The Role
Lead APAC HR strategy and operations across multiple countries. Advise senior leaders, localize global HR programs, oversee talent acquisition, performance management, compensation, benefits, compliance, employee relations, payroll coordination, HR systems, and regional M&A HR workstreams. Manage and develop a dispersed HR team and drive people-analytics-led improvements and cross-country process standardization.
Summary Generated by Built In
About the Position
WatchGuard is seeking a hands-on regional HR leader to lead the Human Resources function across APAC. Reporting to the VP of HR, the Director of Human Resources – APAC will set and execute the regional people strategy across Southeast Asia, India, China, Japan, and Australia/New Zealand, spanning talent, compensation, employee relations, compliance, and organizational effectiveness.
This is a fast-paced, high-visibility role leading a geographically dispersed HR team and partnering closely with regional business leaders and global HR counterparts. You will drive people strategy and operational excellence across APAC, ensuring HR practices are locally compliant, culturally relevant, and aligned with WatchGuard's global objectives.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic HR Leadership & Business Partnership
• Serve as a strategic advisor to regional VPs, Directors, and country managers, providing counsel on workforce strategy, organizational effectiveness, leadership capability, and complex people matters.
• Partner with global HR leadership to adapt and roll out worldwide HR strategies across APAC, ensuring they are locally contextualized and effectively implemented.
• Translate regional employee and business insights into actionable guidance for senior leadership, ensuring global decisions account for APAC cultural, legal, and operational realities.
Talent Acquisition & Performance Management
• Lead APAC talent acquisition strategy and execution, partnering with business leaders and recruiting resources to attract, assess, and close high-caliber talent across the region.
• Lead scalable, effective onboarding and early employee integration programs that align with WatchGuard’s global standards and regional business needs.
• Partner with leaders to define critical talent needs, uphold a high hiring bar, and ensure a strong candidate experience across APAC.
• Lead APAC performance and talent processes, including goal setting, performance reviews, development planning, manager coaching, and succession planning for key talent.
Employee Relations & Compliance
• Serve as the primary escalation point for complex employee relations issues, providing sound, legally-informed guidance to managers and senior leaders.
• Interpret and apply local labor laws across APAC markets (China, India, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and others), ensuring compliance and minimizing legal exposure.
• Partner with external employment counsel in each jurisdiction to manage risk, conduct investigations, and resolve disputes.
• Ensure regional HR policies, employment documentation, and local practices remain compliant, current, and aligned with global standards.
Compensation, Benefits & HR Operations
• Partner with global compensation and business leadership to deliver competitive, equitable, and market-relevant rewards programs across APAC.
• Lead APAC compensation review processes and market benchmarking, ensuring pay decisions are data-driven, equitable, and aligned with talent attraction and retention priorities.
• Oversee benefits administration and payroll coordination, balancing strong employee service with cost efficiency.
• Oversee regional HR operations, systems, compliance reporting, and HR workstreams for regional M&A activity, ensuring effective execution, risk management, and employee communication.
Team Leadership & Continuous Improvement
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of HR professionals across multiple APAC countries, ensuring consistent, high-quality HR service delivery.
• Use people analytics to identify trends, improve regional HR processes, and provide actionable insights that inform business and workforce decisions.
• Drive regional HR projects such as system implementations, policy harmonization, and cross-country process standardization, plus special projects as assigned by global HR leadership.
Skills and Qualifications
• 10+ years of progressively responsible HR experience, including at least 5 years in a senior HR leadership role (Director or above), preferably within a technology or global matrixed environment.
• Proven experience managing HR operations across multiple APAC countries, with strong knowledge of labor laws and employment practices in India and at least 3 of: China, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and Southeast Asia.
• Demonstrated expertise in talent management, employee relations, compensation & benefits, performance management, and organizational development.
• Strong business acumen, with the ability to partner effectively with and influence senior and executive leaders.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to navigate cross-cultural differences and build trust across a globally diverse workforce.
• Hands-on and self-motivated, comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities.
• Experience using HR systems and reporting tools to support data-driven decision-making, operational discipline, and scalable HR service delivery.
• Fluent English communication skills, written and verbal, are required.
WatchGuard is seeking a hands-on regional HR leader to lead the Human Resources function across APAC. Reporting to the VP of HR, the Director of Human Resources – APAC will set and execute the regional people strategy across Southeast Asia, India, China, Japan, and Australia/New Zealand, spanning talent, compensation, employee relations, compliance, and organizational effectiveness.
This is a fast-paced, high-visibility role leading a geographically dispersed HR team and partnering closely with regional business leaders and global HR counterparts. You will drive people strategy and operational excellence across APAC, ensuring HR practices are locally compliant, culturally relevant, and aligned with WatchGuard's global objectives.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic HR Leadership & Business Partnership
• Serve as a strategic advisor to regional VPs, Directors, and country managers, providing counsel on workforce strategy, organizational effectiveness, leadership capability, and complex people matters.
