Deputy Manager Human Resources

Role overview

This full-time onsite position in Abu Dhabi supports the Head of the Human Capital & Development Hub in shaping and steadily improving group-wide human capital strategy, standards, and governance across subsidiaries. The role helps ensure that corporate HR practices remain consistent, compliant, and high quality across different locations while still allowing for local labor-law and market differences.

The position also serves as a trusted partner to the Head, providing analytical and operational support for advisory work related to workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, leadership capability, culture, and performance.

Corporate human capital strategy and governance

• Help execute the Human Capital & Development strategy in line with overall business direction and expansion priorities.
• Support the upkeep of governance structures such as policies, delegated authority arrangements, and approval workflows.
• Contribute to organization design efforts that clarify accountability and improve structural efficiency.
• Monitor enterprise HC metrics, interpret trends, and share practical observations and recommendations.
• Assist in managing the annual HR calendar, including performance reviews, talent discussions, and workforce planning activities.
• Provide analytical and operational assistance for executive advisory work led by the Head.

Operating model and service excellence

• Support the daily delivery of corporate HR services across talent acquisition, learning and development, total rewards, HR operations, and talent management.
• Help maintain service standards and contribute to process improvement efforts.
• Work with subsidiaries to align local practices with corporate frameworks and expected service levels.

Workforce planning and organizational effectiveness

• Assist in corporate workforce planning aligned with the needs of the business and subsidiaries.
• Support job architecture, organization design, and role-clarity initiatives.
• Contribute to change management and transformation programs across the group.

Talent acquisition, employer brand, and mobility

• Help implement the corporate talent acquisition approach and workforce planning initiatives.
• Ensure employer brand and employee value proposition guidelines are followed across subsidiaries.
• Track recruitment quality, fairness, and adherence to assessment standards.
• Support onboarding structures and internal mobility initiatives across the group.

Performance, talent management, and succession

• Support the corporate performance management cycle and related governance.
• Assist with talent reviews, succession planning, and leadership pipeline development.
• Help ensure competency frameworks and career pathways are put into practice.

Learning, leadership, and capability development

• Support enterprise learning and development initiatives.
• Coordinate leadership development and high-potential programs.
• Encourage adoption of digital learning platforms and development tools.

Total rewards, job architecture, and policy framework

• Assist with corporate compensation structures and job evaluation frameworks.
• Monitor compliance with reward governance and pay equity principles.
• Help maintain standardized HR policies and ensure they are adapted appropriately for local requirements.

Culture, engagement, employee relations, and compliance

• Support initiatives that strengthen employee engagement and a high-performance culture.
• Review engagement results and contribute to action plans.
• Help ensure employee relations processes and escalation protocols are followed.
• Support compliance checks against labor law requirements and internal policies.

HR digitalization, HRIS, and people analytics

• Support the rollout of HR technology initiatives and system improvements.
• Assist in developing and maintaining dashboards for people analytics and reporting.
• Help ensure information accuracy, consistency, and privacy compliance.

Stakeholder management

• Serve as a liaison between corporate HR and subsidiary teams.
• Support communication with leadership and other internal stakeholders.
• Represent the function in meetings or initiatives when delegated by the Head.
• Act on behalf of the Head when required.

Qualifications and requirements

A bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related discipline is required. A master’s degree and/or HR certifications such as CIPD, SHRM, or SPHR are preferred.

The role calls for 10 to 12 years of experience in Human Capital or HR, including at least 3 to 5 years in a managerial position. Experience in corporate or multi-entity environments is considered highly desirable.

Key competencies

The ideal candidate should bring strong execution skills, operational leadership, strategic thinking paired with hands-on delivery, excellent stakeholder management and communication, a data-driven mindset, and solid knowledge of HR governance and organizational development. The ability to manage competing priorities in complex settings is also important.

Additional information

Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE. Work model: onsite. Employment type: full-time.