Regional HR Manager

MENA Recruit

Dubai, UAE

Ref: NP875-70

Job description / Role

Employment: Full Time

Regional HR Manager (Middle East)

Our client, a leading international law firm are wishing to recruit an experienced HR Business Partner to be based in the Dubai office and cover the regional offices. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (Middle East) and HR Director (EMEA), the Regional HR Manager (Middle East) will develop, implement and manage a proactive HR service to all Partners and staff in the region. The candidate will act as a HR business partner to provide commercial and proactive HR advice to the business, and to help execute the region’s people management strategies.

Responsibilities include:

Resourcing, Global Mobility and On-Boarding
• In consultation with Business Services Team Leaders, manage the resourcing and on-boarding processes for business services areas across the region; determine vacancies, priorities and time frames, and obtain RSC authorisation where appropriate. Assist Managers/Support HR Assistant with conducting interviews and testing where appropriate.
• Manage fee-earner recruitment across the region, including determine vacancies, priorities and time frames, obtain RSC and any other authorisation where appropriate, conduct interviews and testing, make salary recommendations and manage the offer process.
• Keep up to date with market intelligence on salaries and remuneration for the business areas covered and ensure that our remuneration remains competitive; play key role in annual salary review exercise.
• Define and maintain local salary grid in accordance with market data. Make recommendations for salaries of new recruits and agree with Team Leaders/COO.
• Build and maintain relationships with key recruitment industry personnel. Maintain and review PSL and rates (including maintaining the agency list).

Related Tasks
• Manage the HR Assistant in dealing with visa applications (where applicable) and all immigration matters that arise, for example visa transfers, advice and applications for spousal sponsorship and Emirates ID cards.
• Manage and suggest improvements where necessary to the region-wide induction and on-boarding programme.
• Ensure all new recruits have a full and thorough induction and that regular contact is maintained with them to check they are settling in.
• Help to ensure that necessary training is delivered (either in London or via webex / e-learning, or locally) and that expectations are explained.
• Mobility: Manage logistics for new joiners, overseeing short term accommodation, immigration process, relocation and providing pre-arrival information and welcome packs. Liaise with central Global Mobility team and regularly evaluate mobility arrangements. Facilitate the effective transition of overseas joiners in their new roles / the practice.
• Manage the Graduate Recruitment programme, including the recruitment cycle, advertising and marketing materials, UAE University internships, trainee applications, seat moves and logistics for visiting and local trainees.

Employment Law and Employee Relations
• Possess and maintain a strong knowledge of local and UK employment law and firm policy; apply this to ensure the effective resolution of employee relations issues (e.g. grievances, disciplinaries, appeals, compromise agreements etc).
• Responsible for ensuring the offices comply with all HR regulatory requirements in the various jurisdictions.
• Working with the appropriate HR and Finance teams in London, develop a good understanding of appropriate legislation in other jurisdictions, predominantly the UK, which affect employees in the Middle East.
• Maintain HR files for all employees, holding full documentation relating to employment and immigration; ensure all governmental registrations (residency and work permits, medicals, other certificates) are maintained and renewed as required.
• Interact and build relations with Team Leaders, all other Partners and Business Services Team Leaders across the region, providing business-focused support and advice where appropriate.
• Deal with all day-to-day HR issues in relation to staff as appropriate.
• Lead on ER issues, performance management, dismissals. Manage the HR Assistant in maintaining the HR files for all employees, holding full documentation relating to employment, immigration; ensure all government registrations are maintained and renewed as required.
• Lead disciplinary and grievance investigations as and when required for all regional employees. .

Learning & Development/ Support
• Coordinate, in conjunction with the London L&D team, the biannual L&D Middle East training trip; organise local logistics for trainers. Act as an advisory point of contact to regional staff in relation to L&D matters.
• Ensure all staff in all jurisdictions are compliant with Learning & Development regulations. For example the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department: CLPD regulations.

Absence management
• Manage all aspects of the maternity, paternity, parental, relocation and unpaid leave processes.
• Monitor absence statistics for staff on a quarterly basis. Review those with excess levels of absence and discuss next course of action with Team Leaders and Managers.
• Maintain report of eligibility for sabbaticals and notify employees each year if eligible.

