Senior Human Resources Manager

Black & White Engineering is a dynamic, independent global engineering consultancy, delivering cutting-edge design and engineering solutions across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. With over 1,100 employees worldwide, we are committed to technical excellence, innovation, and creating sustainable solutions that shape the future of the built environment.

Since 2007, we have built a strong reputation for delivering high-quality engineering services through collaboration, technical expertise, and a commitment to excellence. Our Manila office continues to grow as a key hub supporting global projects and business operations, with headcount expected to double over the next 2–3 years.

The Senior HR Manager is responsible for leading and scaling the full HR function for the Manila office, acting as a confident, assertive strategic partner to the Manila Directors and senior team leads. As Manila moves through a significant growth phase, this role combines strategic HR leadership with hands-on, ground-level execution, and calls for an incumbent who is equally comfortable shaping people strategy at the leadership table and rolling up their sleeves on day-to-day HR operations, employee relations, and HR administration.

The Senior HR Manager leads and develops the Manila HR team of up to five direct reports, including HR Business Partners and HR Administrators, building team structure and capability to keep pace with business growth. Reporting to the Regional HR Manager – APAC, the role ensures alignment of Manila HR operations with regional frameworks, organizational priorities, and business objectives, while exercising sound, independent judgement and professional courage in guiding Directors and senior leaders through complex people matters.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES (Key Responsibilities and Tasks)

• HR Strategy & Business Partnership: Work closely with Manila Directors and senior team leads to shape and execute HR strategies that advance business objectives, engineering priorities, organizational growth, and regional HR alignment.
• Team Leadership & People Management: Lead, manage, and develop the Manila HR team, providing coaching, workload direction, and capability building as the team scales alongside business growth.
• Strategic HR Advisory & Assertive Guidance: Act as a confident, assertive advisor to Manila Directors and senior team leads, proactively challenging and influencing decisions to protect the organization's people, legal, and cultural interests, including where this requires delivering difficult messages.
• Business Growth & Organizational Scalability: Partner with regional and Manila leadership to scale HR structures, processes, and team capacity ahead of the Manila office's planned growth, ensuring the HR function remains fit-for-purpose as headcount expands over the next 2–3 years.
• Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning: Collaborate with the Talent Acquisition team and business leaders to define workforce needs, recruitment strategies, and talent programs that attract, retain, and develop high-performing engineering talent.
• Employee Lifecycle Management: Oversee the complete employee lifecycle, including onboarding, performance management, career development, retention, and offboarding, while delivering a seamless employee experience.
• Employee Relations & Labor Compliance: Personally lead and manage complex, sensitive employee relations matters and formal workplace investigations through fair, thorough, and legally sound processes, while coaching people managers on day-to-day ER handling and ensuring compliance with labor laws, regulations, and company standards.
• HR Governance & Risk Management: Implement HR governance practices, ensure policy and regulatory compliance, and proactively identify and mitigate people-related risks.
• HR Policies & Process Improvement: Review, refine, and optimize HR policies, procedures, and practices to drive operational efficiency and strengthen HR effectiveness.
• Organizational Development & Leadership Enablement: Collaborate with leaders to advance organizational effectiveness through change management, talent development, succession planning, and capability building.
• Learning & Development: Coordinate with the Global Learning & Development team and Global Academy to deliver technical and professional development programs, partnering locally to bring in-house learning initiatives to life.
• Performance Management: Partner with leadership and Directors to drive effective performance management practices, including goal setting, performance reviews, calibration discussions, talent assessments, and compensation recommendations to strengthen accountability, build capability, and improve organizational performance.
• Compensation & Benefits: Support compensation, benefits, and rewards programs to promote market competitiveness, internal equity, and employee satisfaction.
• HR Analytics & Reporting: Enhance HR analytics and reporting capabilities by leveraging workforce data to generate insights, inform decision-making, identify trends, and strengthen workforce planning.
• Employer Brand & EVP: Support the development of the Manila employer brand and employee value proposition, including external best-practice benchmarking, to strengthen the organization's ability to attract and retain talent through the growth phase.
• Employee Communications: Partner with the Global Communications Manager and Manila leadership to develop and deliver employee communications that reinforce the B&W culture and support engagement through periods of organizational change.
• Employee Wellness, Culture & Engagement: Collaborate with the Global team to implement engagement surveys, translate insights into action plans, and lead wellbeing and culture initiatives that reinforce organizational values, elevate employee experience, and foster an inclusive, collaborative, and high-performing workplace.
• HR Systems & Data: Act as local superuser for the HR information system (e.g., BambooHR), ensuring accurate employee records and data integrity in compliance with local employment law.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, or a related field; post-graduate qualification in HR and/or membership of a relevant professional body (e.g., PMAP, SHRM, CIPD) highly desirable.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive HR experience, including proven experience leading strategic and operational HR functions in an HR Manager, Senior HR Business Partner, or similar role.
• Proven experience directly managing and developing HR teams, including HR Business Partners and/or HR Administrators, is required.
• Experience supporting engineering, technical, professional services, or project-based organizations is preferred.
• Strong, broad-based knowledge across the full spectrum of HR foundations (employee relations, compensation, talent, policy, HRIS, compliance), with the ability to build and professionalize HR structures, processes, and team capability from the ground up as the business scales.
• Strong knowledge of Philippine labor laws, employee relations, HR compliance, and governance practices, including experience leading formal workplace investigations and disciplinary processes.
• Demonstrated ability to be assertive and to provide strategic, and where necessary challenging, HR advisory to Directors and senior leaders, translating business objectives into effective people strategies and solutions.
• Proven experience operating in a fast-growth or scaling business environment, with the ability to build HR infrastructure ahead of organizational growth.
• Proven experience in change management, leadership development, culture initiatives, workforce capability building, and organizational effectiveness.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication, coaching, and influencing skills with the ability to engage employees and leaders at all levels, including Director level.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, projects, and competing demands in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Strategic, proactive, adaptable, hands-on, and solutions-oriented with a high level of integrity, confidentiality, and professionalism.