Manager, People & Culture (AI Central Team)

NCS is a leading technology services firm that operates across the Asia Pacific region in over 20 cities, providing consulting, digital services, technology solutions, and more. We believe in harnessing the power of technology to achieve extraordinary things, creating lasting value and impact for our communities, partners, and people. Our diverse workforce of 14,000 has delivered large-scale, mission-critical, and multi-platform projects for governments and enterprises in Singapore and the APAC region.

As an integral member of the People & Culture team, you will serve as a strategic HR partner to our newly established AI business. This is a unique opportunity to shape the people agenda from the ground up in a fast-scaling, innovation-driven environment.

You will work closely with AI leaders, data scientists, engineers, and product teams to build a high-performance, future-ready organisation. Beyond traditional HR partnering, you will play a critical role in designing talent strategies, operating models, and employee experiences suited for a cutting-edge AI workforce.

What will you do?

Strategic Business Partnering in a New Domain

• Act as a trusted advisor to AI business leaders on organisational design, team effectiveness, and scaling strategy
• Translate business goals into forward-looking people strategies in a highly dynamic and evolving environment

Build & Scale AI Talent

• Partner leaders on workforce planning for specialised AI roles
• Drive innovative talent strategies including build vs buy, global talent access, and alternative talent models
• Work with Talent Acquisition COE on recruitment efforts for niche and highly competitive talent pools

Shape the AI Organisation & Culture

• Co-create and embed a high-performance, experimentation-driven culture aligned with AI ways of working
• Design employee value propositions tailored to AI talent (e.g. learning, innovation, autonomy)
• Enable agile ways of working, cross-functional teaming, and rapid iteration cycles

Develop Future-Ready Capabilities

• Identify critical skills and capability gaps in AI, data, and digital domains
• Partner leaders to build capability development plans, including upskilling and reskilling initiatives
• Support leadership development for first-time and experienced leaders in a tech-driven environment

Drive Core HR Processes with Flexibility

• Adapt and implement performance management, rewards, and engagement practices to suit a fast-moving AI setup
• Provide coaching and guidance to managers on performance, career development, and team dynamics
• Manage employee relations with a pragmatic, business-focused approach

Data-Driven HR & Experimentation

• Leverage people analytics to inform decisions on hiring, retention, performance, and engagement
• Pilot and iterate HR programmes to suit the evolving needs of the AI business

HR Operations & Projects

• Ensure smooth HR operations while balancing the need for speed and flexibility

The Ideal Candidate Should Possess:

• Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field
• IHRP certification preferred
• At least 8 years of HR business partnering experience, ideally in technology, digital, or innovation-driven environments
• Proven experience supporting high-growth or newly established teams is a strong advantage

• Strong business acumen with the ability to operate in ambiguity and build from scratch
• Experience with tech/AI talent landscapes or strong curiosity to learn quickly
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and challenge constructively
• Agile mindset with comfort in experimentation and iterative problem-solving
• Strong analytical skills with ability to leverage data for decision-making
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills across diverse talent groups

• Hands-on, proactive, and adaptable in a fast-paced environment
• Collaborative and outcome-oriented with a strong sense of ownership
• Passion for building culture, teams, and capabilities in a frontier business