Bowker ★ 3.0

Job Purpose

The Recruitment Manager is responsible for developing and executing comprehensive talent strategies across the entire manufacturing lifecycle. This role is critical in attracting, hiring, and retaining high-quality talent—from shop floor operators to senior technical executives—while ensuring all practices comply with local laws and the stringent brand's ethical and labor standards. This includes optimizing internal manpower, facilitating international talent mobility, and building a powerful employer brand.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Workforce Planning & Management

• Collaborate with Department Heads (Production, Technical, Quality Assurance, IE, Merchandising) to forecast short-term and long-term staffing needs for high-volume roles (sewing operators) and specialized roles (pattern makers, engineers).
• Design and implement a robust, scalable recruitment strategy tailored to the fast-paced demands of a major garment production facility.

2. Employer Branding & Talent Acquisition

• Design and execute an Employer Branding strategy that highlights the company's commitment to quality manufacturing and ethical compliance, aligning the factory's image with the values of the customer’s brand.
• Act as a brand ambassador for the factory, promoting it as an ethical employer of choice in the local community and industry.
• Develop and manage diverse sourcing channels, including job fairs, local community outreach, technical schools, job portals, talent mapping, social media, management trainee and internal referral programs, to build a reliable talent pipeline.
• Monitor key recruitment metrics (e.g., time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, retention rate by department) and report regularly to the management team.
• Oversee the entire recruitment lifecycle from job posting and candidate screening to pre-employment checks, final offer negotiation and onboarding.
• Partner with the Training & Development team to design effective onboarding programs for new hires, particularly production floor staff, to improve retention.
• Collaborate with C&B Manager to develop competitive, compliant compensation and benefits packages to attract and secure high-quality candidates while maintaining internal equity and factory budget controls.
• Candidate Database Management: Oversee the integrity, security, and maintenance of the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and candidate database. Ensure all candidate data is recorded accurately and handled in strict compliance with data privacy regulations.

3. Manpower & Internal Mobility Management

• Internal Placement & Transfer: Develop and manage transparent internal processes for cross-departmental transfers and functional placements to ensure optimal utilization of the existing workforce and maintain operational flexibility.
• Promotion/Demotion Process: Work with line managers to define clear, objective processes and documentation for promotions and demotions, ensuring all actions are fair, transparent, and aligned with performance management outcomes.
• Succession Planning Support: Identify and track high-potential employees in key technical and leadership roles to facilitate their movement into defined development paths.
• Managing Headcount: Maintain accurate, real-time records of departmental headcount (including organization chart) against approved budgets, ensuring efficient staffing levels to meet production schedules.

4. International Mobility Management

• Coordinate with Group HR and external partners to manage the end-to-end process for inbound and outbound expatriates, foreign workers.
• Oversee all aspects of international assignments, including visa/work permit applications, relocation logistics, tax equalization, and compliance with home/host country regulations.

5. Compliance and Auditing

• Be the internal expert on recruitment-related labor legislation and compliance.
• Maintain accurate and meticulous recruitment and internal mobility documentation for all employees (recruitment, transfer, promotion …) to ensure readiness for internal audits, inspections by the customer’s Sourcing/Compliance team and external audits.
• Ensure zero tolerance for illegal labor practices, including forced labor, child labor, and discrimination in the hiring process and on employment management.

6. Team Leadership and Process Improvement

• Lead, manage, mentor, train the internal recruitment team to enhance their skills in high-volume screening, structured interviewing, and compliance adherence.
• Review and update recruitment procedures, systems (ATS), and tools to improve efficiency and candidate experience.

Qualifications & Experience

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Minimum 5-7 years of progressive experience in Recruitment/Talent Acquisition, with at least 3 years in a management or supervisory role.
• Proven experience within the Garment/Apparel or Textile Manufacturing industry is mandatory.
• In-depth knowledge of local labor laws and a working understanding of international labor standards and buyer compliance requirements (e.g., customer’s sourcing standards, FLA, Better Work).
• Demonstrated experience in managing high-volume recruitment and knowledge of International Mobility logistics.
• Fluent and proficient in business English (both communication & writing).

Preferred:

• Direct experience in a factory that produces goods for major international sportswear or fashion brands.
• Familiarity with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and HRIS platforms.
• Certification in Human Resources (e.g., SHRM, local equivalent).