Director - People Development And Effectiveness-People And Organization Management

Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City - SSMC; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 600,000 - 1,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) seeks a Director of People Development & Effectiveness to lead performance management, leadership development, and wellbeing initiatives. You will own talent reviews, succession planning, Emirati leadership programs, and the design of a scalable learning ecosystem across clinical and operational domains.

You will partner with the P&O function to embed the SSMC Way and drive evidence-based people decisions, ensuring workforce capability aligns with strategic

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of progressive HR or L&D experience, including a senior leadership role.
• Proven track record designing and delivering organizational capability and leadership programs at scale.
• Experience in a healthcare setting is desirable and knowledge of UAE labour law is a plus.
• Proficiency in English; Arabic language skills are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and continuously improve performance management aligned to values and strategy.
• Lead high-potential identification, succession planning, and Emirati leadership development initiatives.
• Govern learning ecosystems, digital programs, and leadership development across the organization.
• Drive wellbeing, engagement, and employee experience initiatives with business partners.
• Partner with P&O to translate strategy into integrated people plans and governance.

Skills

Leadership

Talent management

Coaching

Facilitation

Analytical skills

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

People analytics

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR, OD or Business

Master’s degree in OD/HR/Education Leadership

HR certification (CIPD SHRM)

OD certification or related credential

Tools

Oracle Fusion HCM

EduCare

Job description

Job Description:

The Director, People Development & Effectiveness leads SSMC’s people capability, organizational effectiveness, and business partnership agenda, ensuring that SSMC staff are skilled, engaged, and empowered to deliver clinical and service excellence. The role provides a single senior accountable owner for performance management, high-potential identification and succession, learning and leadership development, employee wellbeing, organizational effectiveness, and the P&O Business Partnership Team. The Director is accountable for strengthening SSMC’s lowest-maturity P&O pillar, responding to identified business risks in workforce planning and career mobility, embedding the EX = PX principle, and translating the SSMC Way Academy into a scalable, revenue-generating capability, subject to Finance and Commercial validation.

Responsibilities

Performance Management

• Design, implement, and continuously improve SSMC’s performance management framework to ensure it is meaningful, fair, forward-looking, and differentiated
• Drive a meritocracy-based performance culture aligned to SSMC Values, the SSMC Way Programme, and the PH EX = PX formula
• Oversee the annual performance cycle end to end: goal-setting, mid-year check-ins, year-end calibration, and rating distribution
• Partner with People Rewards & Governance to ensure performance outcomes directly inform compensation, recognition, and career progression decisions
• Build accountability culture tools and metrics to track delivery vs. intent across SSMC leadership and teams.

High Potential Identification & Succession Planning

• Design and run the SSMC High Potential Identification Programme, with a target of achieving 60% bench strength for all critical and senior leadership roles by end of FY2027
• Build and maintain succession plans for all critical roles, with readiness ratings updated quarterly
• Develop the Emirati Accelerated Leadership Programme in partnership with DOH, ADEK, and UAEN hiring bodies to meet Emiratization targets and grow the national leadership pipeline.
• Facilitate talent review calibration sessions with clinical and operational leaders to identify, stretch, and retain high-potential SSMCers
• Maintain talent pool visibility for the Executive Director, P&O and SSMC Executive Team

Learning & Development

• Lead the design, curation, and governance of SSMC’s learning ecosystem across clinical competency, functional excellence, and leadership domains
• Develop and deliver bite-size, digital-first learning programmes aligned to SSMC’s strategic priorities, capability gaps, and the SSMC Way
• Drive adoption and utilisation of PH’s EduCare and Delta Force capability platforms, ensuring active learner engagement and measurable skill development
• Manage the SSMC Training Academy and ensure delivery against the annual L&D plan, ROI targets, and utilisation benchmarks
• Expand the SSMC Training Academy into the SSMC Way Academy, with internal cross-charge, external enterprise and public enrolment, and government-funded or DOH-CPD-accredited programme streams.
• Oversee mandatory competency-based training compliance, DOH licence renewal requirements, and training record management
• Partner with external institutions (e.g., RCSI, INSEAD, AHEIs) for specialised clinical and leadership programmes

Leadership Development

• Design and deliver SSMC’s enduring leadership development architecture to build bench strength and consistent leadership quality at all levels
• Deliver executive and senior leadership development programmes in partnership with academic institutions
• Build internal coaching and mentoring ecosystems that develop leadership confidence, accountability, and the ability to challenge constructively
• Lead the Emirati Accelerated Leadership Programme to fast-track high-potential UAE national talent into senior clinical and operational leadership roles

Wellbeing & Wellness

• Lead SSMC’s employee wellbeing strategy encompassing physical, mental, financial, and occupational health dimensions
• Oversee the Workplace Wellness Council and ensure its annual programme delivers against all six core pillars: Wellbeing, Rewards & Recognition, Engagement, Surveys, Community, and Culture.
• Lead the Saadni peer support programme, Workplace Violence Response Programme, and Critical Incident Stress Management initiatives
• Drive DOH and PH Engagement Survey cycles; analyse results, benchmark against sector, and develop targeted improvement action plans with P&O Business Partners
• Design and track wellbeing KPIs including burnout indicators, engagement scores (DOH EES target ≥ 4.5), and programme utilisation rates
• Partner with the Occupational Health team to ensure environmental, ergonomic, and health screening initiatives are delivered on schedule