Leavers
• To manage the leaver process. Conduct exit interviews and analyse results, and manage appropriate communications.Regularly analyse and communicate the results and subsequent actions of feedback received to key stakeholders.

Client secondments
• Lead the client secondment process. Provide partners and Team Leaders with detailed secondment calculations and recommendations.
• Maintain contact with secondees during secondments and regularly evaluate the secondments and the processes involved.

Healthcare provisions
• Manage the local healthcare relationship and work closely with the London benefits team to ensure smooth provision of healthcare benefits in the region. Assist with any renewal procedures, and where appropriate make recommendations for alternative arrangements.
• Management of HR Budget and approvals
• Lead the HR budget process and review spends against budget targets regularly. Sign off responsibility for HR expenses and liaison with COO as appropriate. Ensure accuracy and thoroughness in regular review of budget and expenditure.

Projects
• Emiratisation/Bahrainisation
• Lead the regional practice with government projects relating to increasing the percentage of the local workforce in the private sector.
• Manage the Emiratisation Internship programme, and develop and maintain relations with the University of the UAE. Lead on all Emiratisation and Bahrainisation programmes and events.
• Review and seek to improve overall communication including investigating feasibility of setting up employee forums, mentoring schemes, and in general assist with announcements in their various forms.
• Appraisals and moderation process
• Lead the appraisal and moderation process for the regional practice supporting and advising Team Leaders/Managers as appropriate.
• Assist appraisees with objective setting.
• Support HR Assistant in administration of online appraisal system

Diversity and Inclusion
• Work with D&I colleagues to ensure D&I principles are embedded in the cultures of the regional business areas, and assist in applying any agreed programmes and initiatives (e.g. unconscious bias training, Talent in the Pipeline processes).

General
• Any other reasonable duties.
• Deal with the administration during the transition period of trainees to newly qualified associates.
• Ensuring necessary reports are produced by the function as and when required including monthly turnover figures, headcount and vacancy reports.
• Regularly visit offices in the region to maintain and develop the HR presence and build on key relationships.
• Full management responsibility for a HR Assistant.

Salary in the region of AED30-33K all inclusive plus medical.

Requirements

• Previous experience of HR at Advisor/Manager level, ideally with a professional services or legal background.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong numeracy skills
• High level of HRIS and Excel skills.
• Experience of providing advice and guidance to managers and employees on any employee relations issues, policies and procedures.
• Flexible and proactive approach.
• Exceptional organisation skills and strong attention to detail.
• Graduate or equivalent and ideally GCIPD qualified (or working towards completion of CIPD).
• Must present a professional, friendly and client-focused approach at all times.
• Strong team player.
• Ability to persuade and influence key stakeholders

About the Company

MENA Recruit came to fruition in response to a growing need for international legal talent in London and Dubai. Its initial focus began in the Legal sector, evolving as a service provider for other sectors such as Administration, Marketing, Business Development, HR, IT, Finance and C-Suite positions.

Over the last two decades, with roots firmly planted in the Middle East and operations expanding into the APAC region, MENA Recruit has gained intuitive industry knowledge and expertise. With its unique, people-focused approach, the firm has yielded competitive advantage for its clients and rewarding careers for the professionals it has supported throughout the years.

The company is dedicated to delivering the highest quality of talent and service to its clients while working tenaciously towards helping them achieve higher retention rates. For this reason, MENA Recruit is considered by both candidates and clients as a consultant in the truest sense of the word, offering guidance to both people and organizations on how to adapt to the constant change in market conditions and how to anticipate present and future challenges.

Presently, MENA Recruit provides services to organizations and professionals in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

With such an extensive global reach, strong brand value, decades of expertise, and an innovative approach towards business challenges, it’s clear why MENA Recruit is the partner of choice for both in-house recruiters and candidates internationally.

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HR Manager salaries in UAE

Average monthly compensation
AED 18,000

Breakdown available for industries, cities and years of experience