Senior Manager/ AVP, People Development

ABOUT US

The Ascott Limited (Ascott) is a leading global hospitality company with over 1,000 properties across more than 230 cities in over 40 countries. Our diverse portfolio spans serviced residences, hotels, resorts, social living spaces and branded residences under award-winning brands including Ascott, Citadines, lyf, Oakwood Premier, Oakwood, Somerset, The Crest Collection, The Unlimited Collection, Adoor Apartment, Adoor Suites, Fox, Harris, POP!, Preference, Quest, Vertu and Yello.

As part of CapitaLand Investment, one of Asia's leading real asset managers, Ascott is committed to delivering meaningful guest experiences while driving growth through innovation, brand excellence and customer-centricity.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Based in Singapore and reporting to the Vice President, Talent & People Development, the candidate will be responsible for shaping and advancing Ascott's global people development strategy to build leadership capability, strengthen succession readiness, foster a high-performance culture, and enable sustainable organisational growth.

Working closely with senior business leaders, HR teams, brands and CapitaLand stakeholders, the candidate will drive enterprise-wide learning, talent development and culture initiatives that enhance employee capability, leadership effectiveness and internal talent mobility across Ascott's global portfolio.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Leadership & Capability Development (30%)

• Lead Ascott's enterprise-wide learning and leadership development strategy to strengthen workforce capability and leadership effectiveness.
• Develop and execute a global learning and capability-building strategy aligned to business priorities.
• Design leadership development pathways across all employee levels, from emerging leaders to senior executives.
• Establish capability frameworks that strengthen leadership, commercial acumen, operational excellence and guest-centricity.
• Drive learning innovation through digital learning, blended learning approaches and modern learning technologies.
• Oversee governance and effectiveness of learning programmes, learning systems and development frameworks.
• Implement measurement frameworks to evaluate learning impact, behavioural change and business outcomes.
• Design and oversee enterprise coaching and mentoring frameworks to support leadership development, talent acceleration, and knowledge transfer.

2. Talent Development, Succession & Internal Mobility (25%)

• Build sustainable talent pipelines that accelerate career growth, enhance internal mobility and strengthen succession readiness.
• Develop and implement enterprise-wide talent development and career growth strategies.
• Partner business leaders to identify critical capabilities and future leadership requirements.
• Strengthen succession planning processes and leadership readiness for key positions.
• Establish career pathways and internal mobility opportunities across brands, functions and geographies.
• Foster developmental experiences through mentoring, stretch assignments, cross-functional projects and international exposure.
• Leverage talent insights to identify capability gaps and development priorities.

3. Brand Capability & Guest Experience (15%)

• Partner with Brand and Operations leaders to translate brand strategy, positioning, and guest experience expectations into employee and leadership capabilities.
• Ensure brand behaviours, service standards, and culture expectations are embedded throughout the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, learning, performance management, leadership development, recognition, and career progression.
• Support organisational readiness and employee capability requirements associated with new brand launches, acquisitions, and brand transformation initiatives.

4. Culture, Engagement & Employee Experience (10%)

• Champion a culture that reflects Ascott's values, enhances employee engagement and supports organisational performance.
• Embed Ascott's Culture Code across the employee lifecycle.
• Partner leaders to cultivate a high-performing, inclusive and collaborative culture.
• Develop engagement and recognition initiatives that strengthen employee connection and organisational commitment.
• Equip leaders with tools and resources to reinforce desired behaviours and culture adoption.
• Monitor culture and engagement indicators, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Support organisational change and transformation initiatives through effective culture interventions.

5. Early Careers & Future Leadership Pipelines (10%)

• Build sustainable early talent programmes that support future workforce and leadership needs.
• Oversee graduate and early-career development programmes globally.
• Establish structured learning journeys, rotational opportunities and career pathways.
• Partner educational institutions and industry stakeholders to strengthen talent pipelines.
• Identify and accelerate high-potential talent through targeted development initiatives.
• Enhance Ascott's employer brand among emerging talent communities.

6. Strategic Partnerships, Analytics & Operational Excellence (10%)

• Drive data-informed decision making, stakeholder engagement and operational effectiveness across the People Development function.
• Provide strategic counsel to business leaders on people development and organisational capability matters.
• Develop dashboards and metrics to monitor leadership readiness, capability development, talent mobility and programme effectiveness.
• Leverage people analytics to inform workforce and development strategies.
• Manage relationships with learning partners, academic institutions and external vendors.
• Oversee budgets, governance frameworks and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead and develop the People Development team to deliver impactful business outcomes.

THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE WILL:

• Establish a globally consistent leadership and capability development framework.
• Strengthen succession bench strength for critical and leadership positions.
• Increase internal mobility and career development opportunities across markets and functions.
• Embed Ascott's Culture Code into key people processes and leadership practices.
• Build sustainable graduate and future leader pipelines.
• Enhance the effectiveness, measurement and business impact of learning investments.

REQUIREMENTS

• Degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology, Organisational Development or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in Learning & Development, Talent Development, Leadership Development, Organisational Development or related disciplines.
• Proven experience designing and implementing enterprise-wide leadership and capability development strategies.
• Experience partnering senior executives on talent, succession and organisational development initiatives.
• Strong understanding of learning technologies, talent frameworks and people analytics.
• Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders across complex, matrixed organisations.
• Experience within hospitality, travel, retail, service or customer-centric industries will be advantageous.
• Professional coaching accreditation, psychometric certification or related credentials are highly desirable.