General Manager Human Resources

Company Overview

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group’s entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organisation to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate.

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration and integrity; Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day.

Overview of the role

Lead and direct the People & Culture function for Al-Futtaim IKEA. Act as a trusted advisor to the Regional Management Team on all people matters and provide a strategic overview of the business development to ensure that the existing organisation is ready for expansion and all the stores have the competence to deliver. Design, develop and implement relevant HR strategies and practices that build on best practice in retail and comply with Al-Futtaim Group HR policies. Reinforce a culture of performance focus, meritocracy and diversity based on the IKEA and Al-Futtaim values.

Matrix manager for the HRBPs in all stores and together with them, drive the annual plan for IKEA People & Culture.

What you will do

Business steering

• Core participant and contributor of Market Development Potential projects aiming to explore and define untapped expansion opportunities across the region.
• Lead and contribute to the Region Retail direction, business plan process, business transformation and change agenda, with Regional Management team.
• Provide strategic advice, set and drive the People agenda in line with commercial priorities, taking a fully integrated cross-functional view to secure the long-term business direction of the markets and contributing insights and functional expertise in order to secure the overall performance of the business.
• Provide People Strategy for Al-Futtaim IKEA within the overall Business strategy, set annual business plan and people plans with strong standpoints, in line with IKEA People’s Strategy.
• Act as a strategic partner with the business in advising, coaching and mentoring management on people related issues.
• Set the direction to support positive economic, environmental and social development, and take the lead in contributing to a better everyday life for the many people and the communities where the IKEA business has an impact.
• Create and support a continuous improvement environment for HR activities within the business units (i.e. optimal use of processes, systems and practices).
• Play a key role in integrating IKEA People’s Strategy and IKEA way of working across Al-Futtaim IKEA ecosystem. Act as key ambassador and curator of IKEA Culture.
• Ensure participation in Global and Cluster People & Culture meetings, representing Al-Futtaim IKEA interests.

People & performance

• Establish a values driven organization culture, inspire and stimulate decision making based on Al-Futtaim IKEA values.
• Lead business and people together creating an environment that gives co-workers preconditions to perform and deliver, learn and develop.
• Create a performance focused culture where high performers are rewarded, and inadequate performers are given an opportunity to improve.
• Ensure new co-workers are properly onboarded into the business and retained for the organization.
• Ensure compliance with the annual Performance Cycle set by AFG.
• Lead the “Growing Together” engagement process, setting action to strengthen “a good life at work”.
• Manage the co-worker engagement survey for the business, ensuring all impact plans have been submitted and implemented in the business.
• Ensure co-workers health and wellbeing stays always as key part of IKEA uniqueness. Anticipate a renewed social contract to contribute to a fair, equal and healthy everyday life.

Employee relations

• Manage ER issues across the organization according to local laws and Al-Futtaim policy, providing fair and consistent advice to the Store HRBPs.
• Reinforce at all times a culture of meritocracy, performance-focus and diversity.
• Act as an advisor to management in order to educate them and minimize risk.
• Ensure compliance with local labour laws and Group policies throughout the employee lifecycle.
• Communicate and implement changes to HR policies and procedures.
• Ensure disciplinary procedure is properly applied across all Al-Futtaim IKEA.

Diversity & inclusion

• Define and implement Al-Futtaim IKEA approach to equality, diversity and inclusion within the scope of work.
• Lead business growth in an inclusive way, providing decent and meaningful employment and promoting equality, creating a fair and equal workplace.
• Set the direction to amplify and achieve movements in equality in the total IKEA value chain, strengthening IKEA uniqueness.
• Drive multi-generational workplaces combining IKEA’s ambitions for equality and working together.
• Ensure all plans and activities are set in alignment and compliance with IConduct (IKEA Mandatories related to People & Society).

Learning & development

• Define and drive next take on competence development, what and how. Enable Home furnishing movement through competence and leadership.
• Steer actions to building competence and developing new capabilities. Build on the strength of competence flow, where co-workers contribute in new assignments across IKEA.
• Lead annual BNA exercise, specify L&D initiatives across the organization to support business expansion & growth.
• Liaise with Group L&D Centre of Excellence (COE) to ensure appropriate interventions are delivered.
• Drive reskilling and upskilling to build increased values-adding work and secure people to be employable within IKEA ecosystem and elsewhere.
• Realise the full value of competence, making it a competitive advantage delivering to high-performing and learning organisations.

Organizational development & compliance

• Facilitate the implementation of business structure reorganization and consolidation to deliver efficiencies.
• Play an advisory role in creating and managing a lean and multi-skilled workforce.
• Support and facilitate the implementation of business structure reorganization and consolidation to deliver efficiencies.
• Communicate organizational messages and monitor feedback within the business units.
• Look at business unit productivity and take necessary actions to improve it.
• Drive the IKEA IConduct initiatives from an HR perspective.
• Ensure compliance to HR policies is maintained.
• Review and strengthen business internal controls and procedures.
• Ensure compliance of relevant DOAs and provide leadership on process and governance.

People analytics

• Based on the Al-Futtaim Group metrics drive short and long term Human Capital initiatives supporting the Business Development.
• Take actions necessary to address any trends or issues highlighted by metrics.
• Provide Line Management with regular and accurate reporting of HR KPIs.
• Ensure annual manpower budgeting exercise is conducted accurately and efficiently.
• Create, obtain approval for, and manage Manpower Budgets.
• Optimize adherence to a manpower cost to an agreed level of budgeted sales.
• Ensure HR Team adherence to the business’ financial systems and processes.

Workforce strategy & localization

• As part of annual HR Resources plan specify key Talent Acquisition needs and materialize through the Group’s Talent Acquisition (TA) COE.
• Collaborate with Group TA to ensure all recruits are hired in line with the Al-Futtaim IKEA Value Based Recruitment philosophy.
• Ensure all new Resources are on-boarded following the all-inclusive onboarding principles.
• Translate the Nationalization plan for the Brand and develop it into an action plan for the business.
• Safeguard compliance with localization policy and targets.

Rewards

• Assess that all annual salary adjustments, bonus awards, and promotion proposals are justified and comply with policy.
• Work with Group Total Rewards to safeguard up to date market pay comparison data is considered and reflected in Country specific HR Policies.
• Stakeholder for Inter-IKEA Project aiming to define and implement an IKEA approach to responsible wage practices.

Talent management

• Manage the overall talent review process for Al-Futtaim IKEA to ensure Internal Successors are identified and IDPs are prepared according to their ability and the business needs.
• Develop retention strategies for key talent in business-critical positions.
• Ensure Individual Development Plans (IDPs) of Top Talent potential staff (Box 1, 2 & 3 of the 9-box Talent Grid) are identified and delivered.
• Ensure all business-critical key positions have identified Internal Successors.

Required skills to be successful

• Budget planning
• Business acumen
• Communication design
• Data analysis
• Planning & coordination
• Project management
• Change management
• Stakeholder management

What qualifies you for the role

• University degree in Human Resources, Psychology, or Business Management, with a master's degree, CIPD equivalent, or other relevant qualifications preferred.
• 8-10 years of experience as an HR Generalist, including 3-5 years in leadership roles such as HR Business Partner or Head of People.
• Strong business and commercial acumen.
• Demonstrated ability in organizational transformation, design, and employee relations.
• Full ownership of talent management, culture development, performance management and capability building.

Candidate experience

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