Emerging Talent Lead - People, Governance and Communications Hong Kong The Emerging Talent Lead is responsible for shaping and implementing HSBC's global emerging talent strategy in Hong Kong and ensuring broader alignment and connectivity across other markets/entities in Asia and Middle East. The role ensures the emerging talent strategy and programmes are tailored to local contexts while remaining consistent with global objectives and standards.
Key responsibilities include leading recruitment, onboarding, and programme delivery for graduates, interns, and other early-career pipelines; being a key strategic partner to the business and senior sponsors; managing a high-performing team in Hong Kong; and collaborating with relevant market leads and delivery leads across Asia and the Middle East to ensure excellence in execution and a consistent candidate and stakeholder experience.
The role works in partnership with the Global Emerging Talent Leadership Team to shape and deliver the emerging talent strategy, and with counterpart roles in the UK to form a connected global construct. Together, the leads ensure global coherence, best-practice sharing, and strong global and local stakeholder engagement.
Key Responsibilities: 1. Strategic Delivery, Advisory & Implementation - Shape and deliver Emerging Talent strategy in collaboration with regional and global Emerging Talent Leads.
- Key partner to the business stakeholders, hiring managers and seniors sponsors to help advise and shape the strategy for emerging talent.
- Translate global emerging talent strategy into actionable business and market-level plans.
- Adapt programmes to reflect local academic calendars, labour laws, regulatory requirements, and cultural considerations.
- Provide market insights and feedback on challenges, opportunities, and trends to inform global decisions.
- Provide oversight of local delivery budgets, ensuring disciplined budget management, accurate forecasting, and optimal resources.
- Build strong and productive relationships with Business People Partners & Talent leads to understand their global and local priorities and how these can be served from an emerging talent perspective - act as a trusted advisor and advocate for their needs when engaging with market and global teams.
2. Team Leadership and Development - Lead, coach, and develop local teams supporting recruitment and programme management.
- Foster a human-centric, high-performance culture and ensure career development pathways for team members.
- Partner with Delivery Lead/s to build team capability through training, mentorship, and cross-market collaboration.
- Promote cross-market learning by sharing local insights and best practices with peers.
3. End to End Recruitment Delivery - Partner with hiring managers and senior sponsors to define and execute hiring plans.
- Lead and oversee end-to-end recruitment for graduates, interns, and early career pipelines within the market.
- Ensure delivery against global standards for candidate attraction, assessment, and selection.
- Champion candidate experience through a high-touch, data-led approach.
- Oversee assessment and selection process, ensuring fairness, quality, and alignment to enterprise standards.
- Troubleshoot recruitment delivery challenges; escalate and resolve in partnership with Delivery leads.
- Oversee lengthy keep warm process and activities, ensuring engagement and belonging, reducing declines and reneges.
- Monitor recruitment health metrics (conversion rates, reneges, diversity, hiring manager satisfaction) and course correct as needed.
4. End to End Programme Delivery - Implement and adapt emerging talent programmes in-country (rotations, learning journeys, mentorship, and career development).
- Partner with line managers and programme advisors to ensure quality of learning, performance management, and pastoral support.
- Monitor programme effectiveness and graduate outcomes, identifying areas for enhancement.
- Troubleshoot programme delivery challenges; escalate and resolve in partnership with Delivery leads.
- Share learnings and best practices across markets to strengthen global programme quality.
- Work with Development & Progression Lead to identify and track local high-potential Emerging Talent for post-programme pipelines.
5. Compliance, Operational Excellence, and Innovation - Ensure recruitment and programme practices comply with local regulations and HSBC policy.
- Partner with Delivery Leads on process optimisation and operational excellence, ensuring consistency with global frameworks.
- Work with Delivery Leads to use data, dashboards, and feedback to assess programme impact and drive continuous improvement.
- Stay current on competitor and market trends to maintain HSBC's competitive positioning.
6. Business/Market SME & External Profile - Serve as the on-the-ground Emerging Talent SME for the business/market.
- Partner with Attraction Activation Lead and Delivery Lead to oversee execution of local marketing and attraction activity, including university partnerships, external events, and brand-building campaigns.
- Represent HSBC externally at events, building profile as an employer of choice for future talent.
- Ensure local execution aligns with global EVP (Employer Value Proposition) and attraction strategy.
7. Stakeholder Management and Influence - Influence stakeholders to invest in and actively support emerging talent initiatives as appropriate.
- Serve as the local & business point of contact for Heads of People, Talent, hiring managers, senior business sponsors, Delivery leads, Development & Progression lead
- Internal: Business/Market Talent Partner, hiring managers, senior business sponsors, Delivery leads, Development & Progression lead.
- External: Universities, government bodies, student organisations, industry bodies, vendors.
What you'll need: Recruitment and Assessment Expertise - Experience delivering Emerging Talent recruitment or development programmes within Hong Kong and Asia markets.
Strong understanding of the external Emerging Talent landscape. - Understanding of skills-based hiring and development practices
- Proven experience in global campus or early careers recruitment, including attraction, assessment, and/or delivery operations.
- Strong understanding of external Emerging Talent landscape
- Passion for candidate-centric practices that enhance experience, readiness, and engagement
People Leadership - Proven leadership and people management experience in recruitment and/or early talent development.
- Strong leadership presence, role modelling collaborative, inclusive, and high-performance behaviours as part of a global leadership team.
- Agile, adaptable, and resilient in response to changing business priorities.
Data and Analytical Thinking - Strong analytical mindset with the ability to interpret funnel performance data and generate actionable insights.
- Confidence working with dashboards, MI tools, and reporting platforms to track performance and inform continuous improvement.
- Ability to use data to evaluate seasonal health, identify early risks, and support real-time decision-making.
- Project management skills with the ability to balance multiple priorities at pace.
Strategic Thinking and Continuous Improvement - Strategic thinker with ability to align local initiatives to global objectives
- Future-focused, insight-driven mindset with the ability to proactively evolve strategies over time
- Proven ability to use data/feedback to drive continuous improvement, decision-making, and impact.
Commercial Awareness: - Uses good judgement to make decisions that balance cost, value, and impact.
- Understands how the work connects to business goals and makes choices that support long-term success.
Stakeholder Management & Collaboration - Strong collaboration and influencing skills across matrixed global teams.
- Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills across Business and People function.
- Excellent communicator, able to engage stakeholders and convey complex information clearly.
- Cultural awareness and sensitivity to local market dynamics.
Technology and Enablement - Familiarity with recruitment technology platforms (ATS, CRM, assessment tools).