Senior Director of OD & HR Strategy

About This Role

Lead the design of organizational structures, policies, workforce plans, and compensation & benefits frameworks to ensure agility, competitiveness, and regulatory compliance. Develop and drive strategic HR initiatives aligned with long-term business objectives and government excellence mandates, fostering innovation, employee engagement, and continuous improvement to build a resilient, future-ready organization.

Strategy, Policies and Procedures

• Define and implement the Group HR strategy aligned with business objectives and government excellence frameworks.
• Establish HR strategic plans, KPIs, and reporting dashboards to enable data-driven leadership decision-making.
• Lead the development and governance of HR policies, procedures, and frameworks in compliance with UAE labour laws and international best practices.
• Drive internal excellence programs and coordinate submissions for government excellence awards and certifications.
• Safeguard sensitive strategic information, ensuring confidentiality and protecting organizational interests and reputation.

HR Strategy & Excellence

• Translate the HR vision into actionable strategies, initiatives, and KPIs.
• Lead HR strategy execution, ensuring integration with business objectives and excellence frameworks.
• Manage HR performance dashboards, benchmarking, and reporting to support executive decision-making.
• Oversee continuous improvement of HR policies, frameworks, and performance metrics.

Organizational Development

• Lead and oversee organizational structures, workforce planning models, compensation & benefits frameworks, and job evaluation systems to optimize efficiency, agility, and alignment with business needs.
• Direct manpower planning and workforce optimization across business units.
• Align HR strategy, organizational development, and workforce plans with business and financial objectives.
• Lead change management and organizational transformation initiatives to enhance organizational effectiveness.
• Partner with business leaders to align organizational design with strategic priorities.

Total Rewards & Compensation

• Develop and oversee Group-wide compensation and benefits frameworks, ensuring internal equity and external competitiveness.
• Oversee rewards and incentive structures that drive performance, retention, and talent attraction.
• Benchmark reward practices against market and industry standards.

Excellence & Benchmarking

• Lead internal HR excellence programs and oversee submissions to government excellence frameworks and certifications.
• Benchmark HR practices against leading organizations to adopt best-in-class standards.
• Ensure HR frameworks support innovation, compliance, and long-term sustainability.

Governance & Compliance

• Oversee HR policy development and governance in compliance with UAE labour law, Emiratization requirements, and international HR standards.
• Embed governance and consistency across all HR functions and business units.
• Ensure HR strategy and organizational development initiatives comply with regulatory, audit, and Delegation of Authority requirements.

Advisory & Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as a key advisor to senior leadership on organizational development and HR strategy matters.
• Provide insights on workforce cost structures, manpower planning, and total rewards impact on financial performance.
• Collaborate with Finance and Business Heads on compensation budgeting, cost optimization, and reward alignment.
• Partner with Talent Development and Employee Services teams to ensure integrated HR service delivery.

Team Management

• Drive high levels of employee motivation through effective communication, training, and access to appropriate tools.
• Set clear performance and development goals to ensure the team delivers operational excellence and strategic outcomes.

Qualifications and Knowledge:

• Master’s degree in human resources, Organizational Development, Business Administration, or related field.
• Professional certification in SHRM-SCP or CIPD-Level 7 or equivalent.
• Holds Korn Ferry certification in Job Evaluation and Rewards (preferred).

Experience:

• 10-15 years of HR-OD experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Proven expertise in organizational design, HR strategy, workforce planning, Job evaluation, C&B framework and HR policy development.

Job Specific Skills (Technical Competencies):

• HR excellence frameworks, benchmarking, and compliance.
• Deep knowledge of UAE labour law, Govt excellence mandates and international HR standards.
• HR policy governance
• HR metrics/Dashboards development
• C&B framework and benchmarking
• Job Evaluation and grading
• Strategic workforce planning
• HR Strategy execution
• Business process optimization
• Change Management
• Analytical and Presentation skills