Head of Talent Acquisition

Framework, Policy and Governance

• Own and drive the Bank's end-to-end recruitment governance framework, ensuring sourcing, selection, offer, onboarding and vacancy fulfilment practices are aligned with Group standards, local business priorities, regulatory expectations and approved manpower /personnel cost budgets.
• Serve as custodian of recruitment policies, operating procedures, approval workflows and HRIS-enabled recruitment processes, ensuring fair, consistent, transparent and auditable application across all departments.
• Strengthen recruitment controls, documentation standards, approval discipline and exception management to support sound hiring governance, budget discipline, internal audit readiness and appropriate escalation of sensitive cases.
• Lead continuous improvement of recruitment policies, workflows, systems, reporting and candidate experience, working with HRIS, Group HR, Technology and other stakeholders to improve productivity, service quality and control effectiveness.

Talent Acquisition Strategy and Workforce Fulfilment

• Translate the Bank's business strategy, workforce plans and growth priorities into practical talent acquisition strategies that ensure timely fulfilment of current and future manpower requirements.
• Advise HODs and Hiring Managers on appropriate resourcing options, including external hiring, internal mobility, contract / secondment arrangements, re-employment, graduate hiring and buy / build / borrow strategies.
• Monitor bank-wide activated and non-activated vacancies, hiring pipeline, fulfilment status, recruitment turnaround time, sourcing productivity and market constraints, providing management insights and recommendations to support decision-making.
• Develop forward-looking sourcing strategies for critical, niche, senior and business-growth roles, balancing speed, quality of hire, cost discipline, internal talent visibility and market availability.

Sourcing, Selection and Recruitment Delivery

• Lead full-cycle recruitment delivery across CIMB SG, covering requisition intake, sourcing strategy, job posting, candidate screening, interview coordination, assessment support, offer management, pre-employment checks and onboarding handover.
• Partner HODs and Hiring Managers to define role requirements, evaluate candidate fit, support objective selection decisions and ensure recruitment outcomes meet role, culture, risk and conduct expectations.
• Personally support or oversee confidential, sensitive, senior hiring matters, ensuring appropriate confidentiality, stakeholder management, governance discipline and escalation to Head of HR where required.
• Build stronger in-house sourcing capability within the Talent Acquisition team, reducing over-reliance on agencies where appropriate while ensuring access to external search support for hard-to-fill or senior roles.

Employer Branding and External Market Positioning

• Develop and implement the Bank's employer branding approach to position the Bank as an employer of choice across relevant talent markets, in partnership with Marketing & Corporate Communications and Group HR.
• Curate employer branding content and recruitment messaging for CIMB SG LinkedIn, CIMB Careers website, career fairs and other approved external channels to strengthen candidate attraction and market awareness.
• Manage relationships with external search firms, recruitment agencies, job platforms and talent market partners, including governance of usage criteria, service expectations, procurement requirements, contract renewals and annual budget planning.

Business Partnering, Reporting and Team Leadership

• Lead, coach and develop the Talent Acquisition team, setting clear priorities, service standards, stakeholder coverage, delivery expectations and capability-building plans.
• Provide monthly recruitment dashboards, management reports and insights covering hiring metrics, vacancy ageing, fulfilment status, productivity, turnaround time, sourcing channel effectiveness, candidate pipeline and key people movement trends
• Collaborate with Workforce Planning, OD, Rewards, HR Business Partners, HR Operations and Employee Relations to ensure hiring decisions are aligned with approved organisation structures, job grades, manpower budgets, compensation governance and employment obligations.
• Contribute as part of the HR management team by providing talent market insights, recruitment risk updates, workforce fulfilment trends and recommendations to support broader HR and business priorities.

Onboarding and New Joiner Experience

• Oversee recruitment-to-onboarding handover to ensure new joiners experience a timely, coordinated and professional transition from offer acceptance to commencement.
• Review and enhance the Day1 and orientation experience, ensuring new joiners receive appropriate introduction to the Bank’s business, organisation structure, Group context, key policies, conduct expectations and culture.

Requirements:

• Degree in HR, Psychology, Management, Economics, Engineering, Banking & Finance or a related discipline.
• A postgraduate qualification in HR,
• Business Administration or a related field would be advantageous.
• Professional HR certification such as IHRP, SHRM, CIPD or equivalent would be advantageous.
• Professional certification in Performance Management or HR-related discipline would be advantageous
• 8– 12 years of relevant domain HR experience
• Strong exposure/experience in Talent Acquisition, preferably within banking, financial services or a highly regulated environment. Demonstrated experience in leading annual performance review cycles, calibration and moderation processes, performance governance, stakeholder management with senior leaders, and handling complex or sensitive performance-related matters.
• Proven experience leading a team or sub-unit , including setting direction, managing priorities, developing team capability, and providing oversight on delivery, governance, and stakeholder outcomes.
• Strong experience partnering senior stakeholders and representing the sub-unit in cross-functional discussions, governance forums, or regional / Group engagements.
• Strong technical know-how of performance management frameworks, goal setting, performance ratings, calibration, moderation, performance improvement plans and year-end review governance, with the ability to provide specialist advice, guide implementation, and support consistent application of domain practices
• Sound understanding of HR policies, employment practices, people risk, conduct expectations and governance requirements within a banking or regulated financial services environment.
• Strong understanding of HR processes and policies, including the interlinkages between own domain processes and related HR processes , with the ability to guide execution, resolve process issues, and ensure consistent application across stakeholders.
• Good working knowledge of Singapore employment law and employment practices
• Project Management Skills - Able to lead projects or workstreams, coordinate stakeholders, track milestones, and resolve delivery issues with limited supervision.
• Strong change management mindset and able to drive practical improvements, support change implementation, and help translate new processes or requirements into operational practice
• Strong Stakeholder Management skills and is able to engage management stakeholders at the country and Group level independently, understand business needs, provide sound advice, and manage expectations on deliverables and timelines.
• Strong data and analytical thinking - Able to analyse data, identify issues or patterns, prepare insights, and use data visualisation and evidence to support recommendations or decisions.
• Strong written & verbal communication skills - Able to write clearly, present recommendations, explain technical matters to senior stakeholders, and adapt communication style to the audience.
• Ability to manage multiplepriorities and deliver annual performance cycles within tight timelines, whilemaintaining accuracy, governance discipline and service quality.