Human Resources Manager

Korean International School (KIS) is a private, independent school with an enrollment of over 800 students representing more than 30 nationalities. We offer a British-style academic education designed for the English-speaking community in Hong Kong.

Job Title: Human Resources Manager

Reporting to: School Management Committee

Job Summary:

We are seeking an experienced, strategic, and highly professional Human Resources Manager to lead the School’s people, recruitment, safeguarding, compliance, and employee-relations functions. This is a senior, hands-on role requiring strong judgement, exceptional confidentiality, and the ability to advise school leaders on complex and sensitive matters.

The successful candidate must have demonstrated experience in international recruitment, including sourcing and appointing overseas teaching staff, managing relevant work-visa and pre-employment requirements, verifying overseas qualifications and references, and conducting robust safeguarding screening. A strong understanding of international-school operations and teaching curricula—including the requirements for recruiting and supporting appropriately qualified teaching staff—is essential.

Candidates with extensive senior-level experience may be considered for appointment as Leader of Human Resources.

Key Responsibilities

1. Recruitment, Safeguarding and Onboarding

• Lead the full recruitment cycle for teaching, leadership, administrative, and support roles, including international recruitment campaigns.

• Develop candidate pipelines through international-school recruitment platforms, professional networks, agencies, and direct sourcing.

• Assess candidates’ qualifications, teaching credentials, curriculum experience, and suitability for the School’s educational programmes.

• Work closely with academic leaders to understand curriculum-specific staffing needs and candidate requirements.

• Manage advertising, shortlisting, interview coordination, reference checks, contract preparation, and onboarding.

• Ensure all safeguarding and pre-employment checks are completed before employment is confirmed, including identity verification, original qualifications, employment history, references, criminal-record checks, and other required background screening.

• Maintain and continuously improve recruitment, safeguarding, and onboarding procedures in line with international-school standards.

2. Staffing, Contracts and Workforce Planning

• Advise the Principal and Senior Leadership Team on staffing structures, recruitment priorities, contract renewals, succession planning, retention, and workforce requirements.

• Manage employment contracts, contract amendments, renewals, probation, notices, non-renewal, and employment-related documentation.

• Ensure staffing decisions consider contractual obligations, operational needs, succession requirements, and approved budgets.

• Provide clear, practical, and legally sound advice on difficult contract-renewal, performance, non-renewal, and termination matters.

• Support stable staffing arrangements and reduce the risk of unexpected vacancies at the start of an academic year.

3. Budget Planning, Compensation and Benefits

• Lead annual HR budget planning, including staffing costs, salary forecasts, benefits, allowances, insurance, professional development, and recruitment expenditure.

• Partner with the Principal, Finance Team, and SLT to ensure staffing proposals and salary decisions align with approved budgets and strategic priorities.

• Oversee payroll administration, salary adjustments, MPF contributions, tax-related matters, staff allowances, and benefits programmes.

• Conduct salary and benefits benchmarking to support competitive, equitable, and financially sustainable remuneration arrangements.

• Support salary and benefits discussions in accordance with School policy, operational requirements, and approved budgets.

4. Employee Relations and Case Management

• Lead or support sensitive employee-relations matters, including misconduct, grievances, disciplinary cases, workplace conflict, performance concerns, and investigations.

• Conduct fair, impartial, and confidential staff meetings and investigations, ensuring appropriate documentation, evidence gathering, communication, and follow-up.

• Prepare investigation findings, case reports, and recommendations for the Principal and SLT.

• Work with senior leaders to implement appropriate disciplinary, corrective, or supportive action where required.

• Review staff cases for lessons learned and recommend improvements to policies, procedures, communication, and management practices.

5. Staff Support and Engagement

• Serve as a trusted and accessible point of contact for staff seeking advice or support on contracts, employment concerns, workplace relationships, and HR matters.

• Provide confidential staff-support meetings and seek to resolve issues constructively before they escalate into formal grievances or disputes.

• Promote a positive, respectful, inclusive, safe, and high-performing workplace culture.

