A highly established, global industrial and technology group with a long-standing presence in the Middle East & Africa is seeking an experienced Human Resources Director to lead its regional people strategy during a period of continued growth and transformation.

This is a senior, enterprise-level HR leadership role with responsibility for 20 countries across MEA, leading a regional HR organisation of 30 professionals, and direct accountability for HR operations in the UAE, the group’s largest and most strategic market in the region.

The role sits at the intersection of business strategy, organisational performance, leadership development, and employee experience within a complex, highly regulated, multinational environment.

Key Responsibilities

Business & People Strategy

• Act as a strategic partner to regional and country leadership, activating HR levers (talent, organisation, capability, culture) to support business performance and long-term growth.

• Translate business strategy, transformation plans, and organisational change into actionable HR roadmaps aligned with local legislation and regional priorities.

• Contribute to operational and regional strategy discussions as a core member of the leadership team.

HR Governance & Policy Deployment

• Lead the deployment and execution of global HR policies, processes, and frameworks across the MEA region.

• Ensure consistent, high-quality delivery of HR services across multiple geographies, working with local and shared service HR teams.

• Oversee HR transformation initiatives and region-specific HR projects.

Leadership Advisory & Change Management

• Act as the primary HR advisor to senior leadership and management committees across the region.

• Coach leaders on effective people management, organisational design, succession, and leadership practices.

• Support complex change, workforce transformation, social dialogue, and crisis management where required.

Employee Relations & Work Environment

• Serve as the senior HR point of contact for employees across the region.

• Ensure a safe, inclusive, compliant, and high-engagement working environment.

• Manage sensitive employee relations matters including ethics, disciplinary issues, conflict resolution, and compliance.

Talent & Capability Development

• Lead regional talent management strategy including succession planning, talent reviews, executive development, and critical skills pipelines.

• Build and oversee long-term capability development pathways aligned with business needs.

• Develop and lead the regional HR leadership team, setting objectives, driving performance, and building future HR capability.

Experience & Background

• 15+ years’ experience across multiple HR disciplines, with proven leadership of sizeable HR teams.

• Strong background within a large, international, matrix-driven organisation.

• Regional HR leadership experience across the Middle East, KSA and/or Africa is highly advantageous.

• Demonstrated experience operating at executive level, influencing senior stakeholders, and leading through complexity.

Education & Languages

• Master’s degree in Human Resources or related discipline.

• Fluent English (written and spoken).

• Arabic is a strong advantage.

Key Competencies

• Strategic yet hands-on HR leadership

• Strong political acumen and stakeholder management

• Proven ability to lead HR transformation at scale

• High emotional intelligence, credibility, and adaptability

• Strong operational execution within complex, regulated environments