Business Partnership

• Lead the P&O Business Partnership Team as the primary interface between P&O and SSMC’s clinical, operational, and corporate leadership teams
• Translate SSMC strategy and business priorities into integrated people plans covering workforce planning, organisation design, capability, performance, engagement, succession, and change.
• Establish clear service standards, stakeholder governance, and business partnership rhythms to improve responsiveness, ownership, and employee experience
• Use workforce and people insights to proactively identify risks, challenge constructively, and support leaders in making evidence-based people decisions
• Ensure Business Partners drive execution of performance, talent, engagement, wellbeing, and organisational effectiveness priorities within their assigned portfolios.

SSMC Way Academy and Commercial Value.

• Develop the SSMC Way Academy as a scalable capability and potential profit centre serving SSMC, PureHealth entities, external enterprises, and eligible government-funded programmes
• Build and execute the Academy commercial plan, including programme portfolio, accreditation, pricing, demand generation, delivery capacity, partnership model, and financial governance
• Work with Finance and Commercial teams to validate planning assumptions and pursue the illustrative Year 1 revenue ambition of AED 4.5 million
• Track Academy revenue, cost, contribution, learner outcomes, utilisation, and client satisfaction, ensuring commercial growth does not compromise quality or mandatory internal capability needs.

Organisational Effectiveness

• Lead organisational effectiveness diagnostics including culture surveys, P&O maturity assessments, team effectiveness tools, and business alignment surveys
• Champion the SSMC Way Programme and Accountability Culture initiative to embed values-aligned behaviours across all levels of the organisation
• Partner with P&O Business Partners and the People Strategy team on change management and organisation design interventions
• Oversee the Employee Relations function to ensure proactive, analytics-driven management of workplace issues, investigations, and off-boarding
• Track and report on capability, engagement, performance, and wellbeing KPIs to the Executive Director, P&O and SSMC Leadership Team.

Accountabilities

• Accountable for achieving SSMC bench strength of 60% for critical roles by end of FY2027
• Accountable for improving the DOH Employee Satisfaction Score from the 2024 baseline of 3.9 toward a target of 4.5 by FY2027
• Accountable for L&D utilisation rates and the quality of learning interventions as measured by post-programme effectiveness surveys
• Accountable for the on-time delivery of mandatory training compliance and DOH licence renewal requirements
• Accountable for the SSMC Way Programme rollout and measurable culture indicators including the Accountability Culture index
• Manages the People Development & Effectiveness budget across L&D, wellbeing, and organisational effectiveness programmes
• Accountable for strengthening the maturity of the People Development & Effectiveness pillar and providing a single point of ownership across its sub-functions
• Accountable for leading the P&O Business Partnership Team and ensuring integrated people plans, consistent stakeholder coverage, and measurable service delivery across assigned portfolios
• Accountable for development of the SSMC Way Academy commercial model and progress toward the illustrative AED 4.5 million Year 1 revenue ambition, subject to Finance and Commercial validation
• Accountable for Academy financial and operational performance, including revenue, contribution, programme quality, accreditation, utilization, and learner outcomes
• Manages the P&O Business Partnership Team together with the Organisational Effectiveness Managers, Coordinators, and the Engagement & Employee Branding Specialist
• Reports on capability, engagement, performance, and wellbeing KPIs to the Executive Director, P&O and SSMC Leadership Team

Qualifications

Educational Qualification

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Organisational Psychology, Education, Business Administration, or a related field

Desired:

• Master’s degree in Organisational Development, Human Resource Management, Education Leadership, or a related field

Specialist Certifications

Required:

• Recognised HR certification such as CIPD Level 5/7 (Learning & Development pathway), SHRM-CP/SCP, or equivalent
• Recognised coaching or facilitation qualification (e.g., ICF Associate Certified Coach, Hogan, or equivalent)

Desired:

• Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP / ATD certification)
• Organisational Development (OD) certification or equivalent accreditation

Experience

Required:

• 8–10 years of progressive HR or L&D experience, of which a minimum of 4 years in a senior leadership role managing learning, OD, or people development functions
• Proven track record designing and delivering organisational capability and leadership development programmes at scale

Desired:

• Experience in a large healthcare, medical centre, or hospital environment
• Demonstrated experience implementing digital learning ecosystems and culture transformation programmes
• Experience facilitating talent review and succession planning processes for senior leadership populations

Additional Requirements

Required:

• Proficiency in the English language (written and spoken)
• Strong facilitation, coaching, and influencing skills with the ability to build trusted relationships at senior leadership level
• Excellent analytical skills and ability to translate people data into actionable capability and engagement strategies
• Deep understanding of UAE labour law, DOH requirements, and Emiratization obligations relevant to talent development
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional programmes and drive cultural change in a complex, multi-disciplinary environment

Desired:

• Proficiency in the Arabic language
• Experience working within a PureHealth Group or Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) network
• Familiarity with Oracle Fusion HCM, EduCare, or equivalent enterprise learning management systems Physical Requirements.