• Partner with global HR leadership to adapt and roll out worldwide HR strategies across APAC, ensuring they are locally contextualized and effectively implemented.
• Translate regional employee and business insights into actionable guidance for senior leadership, ensuring global decisions account for APAC cultural, legal, and operational realities.
Talent Acquisition & Performance Management
• Lead APAC talent acquisition strategy and execution, partnering with business leaders and recruiting resources to attract, assess, and close high-caliber talent across the region.
• Lead scalable, effective onboarding and early employee integration programs that align with WatchGuard’s global standards and regional business needs.
• Partner with leaders to define critical talent needs, uphold a high hiring bar, and ensure a strong candidate experience across APAC.
• Lead APAC performance and talent processes, including goal setting, performance reviews, development planning, manager coaching, and succession planning for key talent.
Employee Relations & Compliance
• Serve as the primary escalation point for complex employee relations issues, providing sound, legally-informed guidance to managers and senior leaders.
• Interpret and apply local labor laws across APAC markets (China, India, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and others), ensuring compliance and minimizing legal exposure.
• Partner with external employment counsel in each jurisdiction to manage risk, conduct investigations, and resolve disputes.
• Ensure regional HR policies, employment documentation, and local practices remain compliant, current, and aligned with global standards.
Compensation, Benefits & HR Operations
• Partner with global compensation and business leadership to deliver competitive, equitable, and market-relevant rewards programs across APAC.
• Lead APAC compensation review processes and market benchmarking, ensuring pay decisions are data-driven, equitable, and aligned with talent attraction and retention priorities.
• Oversee benefits administration and payroll coordination, balancing strong employee service with cost efficiency.
• Oversee regional HR operations, systems, compliance reporting, and HR workstreams for regional M&A activity, ensuring effective execution, risk management, and employee communication.
Team Leadership & Continuous Improvement
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of HR professionals across multiple APAC countries, ensuring consistent, high-quality HR service delivery.
• Use people analytics to identify trends, improve regional HR processes, and provide actionable insights that inform business and workforce decisions.
• Drive regional HR projects such as system implementations, policy harmonization, and cross-country process standardization, plus special projects as assigned by global HR leadership.
Skills and Qualifications
• 10+ years of progressively responsible HR experience, including at least 5 years in a senior HR leadership role (Director or above), preferably within a technology or global matrixed environment.
• Proven experience managing HR operations across multiple APAC countries, with strong knowledge of labor laws and employment practices in India and at least 3 of: China, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and Southeast Asia.
• Demonstrated expertise in talent management, employee relations, compensation & benefits, performance management, and organizational development.
• Strong business acumen, with the ability to partner effectively with and influence senior and executive leaders.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to navigate cross-cultural differences and build trust across a globally diverse workforce.
• Hands-on and self-motivated, comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities.
• Experience using HR systems and reporting tools to support data-driven decision-making, operational discipline, and scalable HR service delivery.
• Fluent English communication skills, written and verbal, are required.
Skills Required
- 10+ years of progressively responsible HR experience, including at least 5 years in a senior HR leadership role
- Proven experience managing HR operations across multiple APAC countries
- Strong knowledge of labor laws and employment practices in India and at least 3 of: China, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Southeast Asia
- Demonstrated expertise in talent management, employee relations, compensation & benefits, performance management, and organizational development
- Experience using HR systems and reporting tools to support data-driven decision-making and scalable HR service delivery
- Strong business acumen and ability to partner effectively with and influence senior and executive leaders
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with ability to navigate cross-cultural differences
- Experience preferably within a technology or global matrixed environment
- Fluent English communication skills, written and verbal
WatchGuard Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about WatchGuard and has not been reviewed or approved by WatchGuard.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is portrayed as comprehensive, including medical, dental, vision, and mental-health support. Feedback suggests plan breadth and quality are a recurring bright spot.
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Parental & Family Support — Caregiver benefits include paid parental leave, backup care, adoption assistance, fertility coverage, and, in some locales, subsidized childcare. Feedback suggests these supports meaningfully enhance the total package for families.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Generous PTO and holidays are emphasized alongside options like paid sick time and volunteer time. Feedback suggests time off provisions contribute to a favorable work-life balance.
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The Company
What We Do
WatchGuard® Technologies, Inc. is a global leader in unified cybersecurity. Our Unified Security Platform® approach is uniquely designed for managed service providers to deliver world-class security that increases their business scale and velocity while also improving operational efficiency. Trusted by more than 17,000 security resellers and service providers to protect more than 250,000 customers, the company’s award-winning products and services span network security and intelligence, advanced endpoint protection, multi-factor authentication, and secure Wi-Fi. Together, they offer five critical elements of a security platform: comprehensive security, shared knowledge, clarity & control, operational alignment, and automation. The company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. To learn more, visit WatchGuard.com.
