Who We Are

Emerald Clinical Trials is a global leader in clinical research, partnering with over 160 biotech companies and 15 of the world’s top 20pharmaceutical firms. Headquartered in Singapore, we combine scientific excellence with operational expertise to deliver end-to-end clinical trial solutions across all phases, offering Phase I-IV and real-world studies.

With over 25 years of experience and a world-renowned focus in renal research, Emerald Clinical has helped drive medical breakthroughs through deep scientific insight, flawless execution, and an unwavering commitment to quality.

Global Expertise. Local Insight. Real Impact.

Emerald Clinical is where science, speed, and strategy come together to transform healthcare. For over 25 years, we have led the way in clinical research, combining global reach with deep Asia-Pacific expertise and unparalleled local insight to deliver smarter trials and stronger outcomes.

Our 1000+ employees that span across Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Americas are embedded in communities worldwide. We drive faster recruitment, deeper patient engagement, and meaningful results that move medicine forward.

About the Role

The HR Business Partner is a senior strategic partner to leaders of Emerald Clinical’s global functions. The role translates business priorities into integrated people strategies that enable performance and results, strengthen organisational capability, and create an engaged organisation with engaged employees.

Reporting to the Chief Human Resources Officer and based in Shanghai, the role ensures that Emerald Clinical HR practices are consistently and effectively delivered across the global functions, while bringing appropriate local context, sound judgement and a strong understanding of the life sciences environment. All activities must be conducted in line with applicable laws, regulations, company policies, guidelines and ethical standards.

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted adviser and constructive challenger to global functional leaders, connecting business strategy, operating plans and organisational priorities to an actionable people agenda.

• Build a deep understanding of each function’s strategy, operating model, performance drivers, talent risks and capability requirements; use this insight to shape pragmatic, outcome-focused HR solutions.

• Lead strategic workforce planning with leaders, including capability assessment, demand and supply planning, critical-role identification, resourcing scenarios, location strategy and build-buy-borrow decisions.

• Advise on organisation design, spans and layers, role clarity, governance and ways of working to improve accountability, collaboration, speed and organisational effectiveness.

• Lead and support change management for business transformation, integration, restructuring, technology adoption and new ways of working, with clear stakeholder, communication and adoption plans.

• Facilitate annual and ongoing talent processes, including performance management, talent reviews, succession planning, leadership assessment, development planning and retention of critical talent.

• Coach leaders and managers to strengthen leadership effectiveness, decision quality, team performance, feedback, accountability and people-management capability.

• Partner with Talent Acquisition and business leaders on strategic hiring, selection quality, workforce diversity, succession pipelines and onboarding of senior or critical hires.

• Partner with Reward, HR Operations and leaders to deliver performance and reward cycles, support equitable and market-informed decisions, and maintain appropriate governance.

• Use workforce data, employee listening and business metrics to diagnose issues, identify trends, test assumptions and recommend actions; track the impact of people interventions.

• Champion employee engagement, inclusion, wellbeing and a high-performance culture; translate employee insights into focused action plans and ensure leaders remain accountable for progress.

• Provide sound guidance on employee relations, performance concerns, investigations, grievances, disciplinary matters and organisational changes, working with legal counsel or specialists where required.

• Ensure Emerald Clinical HR policies, programmes and practices are understood and effectively delivered within the global functions, balancing global consistency with relevant local requirements.

• Work as an integrated member of the global HR team, partnering with HR Centres of Expertise and HR Operations to provide a seamless, high-quality employee and leader experience.

• Contribute to enterprise HR priorities, policy and process improvement, HR transformation, digital enablement and the continuous evolution of the HR operating model.

• Apply Artificial Intelligence and digital tools responsibly to improve insight, productivity and employee experience, while maintaining human oversight, confidentiality, data protection, fairness and appropriate governance.

• Maintain awareness of employment practices and local market conditions, and provide practical context to global stakeholders when decisions affect employees or operations.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology, Law or a related discipline required; MBA and/or relevant postgraduate degree from a highly regarded university is advantageous.

