Chief People & Culture Officer

Location Dubai
Discipline: Construction Material, Industrial Manufacturing / Packaging
Job type: Permanent
Contact name: Pia Saouma

Contact email: pia@businesslobby.net
Contact phone: +96181126644
Job ref: 42527
Published: 2 months ago

Our partners, a leading holding company in the steel industry, it manages multiple subsidiaries across Africa specializing in manufacturing, processing, and distribution. They are currently hiring a Chief People & Culture Officer,  working on a group level, based in the HQ in Dubai. Committed to sustainability, the company transforms scrap metal into high-quality construction materials, supporting infrastructure growth.

Responsibilities
  • Organizational Culture & Leadership
    • Champion a people-first, values-driven culture that aligns with the company's long-term mission.
    • Lead strategic initiatives to embed culture across all operating units and promote leadership development.
    • Serve as a trusted advisor to regional and executive leadership on people-related strategy.
  • HR Systems & Operations
    • Oversee and strengthen the People & Culture (P&C) function across all regions, ensuring cohesion and excellence in recruitment, performance management, and employee engagement.
    • Drive the digital transformation of HR systems—automating payroll, leave, performance evaluations, and document access through a centralized platform.
    • Ensure that all HR policies and manuals are well-documented, standardized, and accessible across locations.
  • Compensation & Career Development
    • Develop structured frameworks for compensation, performance appraisals, and career progression, especially for senior roles.
    • Establish systems to ensure consistency, transparency, and fairness in salary adjustments, benefits, and bonuses.
  • Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding
    • Build and implement a comprehensive recruitment strategy, including partnerships with universities and technical institutes across Africa and India.
    • Collaborate with external recruitment agencies, standardize the interview and selection process, and promote internal alignment on hiring priorities.
  • Localization & Capacity Building
    • Develop a long-term strategy to reduce dependency on expatriate staff by building capabilities among the national workforce.
    • Design and monitor local recruitment plans and talent pipelines in each country of operation.
  • Workforce Planning & Infrastructure
    • Conduct in-depth analysis of factory and workforce logistics, including shifts, headcount planning, facility layout, and staff amenities.
    • Use data-driven methods to optimize workflow, reduce inefficiencies, and improve employee welfare.
Qualifications
  • Proven leadership in People & Culture or HR roles across multiple countries, preferably in emerging markets or frontier regions.
  • Bilingual: Fluent in English and French (a must).
  • Experience in managing multicultural teams and working closely with operations teams in challenging environments.
  • Strong background in HR systems, digital tools, and organizational development.
  • Willingness to travel across all current and future sites, across Africa  
  • A hands-on, humble, and team-oriented mindset—comfortable with both strategic vision and operational execution.
  • Track record in transforming HR from administrative to strategic functions with impact.
  • Passionate about people development, diversity, inclusion, and building sustainable organizations.
Location
  • Dubai, UAE