People Manager

Job Purpose:

The People Manager – EMS Manufacturing is responsible for leading, developing, and managing the workforce in an Electronics Manufacturing Services environment.

This role partners closely with Operations, Production, Quality, Engineering, Planning, Warehouse, and HR teams to ensure effective manpower planning, employee engagement, performance management, compliance, and workforce stability.

The position plays a key role in supporting business objectives related to productivity, quality, delivery, safety, employee retention, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities:

1. People Leadership and Workforce Management

• Manage and support daily people-related activities across assigned manufacturing areas.

• Ensure effective manpower planning to meet production schedules and customer requirements.

• Monitor attendance, overtime, absenteeism, turnover, and workforce stability.

• Support shift leaders, supervisors, and line leaders in managing employee performance and discipline.

• Coordinate workforce allocation based on production needs, line requirements, and business priorities.

• Promote a positive, respectful, disciplined, and productive working environment.

• Handle employee concerns, grievances, and workplace conflicts in a fair and timely manner.

2. Employee Performance and Development

• Support the performance management process for operators, technicians, line leaders, and supervisors.

• Partner with department managers to identify performance gaps and people-related issues.

• Support performance improvement plans and follow up on corrective actions.

• Identify skill gaps and coordinate training plans with HR, Training, Quality, and Production teams.

• Drive employee development, cross-training, and multi-skill capability building.

• Coach frontline leaders on people management, communication, motivation, and problem-solving.

• Support succession planning for critical shopfloor and supervisory positions.

3. Employee Engagement and Retention

• Implement initiatives to improve employee morale, engagement, and retention.

• Conduct employee communication sessions, feedback meetings, and engagement activities.

• Analyze turnover reasons and propose corrective or preventive actions.

• Partner with HR and Operations to improve onboarding, integration, and employee experience.

• Build strong relationships with employees at all levels, especially production workforce.

• Promote teamwork, accountability, discipline, and continuous improvement culture.

4. Compliance, Discipline, and Employee Relations

• Ensure employees comply with company rules, labor regulations, safety standards, and workplace policies.

• Support investigations related to misconduct, policy violations, attendance issues, or workplace conflicts.

• Maintain fair, consistent, and proper disciplinary practices.

• Work closely with HR to ensure compliance with local labor law and internal procedures.

• Support internal and external audits related to labor practices, employee records, ethics, and compliance.

• Promote ethical behavior, respect, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.

5. Manufacturing Operations Support

• Work closely with Production, Quality, Engineering, Planning, and Warehouse teams to ensure people readiness for production needs.

• Support labor allocation based on production priorities, product mix, customer requirements, and ramp-up or ramp-down plans.

• Participate in daily production meetings, manpower review meetings, and operational performance reviews.

• Help improve productivity by addressing people-related causes of downtime, inefficiency, poor discipline, or low morale.

• Support continuous improvement activities such as Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Kaizen, and operational excellence initiatives.

• Ensure effective communication between management and shopfloor employees.

6. Communication and Reporting

• Prepare regular reports on manpower, attendance, overtime, turnover, training status, disciplinary cases, and engagement activities.

• Analyze people-related data and provide recommendations to improve workforce effectiveness.

• Communicate company policies, production priorities, and management messages clearly to employees.

• Escalate serious employee relations issues to HR or senior management when required.

• Maintain accurate records related to employee relations, discipline, training, and workforce movement.

Key Requirements:

1. Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, Industrial Management, Engineering, or related field.

• Relevant professional HR, leadership, or people management certification is an advantage.

2. Experience

• Minimum 5–8 years of experience in manufacturing, EMS, electronics, automotive, semiconductor, or high-volume production environment.

• At least 2–3 years in a people management, HR business partner, production leadership, or employee relations role.

• Experience working with operators, line leaders, supervisors, technicians, and shift-based workforce is strongly preferred.

• Experience in EMS, SMT, PCBA, box-build, assembly, testing, or electronics manufacturing is an advantage.

• Experience handling employee relations, disciplinary cases, absenteeism, turnover, and workforce planning in a manufacturing environment.

Required Skills and Competencies

1. Technical / Functional Skills

• Strong knowledge of manpower planning and workforce management.

• Good understanding of manufacturing operations and shopfloor environment.

• Knowledge of labor law, employee relations, disciplinary procedures, and HR policies.

• Ability to analyze workforce data such as turnover, absenteeism, overtime, attendance, and productivity.

• Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Kaizen, or continuous improvement activities is preferred.

• Good reporting, presentation, and communication skills.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced production environment.

2. Leadership and Behavioral Competencies

• Strong people leadership and coaching ability.

• Good conflict resolution and problem-solving skills.

• Able to communicate effectively with employees, supervisors, managers, and senior leaders.

• High emotional intelligence and ability to handle sensitive employee matters.

• Fair, firm, consistent, and trustworthy.

• Strong sense of ownership, confidentiality, and compliance.

• Able to work under pressure and respond quickly to urgent people or production issues.

• Hands-on, proactive, and willing to spend regular time on the shopfloor.

3. Language Skills

• Proficient in English communication, both written and spoken.