Vice President, People & Culture Operations, Middle East, Africa & Turkiye

About the Role
Every exceptional guest experience begins with an exceptional people experience. As Vice President, People & Culture Operations, Middle East, Africa & Turkiye, you will shape how more than 250 managed and franchised hotels, in one of the most dynamic regions, attract, grow and keep the talent behind them.
Based in Dubai, reporting to the SVP People & Culture MEA APAC and sitting on the Middle East, Africa and Turkiye Executive Committee, this role serves as a commercially driven People & Culture partner to regional and hotel leaders. You will bring sound judgement, a strong working knowledge of employment law, and proven experience in compliance and in employee and industrial relations across markets with very different rules.
Capability is where you will make your mark. As the company Academy’s champion across the region, you will make it the engine of how our Heartists learn, grow and lead to build the next generation of hotel leaders and a pipeline of talent ready for the region’s growth.
You will unite the regional People & Culture community behind a shared agenda and hold it to delivery, while building a commercial People & Culture offer for franchise partners. Together, this will turn stronger engagement, retention and capability into what counts most: the guest experience and business performance.

What You Will Be Responsible For
Business Partnership & Operational Performance

• As a member of the Middle East, Africa and Turkiye Executive Committee, partner with the Regional President to translate business priorities into people strategies that deliver measurable operational and commercial outcomes.
• Act as a trusted adviser to General Managers and Operations leaders, providing guidance, coaching and challenge on workforce planning, leadership and organisational effectiveness.
• Use workforce and operational insights to identify risks and opportunities, strengthen leadership accountability and connect engagement and capability with guest experience, productivity and business performance.

Capability, Talent & Employee Experience

• Champion the company Academy as the centrepiece of the region’s capability agenda. Mobilise hotel leaders and the People & Culture community to make continuous learning part of everyday operations, turning capability into career growth, stronger leadership and measurable business performance.
• 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.
• Turn employee feedback into action on engagement and well-being, improving the Heartist experience while strengthening retention, service excellence and productivity.
• Lead inclusion and social impact across the region. Embed inclusive practices in how we hire, develop and promote, and champion causes that create positive outcomes for Heartists and the communities served.
• Lead the regional People & Culture community to share expertise, build capability and deliver common priorities.

Employee Relations, Compliance & Governance

• Lead complex employee relations (ER), industrial relations (IR) and workplace investigations, ensuring fair, consistent and timely handling of sensitive matters.
• Apply a strong working knowledge of local employment and labour law to guide decisions and ensure compliance with legislation, company policies and governance requirements.
• Partner with Legal and regional stakeholders to manage people-related risks, and equip hotel People & Culture teams to uphold sound practices across diverse markets.

People Analytics, Insights & Systems

• Drive adoption of Group People & Culture systems, tools and services across the region, embedding consistent processes and clear service standards for hotel teams.
• Strengthen data quality and use workforce, talent and operational insights to guide decisions. Track retention, succession readiness, engagement, learning adoption and workforce effectiveness, turning insight into action and accountability for results.

Qualifications
What We’re Looking For

• 10+ years of progressive People & Culture leadership experience, including responsibility for large, multi-site operations.
• A track record as a partner to senior operational leaders and executives, delivering measurable business and employee outcomes.
• Experience embedding continuous learning and capability building across complex organisations, connecting development with operational performance.
• Strong expertise in talent, succession, workforce planning, organisational development and leadership development.
• A strong working knowledge of employment and labour law, with proven experience in compliance, workplace investigations, and employee and industrial relations across Middle East and African markets.
• Commercial acumen to package, position and sell people services to owners or clients, ideally in a franchise context.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to turn workforce insights into practical business action.
• Experience working in global, multicultural environments.
• The credibility, communication and influencing skills to mobilise regional People & Culture teams and engage senior stakeholders and owners.
• A commitment to hospitality, well-being, inclusion and social impact, with a track record of advancing inclusion that strengthens talent pipelines.

Additional Information
Why Join?
Make an impact at scale. Take a seat on the Middle East, Africa & Turkiye Executive Committee and shape the people agenda for more than 250 hotels in one of the most dynamic regions.
Lead the growth of the company Academy across the region, build the next generation of hotel leaders, and turn People & Culture into a commercial offer for franchise partners.
In return, you’ll enjoy:

• Global career opportunities across an international network.
• Discounted rates at hotels, restaurants and wellness destinations worldwide.
• Access to industry-leading learning, development and leadership programmes.
  If you are a commercial partner to senior leaders, know how to build capability at scale, and bring deep ER/IR expertise across diverse markets, we’d love to hear from you.

Job Category: People & Culture
Job Type: Permanent