• Typically 10 or more years of progressive HR experience, including substantial experience as an HR Business Partner to senior leaders in a multinational, matrixed organisation. Scope and depth of experience will determine appointment at Associate Director or Director level.

• Strong life sciences experience preferred, particularly within a clinical research organisation or an R&D environment in pharmaceutical, biotechnology or consumer healthcare companies.

• · Demonstrated experience translating business strategy into workforce, organisation, talent, leadership and culture priorities with measurable outcomes.

• Experience leading organisation design, workforce planning, talent and succession, performance management, employee engagement and complex change initiatives.

• Sound working knowledge of employment law and employee-relations practices; experience partnering across multiple countries or global functions is strongly preferred.

• Business-level fluency in English with strong written, verbal, facilitation and executive communication skills.

• Demonstrated competency in Artificial Intelligence is preferred, including practical application to HR or business work and an understanding of responsible use, privacy, bias and human oversight.

• Professional HR qualification or certification is advantageous.

Competencies

• Business and financial acumen: understands commercial and operational drivers and connects people decisions to business performance.

• Strategic perspective and execution: combines enterprise thinking with disciplined follow-through and practical delivery.

• Executive partnering and influence: builds credibility quickly, challenges constructively and communicates with clarity and courage.

• Organisation and talent judgement: diagnoses organisational issues, evaluates talent objectively and develops sustainable solutions.

• Data and digital fluency: uses evidence, analytics, HR technology and AI to improve decisions and outcomes.

• Change leadership: anticipates stakeholder impact, creates alignment and helps leaders and employees navigate change.

• Employee advocacy and integrity: balances business needs with fair, respectful and consistent people practices.

• Global and cultural agility: works effectively across cultures, time zones and matrixed accountabilities.

• Learning agility and resilience: remains effective in ambiguity, adapts quickly and continuously improves.

• Confidentiality and discretion: handles sensitive employee and business information with sound judgement.

Success Measures

• Quality and impact of people plans aligned to global functional strategies and priorities.

• Improvement in organisational capability, leadership effectiveness, succession strength and critical-talent retention.

• Leader confidence in HR advice, responsiveness and value delivered.

• Employee engagement and experience actions translated into demonstrable progress.

• Timely, consistent and compliant execution of core people processes and organisational changes.

• Use of workforce insights and responsible AI-enabled practices to improve decisions, productivity and employee experience.

Additional Requirements

• Role is based in Shanghai, China, with flexibility to collaborate across global time zones and travel when required.

• The final job title, level and scope will be determined based on the successful candidate’s experience and the breadth of assigned global functions.

Why Join Us?

At our core, Emerald Clinical Trials is committed to transforming clinical research by putting people first—both patients and our employees. By joining our team, you’ll be part of a global network of passionate professionals working together to deliver better research and outcomes for millions worldwide.

Here’s what makes us stand out:

• Purpose-Driven Work: You’ll contribute to clinical trials that genuinely improve lives, with a focus on therapies in renal, cardiometabolic, and oncology.

• Global Reach, Local Expertise: Our teams connect with local communities, building trust and meaningful engagement for every trial.

• Collaboration and Innovation: Work in a culture that values diverse perspectives and creative solutions to solve global health challenges.

What We Offer

We understand that great work happens when people feel valued and supported. That’s why we provide:

• Competitive Compensation: A tailored salary and benefits package to reflect your skills and experience.

• Flexibility: Enjoy hybrid or remote working arrangements, depending on your location and role.

• Career Growth: Access to a wealth of learning opportunities and a global network of scientific leaders to help you grow and develop in your role.

• Employee Wellbeing: Participate in programs and initiatives designed to promote work-life balance, health, and team connection, including global engagement surveys, recognition programs, and team-building events.

• Global Opportunities: Be part of a company with international reach, offering you exposure to diverse projects and clients.

Interested? Apply now and help us achieve our mission to improve the health of millions worldwide.
We are an equal-opportunity employer and encourage applications from all qualified candidates.