HR Officer - Aldar Education (Arabic Speaking)

About the Role
The company is seeking a Human Resources Officer (Arabic Speaker) to provide vital people-related support to our family of owned and operated schools in the UAE. This role is an exciting opportunity to join a leading education group in Abu Dhabi and contribute to the future of education in the region. The HR Officer will serve as the primary contact for staff regarding employment matters and will work closely with the Principal to implement policies that ensure high-quality outcomes in line with our core values and educational goals.

Responsibilities
Main Duties:

• Be the primary point of contact for all school staff on HR queries, including contracts, terms and conditions, payroll, housing, HR policies, and entitlements.
• Support Senior Leadership Team (SLT) in the effective attraction and recruitment of school-based staff.
• Manage the onboarding process for all incoming staff, including pre-employment communication to ensure new starters are aware of the requirements for their role and for living and working in the UAE.
• Coordinate and manage employee exit processes, liaising with the Operations teams.

Specific Duties:
Talent Acquisition & Onboarding

• Utilize Oracle (or other ATS) to advertise and manage vacancies and candidate lifecycles.
• Conduct advertising, screening, shortlisting, interview management, and candidate tracking for all school staff in support of the Heads of School.
• Perform pre-employment safer recruitment checks for all staff, including references and suitability/police clearances.
• Coordinate new starter induction in school, ensuring communication occurs pre-employment.
• Manage the onboarding of school-based staff, liaising with IT for relevant systems/email set-up and processing staff ID cards.
• Coordinate ADEK pass applications and processing for new staff, ensuring clarity of timelines and providing guidance and support where required.
• Coordinate the visa and work permit applications for new staff, ensuring they understand their requirements in line with group-wide guidance and collaboration with HQ HR & Public Relations teams.
• Ensure recruitment activities align with staffing headcount.
• Create and issue offer letters, contracts, contract renewals, and associated documentation per group-wide terms and conditions and policies.
• Responsible for booking any flights/hotel and raising relevant Purchase Requisitions (PRs).
• Maintain accurate data for onboarding new staff.

Performance Enablement:

• Coordinate the school’s probationary processes in accordance with group-wide policies.
• Oversee performance review and appraisal cycles to support the SLT in achieving a high-performance culture.
• Track and provide reports to HQ HR on all key performance cases.
• Monitor, book, and track professional development for school staff and provide reports as requested by SLT, School Ops Manager, and HQ HR Operations.

HR Operations:

• Manage health insurance applications, renewals, cancellations, and associated management for all school staff in coordination with the HQ Public Relations team.
• Manage and report on staff time and attendance, including overseeing time and attendance systems.
• Issue Letters of No Objection (NOCs) and other relevant staff letters (e.g., Bank, Government, Immigration, experience letters).
• Keep the school’s organization chart updated and ensure HQ is aware of any changes.
• Collate people metrics based on the company HR KPI requirements and provide monthly and ad-hoc reports (absence, turnover, PD, recruitment activity, disciplinary and performance management cases, compliance rates).
• Process exiting staff as leavers and ensure all associated exit procedures are completed, including liaison with HQ payroll for calculations of full and final settlements, and associated housing closeout procedures.
• Ensure all resigned staff have correct acknowledgment letters and that all relevant documents are collated.
• Maintain up-to-date confidential employment records and staff files on site at school.
• Maintain HR systems to accurately reflect staffing within the school.
• Monitor and maintain CTC, ensuring the agreed headcount is correct.
• Participate in group-wide HR meetings to share knowledge, best practices, and ensure consistency with group standards.

Employee Relations:

• Support the SLT with investigations and disciplinary management, ensuring accurate records of cases are kept within confidential employment files.
• Provide advice, counsel, and guidance to employees on relevant issues, escalating to SLT or HQ HR where needed.
• Assist SLT in managing informal employee relations cases per group-wide policies.
• Undertake any other reasonable duties as expected.

Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources or a related field.
• Related industry qualification at a graduate level for assigned functional areas.
• Recognized HR Qualification and/or professional subscription (e.g., CIPD) desirable.

Minimum Experience:

• 4 years in HR or Recruitment in any industry, or 2 years in Generalist HR within a service-related industry.
• School HR experience is highly advantageous.

Job Specific Knowledge & Skills:

• Sound working knowledge of UAE Labour Law.
• Competent in using IT systems, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills.
• Experience liaising with government bodies in the UAE, with knowledge of HAAD and Immigration requirements and processes.
• Fluent in both Arabic and English (written and oral) is essential.
• Attention to detail and diligent follow-through, with the ability to execute in a timely manner.
• Skilled in multi-tasking and handling pressure.
• Excellent organizational abilities for self and others.
• Capable of influencing people and networking with cultural sensitivity.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Must reside in the same Emirate as the school assigned to.

What We Offer
The company provides a family of world-class, child-centered, and innovative schools in the UAE. We offer attractive remuneration packages along with a range of benefits. Our future-focused learning model emphasizes professional development, coaching, and training for both students and staff. Successful candidates will access a wide network of professionals and opportunities to lead and contribute to training while developing their skills further.

This job description is not all-inclusive and may be amended at any time. We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. We encourage UAE Nationals to apply. The company is dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. Offers of appointment are subject to satisfactory references and police clearance.