Head of Talent Acquisition

Role: Head of Talent Acquisition, Senior Manager

Start Date: Immediate

Employment Type: Full time, 1-Year Contract (Renewable)

Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Reporting Line: Head of Fellowship, Director

Role Purpose

Lead the strategy and execution of recruitment, selection, and matriculation to bring in Malaysia’s most promising future leaders into the Fellowship Programme, building a nationwide movement to end education inequity.

Principal Accountabilities

1. Set and drive a bold, data-informed recruitment and selection strategy aligned with organisational goals and Fellowship expansion targets.
2. Lead and develop a high-performing Talent Acquisition team to execute end-to-end recruitment, selection, and matriculation cycles.
3. Build and maintain strategic partnerships with universities, corporates, and government stakeholders to strengthen candidate pipelines.
4. Champion inclusive, compelling recruitment branding and campaigns to attract high-potential talent from diverse backgrounds.
5. Collaborate with internal teams and senior leadership to ensure alignment on candidate experience, programme needs, and stakeholder engagement.
6. Analyse recruitment and selection data to continuously improve processes, tools, and strategies for impact and scale.
7. Contribute to organisational leadership as part of the Extended Leadership Team, shaping strategy, culture, and cross-functional collaboration.
8. Collaborate cross-functionally with the Fellowship Leadership Team to ensure a seamless experience for Fellows across all touchpoints of their two-year journey.
9. Serve as a member of the Extended Leadership Team contributing to TFM’s broader strategic vision and cross-functional collaboration.

Role Requirements

Competencies required for the role

As people join TFM, we expect individuals to be aligned with our core values, have passion and drive to the TFM mission.

Technical/ Functional competencies:

• Demonstrated success in developing and executing end to end large-scale recruitment and selection strategies, preferably for graduate and leadership programmes.
• Strong ability to design and refine inclusive selection models, tools, and assessment frameworks that align with programme goals and evolving candidate profiles.
• Skilled in data collection, analysis, and reporting to monitor performance and drive evidence-based decisions.
• Proficient in applicant tracking systems (e.g. Salesforce) and other digital platforms (e.g. Google Suite, Confluence, Power BI, Zoom).
• Adept at developing recruitment branding and marketing strategies, including leveraging social media, digital campaigns, and events to build awareness and attract talent.
• Knowledge of stakeholder dynamics across higher education, corporate, and government sectors, and experience engaging with them effectively.
• Ability to project manage and coordinate complex processes with multiple touchpoints and dependencies.
• Experienced in budget planning and resource allocation to support recruitment and selection activities efficiently.
• Capable of navigating ambiguity, implementing process improvements, and scaling systems for future growth.

Leadership competencies:

• Able to set a compelling vision and translate it into strategy, inspiring and aligning the team towards clear, measurable recruitment outcomes.
• Demonstrates strong team leadership by coaching, developing, and empowering team members, while holding them accountable to high standards.
• Builds and nurtures a collaborative team culture grounded in TFM’s core values of Excellence, Integrity, Collaboration, and Sense of Possibility.
• Models adaptive leadership, remaining solutions-oriented and resourceful in high-pressure, ambiguous, or fast-changing environments.
• Excels in stakeholder management, building authentic relationships with diverse groups from university partners and government agencies to Fellows, alumni, and corporate allies.
• Communicates with clarity, confidence, and empathy, able to tailor messaging across various audiences and platforms.
• Comfortable with cross-functional collaboration, working closely with senior leadership, external partners, and other programme leads to ensure cohesive execution.
• Thinks critically and acts decisively, balancing strategic foresight with hands-on operational execution.
• Champions diversity, equity, and inclusion in recruitment processes, candidate experiences, and team culture.

Experiences & qualification

• Minimum of 7 years' work experience, including at least 2 years in recruitment and selection or related fields.
• Proven success in managing recruitment teams and achieving ambitious recruitment targets.
• Experience in high-volume graduate recruitment is an advantage.
• Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English, with basic proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and digital platforms (e.g. Google Suites, Salesforce, Zoom).
• Willingness to travel and work during unconventional hours, including weekends and evenings.