• Work with the SLT to identify and implement initiatives that strengthen staff well-being, morale, engagement, and retention.

• Ensure management is informed of significant employee-relations matters and is supported to respond consistently and appropriately.

6. Compliance, Policies and Risk Management

• Ensure HR practices comply with the Hong Kong Employment Ordinance, MPF requirements, EDB expectations, safeguarding obligations, and School policies.

• Develop, review, implement, and communicate HR policies, procedures, guidelines, and the Employee Handbook.

• Maintain secure and accurate employee records, contracts, recruitment documentation, compliance records, and case files.

• Advise management on employment-law risks and take proactive measures to reduce the School’s exposure to disputes, complaints, and Labour Tribunal claims.

• Represent or support the School in employment-related claims, hearings, and discussions with external advisers where necessary.

7. Insurance and School Operations

• Manage the School’s insurance policies, including renewals, claims, coverage reviews, premium negotiations, and liaison with brokers and insurance providers.

• Advise academic and operational teams on insurance coverage, liability considerations, and risk-management requirements for school activities, trips, events, and other operations.

• Maintain a visible and responsive presence within the administration office and support the timely handling of parent enquiries, complaints, and operational concerns.

• Escalate significant risks or incidents to the Principal and relevant leaders, ensuring appropriate follow-up and communication.

8. HR Systems and Strategic Development

• Improve HR systems, digital workflows, online forms, data management, and reporting processes to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and transparency.

• Promote a paper-light approach through secure digital records and HR workflows.

• Use HR data, analytics, and workforce insights to support management decision-making, staffing projections, retention planning, and organisational development.

• Contribute actively to the School’s strategic planning, leadership discussions, and long-term organisational goals.

Essential Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management, Business Administration, Management, Law, Education Management, or a related discipline.

• Professional HR qualification such as CIPD, SHRM, HKIHRM, or an equivalent recognised certification is highly desirable.

• Significant progressive HR experience, including senior HR management or leadership responsibility.

• Demonstrated experience managing international recruitment, particularly the recruitment of overseas teachers and school-based professionals.

• Strong knowledge of international-school staffing requirements, teacher qualifications, safeguarding expectations, and curriculum-related recruitment needs.

• Familiarity with international teaching curricula and the capability to assess whether candidates possess suitable curriculum knowledge and teaching experience.

• Proven experience in employment contracts, payroll oversight, compensation and benefits, budgeting, workforce planning, performance management, grievance handling, disciplinary processes, and investigations.

• Sound working knowledge of the Hong Kong Employment Ordinance, MPF requirements, EDB expectations, and employment-related compliance obligations.

• Experience handling complex and sensitive staff matters with integrity, impartiality, discretion, and sound judgement.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in both Korean and English are essential; Chinese or Cantonese language ability is preferred.

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, HR information systems, digital workflow tools, and HR reporting.

Personal Attributes

• Strategic, proactive, and solutions-focused.

• Calm, fair, confident, and professional.

• Able to balance staff well-being with the School’s operational, safeguarding, legal, and financial responsibilities.

• Highly organised, detail-oriented, and capable of managing competing priorities under pressure.

• Comfortable advising senior leaders on complex people and organisational matters.

• Committed to safeguarding and fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive school community.

How to Apply

Please send the application with a cover letter and a full resume that includes your current and expected salaries, as well as your notice period by clicking 'Apply Now'. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and offers may be extended prior to the job closing date.

KIS is fully committed to providing equal employment opportunities and will not discriminate based on age, race, color, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, religion, veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, creed, citizenship, or any other status protected by local laws or regulations.

Personal data provided by job applicants will be treated with strict confidentiality and will be used for recruitment purposes only. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be invited for interviews. Final employment is subject to pre-employment and child protection checks.

KIS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We hold ourselves to high standards and undertake rigorous safer recruitment and pre-employment checks, with specific attention to child protection, for all applicants. All applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the position, including employment history and reference checks, criminal record checks, and identity checks.