People Manager, USA and Mexico

Company DescriptionCathay is a leading premium travel lifestyle brand based in Hong Kong, offering products and services across four lines of business – Premium Travel, Cargo, Low-Cost Travel and Lifestyle. The Cathay Group comprises premium full-service airline Cathay Pacific, cargo business Cathay Cargo, low-cost airline HK Express, express all-cargo carrier Air Hong Kong, and various other subsidiaries.Cathay Pacific was founded in Hong Kong in 1946. The Group has been deeply committed to its home base, extending to the rest of Greater Bay Area, and making substantial investments to develop Hong Kong as one of the world’s leading international aviation centres.Role IntroductionThe successful candidate will be the principal point of contact for people leadership in the USA providing strategic business partnership for all functions having the single point of accountability for the people strategy and operations within the country. They will lead the drive for employee engagement, development and performance management across the North America region.Please note this is a temporary position for or up to a 1-year fixed term contract with a possibility to be extended further. OverviewLead the Local People Team and Business Partner to Departmental HeadsDrive the overall country people strategy linking them global people initiatives to deliver improvements in the employee experience and strong Human Resource supportAdvise and guide the line managers to make sound and thoughtful people decisions supported by professional Human Resource adviceBe accountable for the overall people cost budget and headcount approvals for the countryOwn the country organisational structure and have oversight including being the approver of all country headcount replacementsLead the local people team to ensure an approachable, efficient and expert service as well as provide personal and professional development to people team members and build a positive working environment for the teamProvide clear goals and objectives and role model performance management with own teamBuild a High-Performance Culture and Support Leaders Across the RegionBe directly involved in selection decisions of B+ roles within the country and ensure the recruitment process is managed well to attract the right talentDraw upon centrally provided people frameworks and strategies to build capability for performance management within the line managersProvide leadership training, coaching and support for managers on both a 1:1 and group levelProactively support line managers with performance improvement plans, coaching and formal performance management when requiredSupport line managers through alignment and consistency of performance management and manage the annual calibration process to ensure pay for performance philosophies are embeddedConduct exit interviews with senior or regretted losses and analyse exit interview and turnover data on a regular basis to identify trends and issues that can be improved onStakeholder Management and Collaboration with Functional and Geographic LeadersManage the matrix structure to support all parties to effectively contribute including being an expert in the roles and responsibilities of each party and how to effectively work togetherBe an escalation point for decision making on matrix conflict resolution by utilising strong mediationBusiness ContinuityBe a key leader in the event of crisis management or an Emergency or Accident situationLead in humanitarian responses in the countryImplement key processes for business continuity of people processes and associated support mechanismsLead in Health and Safety ensuring compliance is achieved and that employee wellbeing is promoted and supported by the people team and leadership teamE&AEmergency and Accident and Crisis Response responsibilities as requiredKey ResponsibilitiesDeliver Core People ProcessesContribute to the global Cathay people strategy and projects and be an active part of the people international communityCreate and manage the people budget ensuring that all budgeting timeframes are met and data integrity is maintained in all core people systemsAlign with the global reward, compensation and benefit frameworks and run the country compensation processes in a timely and efficient manner ensuring that strong controls are in placeDrive the shift in benefits and reward culture from one of tenure to pay for performanceEnsure full compliance on all aspects of employment law, health and safety and payroll processes and governanceBe responsible for the people policy framework and alignment with global policies, local legislation and effective communication of policiesManage challenging people issues including employee exits, disciplinary or grievance cases in a professional and mature mannerIdentify key ‘at risk’ or ‘business critical’ roles and ensure that there are plans for coverage in case of absence or turnoverEstablish the employee relations strategy to ensure all employee representative groups are well managed and identify opportunities for further engagement with employees via various channelsProactively improve the industrial agreements that are in place to ensure they meet the needs of all parties and ensure we have a bargaining strategy with unions and employee representative groups in placeLead the negotiation process for salary increments, collective agreements alongside the Regional General ManagerMonitoring industrial relations law changes and ensure Cathay has engaged relevant local labour law experts and is utilising their services effectivelyAdvise and provide support to all departments to ensure they are operating in a compliant and appropriate manner for the local market and supports the overall success in the locationPeople Engagement and DevelopmentUtilise central training and development materials and frameworks to deliver local leadership development activitiesIdentify succession plans and work with leaders to develop future successors in a long term and supportive mannerLead People Week and workforce planning initiatives for the country and proactively manage talent identified for successionConduct regular Training Needs Analysis for all functions as required including Ground Handling Agents to help ensure required training programmes are effectively delivered and address key performance issuesSubmit the budget for functional and regulatory training to Head Office in a timely manner with accuracyEnsure regulatory training is completed and monitor Brushwinger’s completion for eLearning and other safety or induction related trainingIdentify opportunities for local government funding and support on training initiativesMeasure the effectiveness of training efforts and draw on central tools and methodologyPartner with The Learning Academy and suggest ideas and best practices and provide feedback on how global initiatives fit into the local contextWork with the Regional General Manager to initiate local communications and engagement initiatives in order to nurture the culture and engagement of the wider teamWork with the global engagement teams and community to suggest ideas and best practices and provide feedback on how global initiatives fit into local contextPromote and nurture a customer service mind-set and cultureRequirementsAcademic QualificationsUniversity Degree or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience in Human Resources or a closely related discipline is requiredKnowledge, Skills, Training And Experience10+ years’ experience in a generalist business partner rolePractical expertise in all areas of Human ResourcesSkilled at training delivery and facilitationDemonstrably passionate about employee engagement with proven successes in delivery of engagement programmesHighly approachable with a strong and customer centric mentalitySolid experience in Human Resource compliance and processesAbility to manage competing prioritiesHigh level of integrity and professionalismDemonstrably strong mediation, conflict management, influencing and negotiation skillsExperience in managing complexity across geographies and hierarchiesSuperior communication skills across multiple channels being mindful of cultural considerationsFuture focused approach with proven ability to successfully drive changeMust have the right to live and work in the USABackground & SecurityCertain Employees will be required to obtain a Security Identification Display Area, (SIDA) badge provided by the airport authority and maintain good standing to retain their SIDA badge.Employment will require successful completion of a ‘Background Check’ and ‘Drug Free Workplace’ testBenefitsCathay Pacific Airways is proud to offer eligible employees competitive Compensation & Benefits package, as varied by location, regularly scheduled hours worked, length of employment and employment status as highlighted below.To learn more about Cathay Pacific as a Certified Great Place Employer – Please Click Here’The estimated salary range for this role is $113,328 to $169,992. Employee pay will vary based on factors such as qualifications, experience, skill level, competencies and work location.Personal & Application InformationCathay Pacific Airways is an Equal Opportunity (EOE) and Affirmative Action (AA) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status and other protected status as required by applicable law and will not be discriminated against. Cathay Pacific Airways is an E-Verify participating employer.If you require assistance or an accommodation in completing any aspect of the application process, please contact the Cathay Americas Recruiting team at: jobs@cathaypacific.com.