Head of People & Culture - UAE National

About the role

An exceptional opportunity for a UAE National People leader to establish and lead the People & Culture function for a newly created, purpose‑led organisation. The role requires a builder mindset, strong organisational design capability, and the ability to create people strategies, operating models and employee experiences from the ground up.

Key responsibilities

• Design and establish the People & Culture function from inception.
• Develop the people strategy, employee value proposition and talent framework.
• Create workforce planning, organisational design and job architecture frameworks.
• Build scalable onboarding, performance management and employee experience initiatives.
• Lead Emiratisation strategy and create pathways for UAE National talent development.
• Design reward, recognition and career development frameworks.
• Partner with leadership on organisational growth, transformation and culture.
• Develop policies, governance structures and employee relations frameworks.
• Manage external recruitment and HR service providers during the establishment phase.
• Drive the adoption of automation, AI and digital solutions across people processes.
• Build a high‑performing culture characterised by collaboration, accountability, innovation and constructive challenge.
• Provide strategic advice to senior leadership on workforce, talent and organisational effectiveness.

Required profile

• UAE National with strong stakeholder management and influencing capability.
• Proven HR experience across organisational development and core HR disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience building or transforming HR functions, operating models or people practices.
• Experience in a start‑up, scale‑up, transformation or greenfield environment (highly preferred).
• Strong capability in organisational design, workforce planning and employee engagement.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and building processes from the ground up.
• Commercially minded with strong negotiation and conflict‑resolution skills.
• Able to challenge senior stakeholders with confidence and credibility.
• Experience leveraging technology, analytics, automation or AI within HR.
• Ambitious, hands‑on and motivated by the opportunity to shape a long‑term institutional success story.