Talent and Performance Manager

About the role

The Talent & Performance Manager will bring Cognita’s global talent and performance philosophy to life across 86 schools, ensuring high‑performance practices are embedded day‑to‑day. Based in Dubai, the role partners with regional leaders to drive consistent, data‑informed performance cycles and talent decisions.

Key responsibilities

• Own the global performance cycle end‑to‑end, from objective‑setting through check‑ins to final reviews.
• Drive consistency in goal‑setting and competency assessment aligned to strategic priorities and values.
• Partner on talent reviews, succession planning and high‑potential assessments for leadership and critical roles.
• Coach managers and People & Culture colleagues to conduct developmental performance conversations.
• Ensure fair outcomes through calibration with senior leaders across regions.
• Track cycle milestones, drive on‑time closure and create playbooks for managers and employees.
• Champion adoption of the Cognita People performance management platform.
• Own reporting and analytics, translating data into insights on trends, risks and opportunities.
• Collaborate with HR systems/IT teams on platform readiness, issue resolution and digitisation of talent processes.
• Maintain data integrity across systems to measure engagement and drive continuous improvement.

Required profile

• Strong knowledge of performance and talent management design, including objective‑setting, competency frameworks and calibration.
• Ability to extract, analyse and present people insights to senior stakeholders.
• Excellent project management skills, able to juggle multiple priorities and stakeholders.
• Confident communicator who translates philosophy into practical guidance.
• Collaborative, people‑first approach with proven ability to build trust and lead change.

Required skills

• Hands‑on experience with an HRIS or performance management platform (e.g., Cognita People).
• Data analysis and reporting skills.