior levels. Ability to thrive in dynamic, fast-paced, and evolving business environments. Full-time position, Hybrid (4 days WFO and 1 day WFH) What We Offer Strategic Impact: Own critical people pillars and play a pivotal role in shaping the organisation’s culture, structure, and long-term effectiveness. Visibility & Influence: Collaborate closely with the Senior Management Team and senior business leaders across the organisation. Innovation & Growth: Opportunity to design of forward-looking people programs across the region Work-Life Balance: Hybrid working model with 4 days in the office and 1 day working from home. The ZALORA Story ZALORA is Asia’s leading online fashion, beauty and lifestyle destination, part of Global Fashion Group. As one of the region’s pioneer large scale e-commerce platforms, ZALORA has established a strong presence throughout the region, particularly in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Hong Kong enjoying over 50 million visits per month. ZALORA is not obligated to accept resumes from any third parties on behalf of potential candidates for any position (advertised or otherwise) by any means, unless ZALORA has executed a written agreement with such third party and has expressly requested such third party for candidate referrals. Third parties who provide unsolicited resumes of candidate(s) shall waive and forfeit all rights to claim for any placement fees or referral fees in the event that such candidate is eventually engaged or employed by ZALORA or Global Fashion Group.