About the Role
As Head of People & Culture for Saudi Arabia, you will lead the development and execution of the people strategy across the Kingdom, ensuring alignment with business priorities and organizational values. Serving as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, you will drive talent, culture, employee engagement, organizational effectiveness, and workforce planning initiatives that support sustainable business growth while fostering an inclusive and high-performing workplace. This position is based in the company office in Jeddah and reports to the Regional Director of People & Culture and the Vice President of Operations.
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Responsibilities
People and Culture Regional Strategy
- Collaborate with hotel People & Culture and operational leaders to establish the People & Culture roadmap with annual objectives and action plans.
- Activate the People & Culture strategy with operational leaders and Hotel General Managers to ensure alignment and commitment to its delivery.
- Champion the Heartist program, ensuring that employees, guests, and owners are at the center of all strategic decisions and initiatives.
Talent Acquisition
- Promote a robust people management culture among all leaders through the people management cycle: continuous feedback conversations, yearly wrap-up reviews, potential assessments, talent reviews, career development interviews, and succession planning.
- Support the leadership team in the talent management cycle and promote employee (local/foreigner) mobility that meets the region’s growth and needs across the Kingdom and large Middle East region.
- Partner with the company Academy, Talent Experience teams, and hotel leaders on workforce planning, attraction, and retention. Build succession pipelines and promote internal mobility across brands, hotels, and geographies.
- Establish strong relationships with universities, hotel schools, and other educational institutions to create a pipeline of entry-level talent into our hotels and offices.
Capability, Talent & Employee Experience
Partner with hotels' People & Culture leaders to:
- Maintain localization rules set by the Ministry of Tourism in Saudi Arabia and ensure full compliance by all hotels.
- Uphold a best practice recruitment approach, including the company's recruitment management system, to attract top applicants.
- Anticipate recruitment needs and maintain a leadership pipeline of potential candidates and talents to match hotel needs.
- Ensure the hotel selection process complies with company policy (assessment, interview guides, validation steps in the selection process, etc.).
- Implement Heartists engagement and workplace culture improvement programs, including the annual engagement survey.
Employment Law and Labor Relations
- Act as an advisor for hotels regarding employment law and labor relations as per the country labor laws.
- Ensure proper follow-up and due diligence on all employee complaints, liaising with hotel People & Culture leaders and General Managers.
- Lead complex employee relations (ER), industrial relations (IR), and workplace investigations, ensuring fair, consistent, and timely handling of sensitive matters.
- Monitor legislative changes and provide guidance to People & Culture business leaders.
Qualifications
What We’re Looking For:
- Local Saudi talents currently holding a senior HR role.
- 10+ years of People & Culture leadership experience, ideally across multiple properties or regions.
- Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
- Deep knowledge of Saudi Labor Law, including Nitaqat, Qiwa, GOSI, and Mudad.
- Proven ability to partner with executives and influence business decisions.
- Experience leading organizational change and transformation.
- Data-driven approach to workforce planning and labor cost optimization.
- Strong business acumen, executive presence, and cultural awareness.
- Resilient, adaptable, and able to handle confidential matters with discretion.
Additional Information
What is in it for you:
- Employee benefit card offering discounted rates at company hotels worldwide.
- Development opportunities through the company’s learning programs.
- Opportunities for growth within your property and across the world.
- Ability to contribute to the community and make a difference through Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) activities.
Our culture of inclusion welcomes everyone regardless of race, gender, and background.
Job Category: People & Culture
Job Type: Permanent
