Senior HR Manager

Industry

Construction, engineering & infrastructure

Reporting to

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Location

Abu Dhabi, UAE

Role purpose

The senior HR manager is a strategic business leader responsible for developing and executing the organization’s human capital strategy to support business growth, project excellence, and long-term sustainability. The role ensures alignment between people strategy, organizational capability, leadership development, and workforce performance across all business units.

This role will foster a high-performance culture while ensuring strict compliance with UAE labor law, Emiratization policies, and international HR best practices in a complex, multi-project contracting environment.

Key responsibilities

Strategic HR leadership

• Develop and execute a long-term HR strategy aligned with corporate goals.
• Translate business objectives into workforce planning, organizational design, and talent strategies.
• Act as a trusted advisor to the CEO on succession planning, leadership development, and people risk management.

Talent acquisition & workforce planning

• Lead recruitment strategies for executive, technical, and operational positions.
• Strengthen employer branding within the construction and engineering sector.
• Oversee manpower planning, mobilization, and demobilization across multiple projects.

Performance, learning & development

• Design and implement performance management frameworks.
• Lead leadership development and succession planning initiatives.
• Drive continuous learning, competency development, and capability building.

Employee relations & culture

• Enhance employee engagement, retention, and organizational culture.
• Manage grievance handling, disciplinary procedures, and investigations.
• Promote diversity, inclusion, and employee wellbeing initiatives.

Governance & compliance

• Ensure compliance with UAE labor law, WPS, visas, and Emiratization.
• Maintain HR policies, procedures, and audit readiness.
• Oversee HR risk management and governance reporting.

Digital HR transformation

• Lead HRIS implementation and HR automation initiatives.
• Utilize HR analytics for data-driven workforce decisions.

Requirements

Experience & qualifications

• At least 10+ years of HR leadership experience within construction or engineering organizations.
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in HR, business administration, or related field.
• Strong knowledge of UAE labor law and GCC HR practices.
• Proven experience managing large, multicultural workforces.

Skills & competencies

• Strategic and business-driven mindset.
• Strong leadership, communication, and negotiation abilities.
• High integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.

Benefits

Compensation & benefits

Offered salary: Up to 30K + benefits