Career Advice Job Market Trend Report

Sino Group builds on solid integrity

With 10,000 employees and business interests in acquisition, property development and management, and hotels, the Sino Group has quite a few vacancies at different seniority levels.

“We have approximately 60 positions open. Employment is steady, we are not looking at any huge increase but we are not reducing headcount either – we will continue to replace turnover,” says Alice Ip, executive director, Sino Land.

The group is recruiting a general manager, asset enhancement, to head a team for an upcoming large project. Applicants should have 15 years of local experience in handling sizeable renovation and alteration projects with a local property development company or consultancy. They should also be familiar with local regulations and have experience in liaising with government authorities.

“Uncompromising integrity is very important,” says Ip. “We do serious reference checks.”

The incumbent will be in charge of the project, including overall planning, interior design, quality control, implementation and scheduling. Candidates should have strong leadership and business acumen, a drive for quality and excellence, and good supervisory and communication skills to successfully manage staff, contractors and consultants.

Project managers with five to six years’ experience, and a senior project manager with 10 years’ experience, are also needed for projects in Hong Kong and on the mainland. They should have good scheduling skills and a technical background, as well as solid experience in managing contractors and consultants.

Sino Group is also recruiting building-services managers and engineers, as well as senior managers and senior engineers. The requirement is a degree, and five to six years’ experience for managers, and 10 years’ experience for senior managers in maintenance engineering of residential or commercial buildings, plus chartered membership of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineering. Staff will need to travel to the mainland frequently or be based there.

Ip says the most difficult task is finding engineers and technicians, as there has recently been a decline in the number of graduates with a technical background despite a rise in demand, with a significant number of infrastructure projects ongoing.

“There is a general shortage in this field and we are struggling to fill these positions,” she says.

Other vacancies include property and leasing managers and officers, clubhouse officers, and support functions such as company secretarial officers.

Incumbents have to live up to the company’s seven core values: staff integrity, customer first, quality experience, teamwork, continuing improvement, preparedness and a sense of urgency.

Good communication skills in English, Cantonese and Putonghua are preferred. Applicants are expected to have the drive for quality and service excellence and be customer-focused. They should stay close to the market, keep abreast of the latest developments and be willing to share new ideas and experiences. “We do a lot of learning and experience-sharing with sales and property-management people, to hear client comments,” Ip says.

The company is committed to talent development. Structured training is offered by a dozen academies which address the 12 aspects of property management and in-house training, covering a wide spectrum of knowledge from technical to management skills. The company encourages cross-functional development and job rotation, and sponsors external training opportunities including diplomas and university degrees. There is also executive education for high executives.

Joining a company which has won numerous awards in design, clubhouse development, landscaping and property services, including the Hong Kong Management Association Quality Award – bronze, staff should have a strong sense of ownership and a passion to pursue their career in the field of property development and management.

The company rewards employees with a range of special benefits including paternity leave, scholarships and bursaries for children, summer vacations in the company’s holiday homes, outings and barbeques for staff and their families, and movie nights where it books a whole cinema. Staff are also rewarded for outstanding charitable activities with a stay at Gold Coast or The Fullerton Hotel in Singapore.