Principal Director – Singapore

Business Unit: Professional & Commercial Recruitment Services

Location: Singapore

Reports To: Regional Head / Board of Directors

About Us

Founded over 40 years ago (1982), our organization has grown into a global leader in specialist recruitment and talent solutions. Operating across 29 countries with access to a global ecosystem spanning more than 57 countries and 9,000+ HR professionals, we connect thousands of professionals with leading businesses every year.

As part of one of the world's largest HR services global ecosystems, we combine deep local market insights with international scale. We specialize in mid-level professional search, selection, high-volume contracting, temporary staffing, government vendor programs, and custom workforce outsourcing across core disciplines including Sales & Marketing, Supply Chain & Operations, Commercial, Engineering, IT, Finance, and Public Sector services.

Executive Summary

We are expanding our professional middle-management recruitment, temporary staffing, and workforce solutions division into Singapore.

As the Principal Director – Singapore , you will lead the market entry, commercial establishment, and operational scaling of our Singapore entity. You will hold full P&L accountability, leading high-margin delivery across Permanent Placement ,Temporary/Contract Staffing ,Large-Scale Managed Workforce Projects and Public Sector / Government Tenders

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Leadership & Business Launch

• Market Entry & Expansion: Formulate and execute the market entry strategy in Singapore, establishing the firm as a premier partner for middle-management permanent recruitment, volume temporary staffing, contracting, and managed workforce outsourcing.
• Commercial Strategy: Drive the business plan, annual revenue targets, budget allocation, and long-term expansion goals for the Singapore operation.
• Market Positioning: Leverage our global HR ecosystem footprint to build brand equity through executive networking, strategic client pitch presentations, and regional partnership alliances.

2. Large-Scale Temp/Contracting & Multi-Industry Execution

• High-Volume Temporary Staffing: Oversee the operational deployment and management of large-scale, high-volume temporary staffing and contract workforce programs across major industries (FMCG, Technology, Supply Chain & Logistics, Banking & Financial Services, Engineering, and Public Sector).
• Government Tenders & Public Sector Bidding: Spearhead key government agency tender submissions (GeBIZ/public sector procurement), framework agreements, and master vendor proposals to secure long-term public sector staffing contracts.
• Market Intelligence & Thought Leadership: Establish dedicated market research practices to produce industry salary benchmarks, talent pool mapping, and labor market intelligence for corporate clients, regional HQs, and government stakeholders.

3. Commercial Development & P&L Management

• P&L Ownership: Hold full financial responsibility, driving top-line growth, gross margin optimization, and net profitability across all three business streams (Perm, Temp, Managed Outsourcing).
• Key Account Acquisition: Personally lead business development efforts with multinational corporations (MNCs), regional headquarters, state-owned enterprises, and local businesses requiring mid-tier talent and flexible staffing solutions.
• Solution Selling: Champion hybrid workforce solutions combining project-based outsourcing, temporary staffing, master vendor models, and permanent middle-management search.

4. Operational Excellence & Compliance

• Regulatory Governance: Serve as or designate the Key Appointment Holder (KAH) under the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Employment Agency Framework, ensuring strict adherence to the Employment Act, Fair Consideration Framework (FCF), and local licensing regulations.
• Temp & Outsourcing Infrastructure: Establish end-to-end operational systems for contractor payroll, billing, candidate compliance, and managed service SLAs.
• Service Quality: Instill high-standard recruitment practices, candidate mapping methodologies, and robust client service metrics.

5. Team Building & Organizational Leadership

• Talent Acquisition & Scaling: Build, mentor, and retain high-performing teams of practice leads, senior recruitment consultants, temp desk billers, and account managers.
• Performance Culture: Design competitive sales KPIs, incentive structures, and career progression pathways.
• Corporate Values: Cultivate a collaborative, high-integrity, and candidate-centric workplace culture aligned with our global corporate values.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Financial Performance: Achievement of annual Revenue, Gross Profit (GP), and Net EBIT targets across Perm, Temp, Contracting, and Managed Services desks.
• Tender & Account Wins: Successful bidding and award rates on government tenders, public sector frameworks, and high-volume corporate master vendor agreements.
• Volume Temp Operations: Growth in temporary contractor headcount, placement speed, fill rates, and billable temp margins across major industry verticals.
• Operational & Regulatory Audit: 100% MOM regulatory compliance, strong client SLA fulfillment rates, and operational efficiency metrics.
• Market Insights: Timely delivery of localized market intelligence, compensation benchmarking reports, and industry talent surveys.

Candidate Profile & Qualifications

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related discipline.
• Experience: 10+ years of progressive recruitment and staffing leadership in Singapore or Southeast Asia, with direct experience in middle-management professional recruitment.
• Temp Staffing & Volume Recruitment Expertise: Extensive hands-on experience in running large-scale temporary staffing, contracting, and high-volume recruitment project desks across multiple major sectors (Tech, FMCG, Industrial, Logistics, Financial Services).
• Government Tender Knowledge: Proven track record in participating, structuring, and winning government procurement tenders, public sector staffing proposals, and enterprise RFI/RFPs in Singapore or the wider region.
• Market Intelligence Competency: Demonstrated skill in using labor market analytics, salary data, and competitive talent intelligence to pitch value-added advisory solutions to enterprise clients.
• Regulatory Credibility: Registered or qualified to register as a Key Appointment Holder (KAH) under Singapore MOM guidelines (passed CEI / EA framework requirements).
• Track Record: Hands-on experience establishing a business unit, launching a new market territory, or scaling a high-growth recruitment agency.

Core Competencies

• Commercial & Financial Acumen: Mastery of contractor markups, temp billing ratios, pay-bill margin calculations, perm fee structures, and government pricing models.
• Strategic Vision: Ability to translate international corporate strategy into agile local market execution.
• People Leadership: Strong capability to attract, coach, and retain top recruitment billers, temp consultants, and practice leaders.
• Executive Network: Established network of HR decision-makers, Talent Acquisition heads, procurement leads, and business executives across Singapore.