Senior Manager, Industrial Relations (Bangkok-based, Relocation Provided)

About the Company

At Agoda, we bridge the world through travel. Our story began in 2005 and today we are part of Booking Holdings, with a diverse team of over 7,000 people from 90 countries. Data and technology are at the heart of our culture. The People Team focuses on finding and developing talent, supporting employees with learning programs and benefits, and enabling a collaborative workplace.

The role is Bangkok-based; relocation is provided.

About the Role

We are looking for a Senior Manager to lead our Global Employee Relations Team. This role leads the development of policies, advisory standards, case governance and analytics to ensure fair, consistent and legally sound people practices. The incumbent partners with HR leadership, Legal, unions, and government agencies to manage complex disciplinary matters, labor relations issues and emerging workforce risks.

Responsibilities

• Act as the go-to specialist on employee relations matters, guiding managers on company policies, local laws and regulations, and translating employment legislation, case law and regulatory changes into clear policies and guidance.
• Establish governance standards, operating guidelines and decision frameworks to ensure consistency across the organization.
• Design, review and implement organization-wide employee & labor relations and HR policy framework; evaluate systemic issues in manager capability and escalate to business leaders as needed.
• Represent the organization in union consultations, negotiations, arbitration and dispute resolution forums; analyze union and management proposals and support collective bargaining strategies through data and scenario analysis.
• Ensure accurate execution and documentation of disciplinary actions and terminations to minimize labor disputes.
• Conduct impartial investigations into grievances, identify trends and insights, and recommend procedural improvements.
• Analyze performance management and misconduct data to recommend capability-building, policy revisions and training enhancements.
• Refine performance management and offboarding processes by incorporating data from different sources to enhance employee experiences.
• Liaise with Legal to represent and manage the company in negotiations, arbitrations, dispute resolution forums and other regulatory authorities.

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of employee relations, labor relations and workplace dispute management.
• Strong working knowledge of employment legislation, regulations and industrial relations practices, with the ability to interpret legislation and apply it practically within complex organizations.
• Advanced stakeholder management and influencing capability across senior leaders, unions and regulators.
• Strong negotiation, mediation and conflict-resolution skills, and the ability to balance organisational risk with empathy and sound judgement.
• Degree in Human Resource Management, Law, Industrial Relations, or related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
• A minimum of 13 years in Employee and Labor Relations or HR Business Partnering roles within large or regulated organizations, with a proven track record of handling complex employee relations issues.