HR Assistant Manager

About the role

You will be at the heart of transforming the organisation from an R&D centre into a fully fledged commercial organisation. Working closely with the leadership team, you will take ownership of four critical pillars: strategic hiring, compensation & incentives, organisational design, and culture. This is not a "follow‑the‑template" role. You are building from scratch, and the role requires a pragmatic, creative HR leader who thrives in ambiguity and can translate business strategy into people programmes that scale.

Key responsibilities

• Map the global talent landscape, proactively engage passive candidates, and craft a compelling employer narrative that attracts world‑class LLM engineers, product owners, business development managers, solution architects, and delivery managers.

• Design bonus plans, equity packages, and performance frameworks that are simple, fair, and aligned with the fast‑paced reality of an AI startup.

• Assess current team structures, identify friction points, and co‑create new organisational models that improve collaboration between product, research, and go‑to‑market functions. Prototype, test, and iterate on ways of working that speed up decision‑making and execution.

• Shape the rituals that define life at the company: how wins are celebrated, tough feedback is delivered, new joiners are onboarded, and every individual feels a genuine sense of belonging.

• Champion an inclusive, high‑performance environment.

About you

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human Resources, Management, Organisational Psychology, or a related discipline.
• 5–8 years of progressive HR experience, ideally with at least part of that in a fast‑growing technology company with a B2B business model.
• Proven experience in supporting or leading HR initiatives for business entry into emerging markets, with a specific focus on Hong Kong, Southeast Asia and Africa.
• Familiar with the talent landscapes, cultural sensitivities, and employment practices in these regions, and able to adapt people programmes accordingly.
• Comfortable toggling between big‑picture thinking and rolling up your sleeves to get things done.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and have a track record of building processes from the ground up.
• Exceptional verbal and written English skills; able to articulate complex people concepts to both technical and commercial stakeholders.
• Data‑informed yet deeply empathetic.