Vice President Human Resources (UAEN)

Vice President – People (UAEN)Location: Abu Dhabi (Onsite – Mussafah)About the OpportunityOur client, a leading manufacturing organization in the region, is seeking an accomplished Vice President – People to provide strategic leadership across the full spectrum of Human Capital, Administration, and Corporate Services. Reporting to the executive leadership team, this role will shape the organization's people strategy, drive organizational transformation, and ensure the delivery of world-class HR and shared services that support long-term business growth.This is a highly visible executive leadership role responsible for aligning people strategy with business objectives, leading organizational development, driving Emiratization, and overseeing employee services, facilities, and administration across a large, complex industrial environment.Key ResponsibilitiesExecutive Leadership & Strategy

• Serve as a member of the Executive Management team, contributing to the development and execution of corporate strategy and long-term business objectives.
• Develop and implement the annual operating plan and strategic roadmap for the People and Corporate Services function.
• Lead enterprise-wide organizational transformation and change management initiatives that improve business performance and organizational effectiveness.
• Define and execute the overall Human Capital strategy, ensuring alignment with business priorities and future workforce requirements.
• Establish an effective organizational structure that supports operational excellence, scalability, and business growth.
• Lead annual workforce planning and budgeting, ensuring effective resource allocation and cost optimization.
• Oversee divisional budgets, financial performance, and productivity while ensuring efficient utilization of resources.People & Culture
• Develop and implement people strategies that attract, develop, engage, and retain high-performing talent.
• Lead workforce planning, talent acquisition, succession planning, leadership development, learning and development, and organizational capability initiatives.
• Drive company-wide performance management frameworks aligned with business objectives.
• Oversee compensation, benefits, rewards, recognition, and employee wellbeing strategies to ensure competitiveness and regulatory compliance.
• Champion employee engagement, culture transformation, diversity, inclusion, and employer branding initiatives.
• Develop and oversee grievance management, employee relations, and conflict resolution frameworks.
• Ensure HR policies, governance, and employment practices remain compliant with local Labour Law and applicable regulations.
• Lead the company's Emiratization strategy, ensuring achievement of government targets while building sustainable talent pipelines.Administration & Corporate Services
• Provide executive oversight of corporate administration and employee services.
• Lead Facilities and Services operations, including accommodation, transportation, catering, reception, security, mail services, clinic operations, maintenance, landscaping, cleaning, and other employee support services.
• Ensure service excellence through effective vendor management, service level agreements, and continuous performance improvement.
• Identify outsourcing opportunities and manage strategic partnerships to improve efficiency while maintaining service quality and cost effectiveness.Technology & Continuous Improvement
• Drive the adoption of technology and digital HR solutions to improve operational efficiency and employee experience.
• Evaluate HR systems, analytics platforms, and automation opportunities to enhance decision making and workforce insights.
• Develop meaningful people analytics and executive dashboards to support strategic workforce planning.Leadership & Governance
• Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing leadership team across Human Capital and Corporate Services.
• Establish clear KPIs and accountability frameworks for departmental leaders.
• Represent the People function at Executive Committee meetings and provide strategic advice to senior leadership.
• Foster collaboration across business functions while driving a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.Health, Safety & Compliance
• Promote a strong safety culture by ensuring compliance with EHS legislation and organizational policies.
• Ensure all People and Corporate Services activities comply with applicable legal, regulatory, governance, and internal audit requirements.
• Maintain effective relationships with regulatory authorities, government entities, and external stakeholders.Qualifications & ExperienceEducation
• Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Management, or a related discipline.
• Professional HR certifications such as CIPD, SHRM, or equivalent are highly preferred.Experience
• Minimum 15 years of progressive Human Resources leadership experience, including significant executive-level responsibility.
• Proven leadership experience within manufacturing, industrial, engineering, heavy industry, or similarly complex operational environments.
• Demonstrated success leading enterprise-wide Human Capital transformation initiatives.
• Extensive experience across talent acquisition, organizational development, performance management, compensation and benefits, employee relations, learning and development, and administration.
• Proven experience leading Emiratization strategies and workforce nationalization initiatives.
• Strong commercial acumen with responsibility for large operational budgets and vendor management.
• Experience managing shared services including facilities, administration, and employee support functions is highly desirable.Key Competencies
• Executive leadership and strategic thinking.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen.
• Organizational transformation and change management expertise.
• Deep understanding of local Labour Law and the Emiratization landscape.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Data-driven decision making and workforce analytics capability.
• Outstanding communication, negotiation, and relationship management skills.
• High levels of integrity, professionalism, and discretion.
• Ability to lead large, multidisciplinary teams in a fast-paced industrial environment.
• Fluency in English is essential. Arabic is highly preferred.Key Performance Indicators
• Employee engagement and organizational culture.
• Employee satisfaction across People and Corporate Services.
• Achievement of Emiratization targets.
• Talent attraction, retention, and succession readiness.
• Leadership capability and workforce productivity.
• Accuracy and effective utilization of divisional budgets.
• Compensation and overhead cost management.
• Service quality and operational efficiency across corporate services.
• Compliance with HR policies, governance, and legislative requirements.
• Internal and external audit performance.
• Vendor performance, service quality, and cost optimization.
• Health, Safety, Quality, and Environmental compliance.Working ArrangementThis is a fully onsite executive leadership position based at the client's Head Office in Mussafah, Abu Dhabi.