People & Culture Manager

About the RoleWe are looking for an experienced and commercially minded People & Culture Manager to lead the people function within a growing professional services business.This is a broad HR role, combining day-to-day people management with longer-term people strategy. You will work closely with senior leadership and managers across the business to build a high-performing, engaged and positive workplace culture, while ensuring robust HR processes and practices are in place.The successful candidate will be comfortable operating in a fast-paced, professional environment and will have the ability to balance employee experience with the commercial needs of the business.Key ResponsibilitiesPeople Strategy & CultureDevelop and implement the people strategy in alignment with the company's overall business objectives.Partner with senior leadership to identify and address key people priorities.Drive initiatives that strengthen employee engagement, retention and company culture.Support the development of a high-performance and collaborative working environment.Act as a trusted advisor to managers and employees on people-related matters.Talent & RecruitmentPartner with hiring managers on recruitment and workforce planning requirements.Oversee the full employee lifecycle, from attraction and onboarding through to development and exit.Develop effective onboarding processes to ensure new employees integrate successfully.Support succession planning and the identification of high-potential talent.Work with leadership to identify future skills and workforce requirements.Performance & DevelopmentOwn and continuously improve the company's performance management process.Support managers with goal setting, performance reviews and addressing performance issues.Identify learning and development requirements across the organisation.Develop and implement appropriate training and development initiatives.Support career development and internal progression.Employee RelationsProvide guidance to managers and employees on HR policies, employee relations and workplace matters.Manage employee relations issues fairly, consistently and in line with UAE employment legislation.Support disciplinary, grievance and performance processes where required.Promote a positive, inclusive and respectful workplace environment.HR Operations & ComplianceEnsure HR policies, procedures and processes are effective, consistent and compliant with UAE labour regulations.Maintain accurate employee records and HR documentation.Oversee HR administration, including contracts, onboarding, probation, leave, benefits and offboarding.Work closely with payroll and finance to ensure accurate and timely employee payments and benefits.Monitor HR metrics and provide regular reporting and insights to senior leadership.Employee Engagement & WellbeingDevelop initiatives to improve employee engagement, wellbeing and retention.Gather employee feedback and translate insights into practical initiatives.Organise employee engagement activities and internal communications.Help foster a culture where employees feel valued, supported and motivated.RequirementsBachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology or a related discipline.Progressive HR experience, ideally within professional services, consulting, financial services, legal, accounting or another corporate environment.Previous experience in a standalone or broad HR/People & Culture role.Strong knowledge of UAE employment legislation and HR best practices.Experience partnering with senior stakeholders and advising managers on people matters.Strong employee relations and performance management experience.Experience developing and implementing HR policies, processes and people initiatives.Strong communication, interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.Commercially minded with the ability to understand and support business objectives.Highly organised, proactive and comfortable managing multiple priorities.Strong analytical skills with the ability to use HR data to identify trends and inform decisions.