Director of Learning and Development

Director of Learning & DevelopmentThe Talent Lever | Dubai, UAE (Hybrid)About The RoleWe're representing a premium luxury and retail business with a strong and growing presence across the Middle East — a brand where the in-store experience is the product, and the people who deliver it are everything. They need a Director of L&D who understands that in luxury, capability isn't just a HR metric — it's what separates an exceptional client experience from a forgettable one. This is for the leader who takes frontline excellence as seriously as leadership development, and knows how to build both.What You'd OwnLead the L&D strategy across the business — from frontline retail teams to senior leadershipBuild and own a client experience excellence programme: the behaviours, standards, and skills that make the brand feel premium at every touchpointDesign leadership development pathways for store managers, area managers, and senior commercial leadersPartner with the business on onboarding that actually prepares people to perform — not just tick compliance boxesIdentify capability gaps across functions and design targeted interventions: workshops, coaching, on-the-job learning, and digital toolsManage external facilitators, training partners, and content providers — and know when to build in-house insteadMeasure what matters: mystery shop scores, NPS, retention, and promotion rates — not training hoursOwn the L&D budget and allocate it where it drives the most impactWhat You'll Bring10+ years in L&D, with senior leadership experience in luxury, retail, or hospitalityDeep understanding of what exceptional client experience looks like — and how to train itProven track record of designing and delivering programmes that change behaviour on the floor, not just in the classroomStrong facilitator and coach — comfortable working with both frontline teams and the C-suiteExperience across the Middle East market; knowledge of the cultural nuances that shape how learning lands hereCommercially literate — you can connect L&D investment to business performanceBased in Dubai, with flexibility to travel across the region as requiredYou'll Thrive Here IfYou believe the quality of the in-store team IS the luxury brand — and you build L&D accordinglyYou're as comfortable on a shop floor as you are in a boardroomYou build programmes that people actually want to attend — not ones they're mandated toYou want to make a visible difference in a business where the stakes of great (and poor) performance are highCompensation: Senior leadership package, commensurate with scope and experience. Hybrid working in Dubai.Don't tick every box? Apply anyway. Most people won't put themselves forward unless they meet every line — we'd rather you did. We know our clients well. If you're close, we'll champion you and advise them accordingly.