This is a dual-scope role combining hands-on office and corporate-administration leadership with full-cycle regional HR administration. The successful candidate will be the single point of accountability for day-to-day office operations, vendor and facilities management, corporate governance liaison, and financial/business-systems support (Sections 1–6), while independently owning the regional HR administration function – employee lifecycle, mobility, payroll, tax, benefits, leave, compliance, and reporting – across Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan (Section 7). The role suits a versatile, discreet, detail-obsessed operator comfortable working without close supervision in a regulated financial-services environment.
What would your role be?
1. Office Operations Lead & Corporate Governance Liaison
- Act as the primary point of contact for local employees and regional/global stakeholders on all office operations, facilities, and administrative matters.
- Serve as the key liaison with the Company Secretary on statutory filings, Annual Returns, corporate records maintenance, and Companies Registry requirements.
- Partner closely with Legal & Compliance teams to ensure business operations align with regulatory obligations, SFC licensing requirements, and internal governance standards.
- Coordinate administrative documentation and information requests in support of annual external audits, tax assessments, and corporate reporting requirements.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance operational efficiency, service delivery, and workplace experience.
1. Office Operations, Governance & Compliance
- Serve as the primary point of contact for local employees and regional/global stakeholders on office operations, facilities, administration, and corporate governance matters.
- Liaise with the Company Secretary, Legal, Compliance, and external advisers on statutory filings, corporate records, regulatory requirements, SFC licensing, audits, and corporate reporting.
- Oversee workplace health, safety, fire/building compliance, business continuity, and corporate insurance programs, including renewals, coverage reviews, and vendor negotiations.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance operational efficiency, controls, service delivery, and workplace experience.
2. Finance & Business Systems Administration
- Manage Accounts Payable, including invoice validation, cost allocation, approvals, and payment processes, in coordination with external accountants.
- Oversee office operating expenses and departmental budgets, ensuring appropriate cost control and financial accountability.
- Act as the local subject matter expert for SAP Concur, supporting employees with expense management, travel booking, and reimbursements.
3. Facilities, IT & Vendor Management
- Lead day-to-day facilities and workplace management, including maintenance, repairs, workspace planning, procurement, inventory, mail, office amenities, and lease-related coordination.
- Manage vendors, service contracts, and SLAs, ensuring quality, cost effectiveness, and timely resolution of service issues.
- Coordinate with regional/global IT teams on hardware, onboarding, user support, infrastructure, and workplace technology.
- Manage corporate mobile and telecommunications services, including devices, vendors, service plans, and usage.
- Supervise cleaning and contracted facilities personnel, maintaining high standards of workplace hygiene, safety, and presentation.
4. Executive, Client & Workplace Support
- Provide executive support for visiting senior leaders and C-suite executives, including transportation, meeting, and logistical arrangements.
- Partner with Sales to coordinate client events, seminars, conferences, and corporate hospitality.
- Oversee reception and visitor management to ensure a professional experience for clients, guests, and stakeholders.
5. Regional HR Operations & Employee Lifecycle
- Own regional HR administration across Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan and serve as the first point of contact for employee HR enquiries.
- Manage the full employee lifecycle, including onboarding, offboarding, internships, probation, employment documentation, background screening, employee records, and HRIS (Workday) administration.
- Provide day-to-day guidance to employees and managers on HR policies, processes, and employment-related matters, escalating complex policy or legal issues to Group HR/COO as appropriate.
- Maintain accurate, confidential, and audit-ready HR records and documentation.
6. Payroll, Tax, Benefits & Leave Administration
- Coordinate monthly payroll, bonuses, termination payments, and payroll inputs with external providers across Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan.
- Administer employee tax and statutory requirements, including IRAS/IRD filings, IR21 tax clearances, Japan inhabitant tax, and related declarations.
- Manage employee benefits and statutory contributions, including medical/life insurance, CPF, MPF, housing benefits, and executive health programs.
- Administer leave records, statutory leave, public holidays, and block-leave requirements across jurisdictions.
7. Mobility, Immigration & Employment Compliance
- Coordinate employee relocations, secondments, housing arrangements, visa/work-pass applications, renewals, cancellations, and permanent residency matters.
- Monitor employment legislation and regulatory requirements across Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and Australia, maintaining compliance trackers and supporting audits.
