WHAT DOES A HR MANAGER DO?

Published: Jun 20, 2025 - The HR Manager oversees the delivery of comprehensive human resources services, policies, and programs to support a high-performance, employee-focused culture. This role ensures effective recruitment, workforce planning, performance management, and regulatory compliance across the organization. The manager also leads initiatives in employee development, policy implementation, and communication while advising managers on HR matters.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for HR Manager

1. HR Manager Duties

  • Policy Implementation: Implement human resources policies and procedures at the local and European levels
  • Council Support: Support management on works council issues
  • Regulation Compliance: Guarantee timely and appropriate fulfillment of HR administration and labor regulations requirements
  • Team Supervision: Direct management of a local HR representative
  • Training Management: Implement training plans that support employees’ professional development and improvement
  • Recruitment Management: Manage recruitment-hiring activities with the consultancy of HR Europe and in compliance with the given guidelines
  • Budget Planning: Work on an annual definition of the local HR budget
  • Payroll Support: Manage the payroll process by providing support to the HR representative
  • Talent Development: Support effective talent management initiatives including recruitment, talent assessment and development of talent

2. HR Manager Details

  • Job Design: Support the Principal and Functional Head in conducting Job Analysis and Job Design to ensure the relevance of each position in the school and reduce duplication of functions
  • Recruitment Practice: Responsible for the best practice of recruitment based on the Recruitment Policies
  • Event Coordination: Support Principal for preparing OTOS recruitment event through coordinating job advert, screening applications, system registration, etc.
  • Contract Preparation: Prepare all new employment contracts and employment packages, and follow up with interviewers on commencement formalities
  • New Hire Training: Responsible for training of New Hires, mainly for non-academic staff, by working closely with the direct Hiring Manager
  • Staff Orientation: Assisting the Principal or Head of School with the successful delivery of orientation training to academic staff
  • Training Analysis: Review and analyse training needs in conjunction with HODs
  • Employment Processing: Local and expatriate employment
  • Visa Coordination: Liaising with a wide range of organizations that are responsible for issuing working visas, expert certificates, medical check disclosure to expat employees as well as other relevant local authorities who are responsible for local employees’ employment
  • Contract Renewal: Working closely with the school Principal and HOD for annual contract renewal
  • Review Administration: Perform administrative duties of the Annual Performance Review
  • Record Management: Perform administrative duties to ensure both HRIS and employees’ files are fully updated

3. HR Manager Responsibilities

  • HR Leadership: Guides and manages the overall provision of Human Resources services, policies, and programs for the entire company
  • Culture Building: Establishes and leads Human Resources practices and objectives that will provide an employee-oriented, high-performance culture that emphasizes empowerment, quality, productivity and standards, goal attainment, and the recruitment and ongoing development of a superior workforce
  • Program Coordination: Coordinates the implementation of services, policies, and programs through the Human Resources staff
  • Manager Support: Reports to the Director of Operations to assist and advise company managers about Human Resources issues
  • Workforce Planning: Recruiting and staffing, organizational planning, performance evaluation and improvement systems
  • Professional Development: Organizational professional development, employment and compliance with regulatory concerns
  • Training Delivery: Employee orientation, development, and training, policy development and documentation
  • Employee Relations: Employee relations, company-wide committee facilitation, company employee and community communication, compensation and benefits administration

4. HR Manager Job Summary

  • Function Supervision: Lead and supervise in the following functions, i.e, Employee Relations, Industrial Relations, Direct Recruitment, Welfare and Corporate Social Responsibility Programs
  • Audit Compliance: Assist in documentation, spec improvement and ensuring audit compliance
  • Recruitment Oversight: Supervise recruitment and coordinate all direct labor process hiring, as well as Dormitories supervision
  • Headcount Management: Manpower controls and Consolidation Headcount Report Management for Direct Workers
  • Grievance Handling: Coordinate the entire grievance process through the proper channel and ensure all grievances are amicably settled
  • Relations Management: Handle employee relations and industrial relations matters
  • Employee Welfare: Responsible for the welfare of employees
  • Food Supervision: Ensure the caterer provides sufficient quantity and variety, hygienic and reasonably priced food for all employees at all times
  • Transport Liaison: Liaison with the bus vendor on busing matters

5. HR Manager Accountabilities

  • Employee Support: Support employees through their employment life cycle
  • Talent Management: Managing recruitment, onboarding new joiners, answering day-to-day employee questions, and building and executing feedback processes to drive a high-performance, growth culture
  • HR Advisory: Point of contact and advisor for team leads with all HR-related queries
  • Team Engagement: Manage the office and facilities team, which includes setting team events to keep team cohesion strong
  • Strategy Execution: Implementing and executing the people strategy with HRBP, factory management and other stakeholders
  • Stakeholder Partnering: Acting as a sparring partner for the factory management and HRBP on local implications and so on