Compensation & Benefits / HR Controlling Manager – Luxury Retail

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Compensation & Benefits and HR Controlling Manager to join the regional HR team of a leading luxury fashion house operating across the Middle East. The role combines deep expertise in reward design with strong financial acumen to ensure people‑related investments align with business performance and employee engagement.

Key responsibilities

• Develop, implement and continuously improve compensation and benefits strategies for the region.
• Conduct market benchmarking, salary surveys and manage annual salary reviews, merit increases, bonus cycles and incentive programmes.
• Own the regional HR budget, monitor headcount costs, payroll expenditure and produce detailed financial reports, dashboards and executive presentations.
• Lead workforce planning across boutiques, regional offices and corporate functions, analysing labour costs, overtime, commissions and staffing efficiency.
• Partner with Finance to ensure accurate forecasting, budget control and identification of financial risks and opportunities.
• Manage the annual performance appraisal cycle, support calibration sessions and provide analytics on performance distribution and reward effectiveness.
• Deliver regular executive HR analytics and reporting for senior management.

Required profile

• Significant experience in compensation & benefits and HR controlling, preferably within luxury retail, premium fashion, beauty or hospitality.
• Strong financial background with proven ability to manage HR budgets, forecast costs and produce executive‑level financial reports.
• Demonstrated experience in workforce planning, salary benchmarking and incentive programme management.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, able to work closely with HR leadership, Finance, Retail Directors and other business partners.

Required skills