- Ensure HR processes, policies, and documentation remain compliant with statutory and company requirements.
8. HR Reporting, Policies & Employee Experience
- Prepare regional headcount, HR metrics, compliance reports, and government-mandated workforce surveys.
- Maintain the employee handbook and HR policies and communicate global and regional HR updates to employees.
- Manage HR vendors, including payroll, insurance, mobility, immigration, and other external service providers, monitoring SLAs and resolving issues.
- Coordinate employee wellbeing, health screening, work-injury cases, and engagement initiatives to support a positive and inclusive workplace.
What we are looking for?
- Experience: 8+ years of progressive experience spanning office management, corporate administration, executive support, and HR administration within financial services, professional services, or multinational corporate environments.
- Operational Leadership: Demonstrated ability to independently manage diverse, cross-functional responsibilities while serving as the organization’s trusted “go-to” resource across both office operations and HR.
- Governance & Compliance: Experience working with Company Secretaries, Compliance, Risk, and external regulatory stakeholders, including statutory filings and audit support.
- Insurance & Workplace Management: Hands-on experience overseeing corporate insurance programs, workplace safety compliance, and facilities operations.
- Financial Acumen: Strong understanding of Accounts Payable processes, budgeting, expense management, and vendor contract administration.
- HR Generalist Experience: Prior ownership of full-cycle HR administration – employee lifecycle, contracts and documentation, leave, and employee records – ideally across more than one APAC jurisdiction.
- Multi-Jurisdiction Payroll & Tax: Working knowledge of statutory payroll and tax requirements in Singapore (CPF, IRAS) and Hong Kong (MPF, IRD, IR21); exposure to Japan payroll/inhabitant tax administration a strong plus.
- Global Mobility & Immigration: Practical experience with visa/work-pass applications, secondments, and relocation coordination across APAC markets.
- Employment Law Awareness: Working familiarity with employment legislation in Singapore and Hong Kong sufficient to flag risk and escalate appropriately (not expected to render legal advice).
- Confidentiality & Data Integrity: Demonstrated discretion and rigor in handling confidential employee, compensation, and corporate records; comfortable operating under data-protection and banking-secrecy-adjacent confidentiality standards.
- Technology Proficiency: Experience supporting business systems such as SAP Concur, HRIS/payroll platforms (ideally Workday), and coordinating with centralized IT support teams.
- Stakeholder Management: Excellent interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage effectively across all levels of the organization.
- Service Excellence: A professional, approachable, and solutions-focused mindset with a strong commitment to employee and client experience.
- Languages: Fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin, both written and spoken.
- Education: Diploma or degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field; HR certification (e.g. IHRP, CIPD) an advantage but not required.
What do we offer?
- We work according to agile principles especially in our way of thinking, our methods and in mutual trust – always aware of our surroundings.
- A modern, technologically up-to-date environment.
- Want to develop your skills? We are happy to support you with training/ certifications.
- Teamwork is important to us: We share valuable knowledge and skills with each other at all times - One Vontobel
- Our work culture is characterized by short lines of communication and direct cross-departmental contact and information exchange in an open-space office.
We are looking for talented people, not just a CV that ticks all the boxes. Even if you do not have absolutely everything we have asked for, if this role sounds like a good fit for you, we encourage you to apply.
At Vontobel, you are building better futures for our clients and society, as well as for yourself. By 2030, we want to be known as one of the leading and most trusted global investment firms. We have 2,300+ engaged professionals, based in over 25 locations globally and headquartered in Zurich.
We are both majority family-owned and publicly listed. Our capacity for long-term focus on topics such as sustainability is underpinned by the security of the family’s 100-year commitment. Driven by an ownership mindset, you can unlock your potential and translate insights into opportunities. We are hiring talented individuals who are determined to deliver in a changing world and who come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Do you want to be Vontobel?
Thank you for applying to Vontobel. We will carefully review your application and will respond to you in a timely manner.
At Vontobel, we are an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability or gender identity.
We value the many voices within our teams and are committed to creating an environment where everyone who wants to be part of our performance culture can be themselves. It is based on mutual respect and zero tolerance for any form of discrimination.
If you have any questions you can contact us through our contact form.
