Chalhoub Group Hiring for Head of People – Operations Job at Dubai Full Time

Who we are

We are a leading partner for luxury across the Middle East. With more than stores, brands and over years of experience in the region, we have become a major player in the beauty, fashion and gift sectors, by offering service excellence to our partners and delighting all our customers. We are moving fast from a traditional distributor and retailer for luxury in the Middle East, to a hybrid retailer bringing luxury experiences to the fingertips of customers everywhere.

To fuel the next stage of our growth we are looking to build a world class team. From physical retail through to supply chain and customer loyalty, we aim to use technology and data to continuously improve every aspect of our operations. We are looking for top talent to join us on this journey of exploring new horizons together.

What you’ll be doing

As Head of People – Operations you will devise, implement and promote the People Strategies for the vertical, ensuring alignment between business operations and the Group’s HR strategies and current objectives.

The role requires an experienced, commercially minded individual with an intimate understanding of both Group and the vertical strategy. You will be key member of the vertical leadership team providing advice, guidance and best practice solutions to support all People related business decisions and will guide and mentor all People Partners within the business unit to do the same for their functions.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Define the vertical’s People Strategy, (taking account of both current Group HR priorities and brand/function specific areas of focus) to support the overarching ambitions of the business.
• Define and cascade annual People Metrics to be incorporated into leaders and People Partners annual KPIs to ensure alignment adherence to the vertical People Strategy.
• Guide and support each People Partner with the creation of their brand/ function specific annual People Strategy.
• Lead the vertical’s workforce planning to ensure optimal organizational structures are in place to support future focus, growth, scalability and employee satisfaction.
• Guide, support and coach the team (People Partners and People Data Analysts) in order to instil a growth mindset and to ensure the perception and calibre of the People function is continually elevated.
• Coach and mentor Management team members to raise awareness around new ways of working and inspirational leadership to support cultural transformation.
• Be an active and effective member of the Leadership Team, and act as the custodian of our Group culture and values.
• Act as a change agent, continually looking for innovations and efficiencies with regards to how we manage and motivate our people.
• Support the transfer of knowledge and encourage closer collaboration within the People team, across the Group.
• Act as the main point of contact between the vertical and the HR Competence Centre Leads.
• Ensure People Partner alignment and adherence to the yearly cycle deadlines.
• Act as the first point of escalation for People Partners and support decision making when it comes to complex issues.
• Continually assess the effectiveness of current policies, procedures, and programs and put forward recommendations to improve impact and employee satisfaction.
• Endorse and support People Partner’s brand-specific employee onboarding, training and development programs to improve the depth and breadth of their team’s skills set and raise awareness around behavioural, technical and leadership competencies.
• Liaise with the Group’s Talent Acquisition lead to ensure recruitment strategies result in relevant, high calibre candidates being identified.
• Ensure timely and rigorous implementation of annual performance management cycle within the vertical.
• Ensure employee profiling exercise is rolled-out consistently across the vertical, in order to identify true HiPOs, and so clear development conversations can be had for all employees based on both performance and potential.
• Leverage Talent Management tools to educate People Partners around career paths, succession planning and talent development activities.
• Collaborate with L&D to ensure that the overall vertical training needs are being met and learning budget is being consumed effectively.
• Guide the People Data Analyst to support the entire vertical’s HR reporting and Project Management needs.
• Leverage available HR data analytics, external benchmarks and best practice approaches to support decision making
• As a key catalyst for our Group wide cultural transformation, continually observe and provide feedback to leaders and people managers around how to be perceived as role models, creating positive and inspiring team climates.
• Champion Group and vertical-specific Diversity and Inclusion initiatives, with a key focus on culture change, nationalisation and employee wellbeing.
• Promote and review internal transfers within and outside of the vertical and provide recommendations for enhancing mobility across the Group.
• Ensure employees’ grievances for the vertical are closed out in accordance to process, taking account of Speak Out and in line with our Code of Ethics.
• Collaborate with the Group’s People Experience team to design employee engagement surveys and be accountable for the necessary action planning and improvement goals.
• Sponsor employee engagement initiatives and ensure improvement measurements are tracked.
• Help elevate the internal brand of the team through communication tools such as MyChalhoub and eMAC

What you’ll need to succeed

• Extensive experience in a senior HR Leadership position in a large organisation
• Bachelors and/or Masters degree in a relevant field (HR, MBA, Psychology etc)
• Excellent knowledge of HR best practices and industry standards
• Proven experience of acting as change agent to bring about meaningful, strategic change
• Able to influence without authority and to be regarded as a credible trusted advisor to the business
• Employee-centric with the ability to build trust and act as a coach and mentor for employees
• Self-aware, with the appropriate leadership skills to inspire, manage and develop high performing teams
• Comfortable with healthy challenge and able to operate at a strategic level
• Experience of working in a fast-pace, matrixed environment
• Commercially minded with the ability to manage budgets, and interpret complex data and analytics to support decision making
• Resilient and able to effectively balance multiple priorities in line with deadlines
• Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and project management skills
• Future-focussed with the ability to use creative and inspiring approaches to enhance employee experience programs, concepts and techniques

What we can offer you

With us, you will turn your aspirations into reality. We will help shape your journey through enriching experiences, learning and development opportunities and exposure to different assignments within your role or through internal mobility. Our Group offers diverse career paths for those who are extraordinary, every day.

We recognise the value that you bring, and we strive to provide a competitive benefits package which includes health care, child education contribution, remote and flexible working policies as well as exclusive employee discounts. To view all our perks and benefits, click here.