Global Talent & Performance Lead | Data-Driven

Cognita Asia Holdings Pte Ltd; Dubai; On-site; AED 300,000 - 460,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognita in Dubai is seeking a Talent & Performance Manager to lead the global performance cycle and shape how colleagues are assessed and developed across Cognita’s 86 schools. You will drive consistent goal-setting, competency calibration, and data-driven insights to inform senior leaders and improve outcomes.

You’ll partner with the Head of Talent & Performance on talent reviews, succession planning, and leadership development, while championing the Cognita People platform and ensuring data

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in HR, Organisational Psychology, Business Administration, or related field.
• 5–8 years’ progressive experience in Talent Management, Performance Management, or HR Business Partnering.
• Experience designing or running performance cycles and talent/succession reviews.
• Proven track record of driving performance conversations with leaders.
• Hands-on experience with HRIS or performance platforms, including adoption tracking and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Own the global performance cycle end-to-end from objective-setting through final reviews.
• Raise quality by aligning goal-setting and competency assessment to priorities and values.
• Partner on talent reviews, succession planning, and high-potential assessments.
• Coach managers and leaders to have constructive performance conversations.
• Calibrate and ensure fair outcomes across regions and teams.
• Track milestones, enable on-time closures, and create repeatable playbooks.
• Drive adoption of Cognita People across the organisation.
• Turn platform data into insights on trends, risks and opportunities.
• Collaborate with HR systems/IT on platform readiness and process digitisation.
• Maintain data integrity and measure engagement to drive improvement.

Skills

Performance design

Data analytics

Project management

Communication

People-centric

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in HR/Organisational Psychology/Business Admin

Tools

HRIS

Performance platform

Job description

Cognita in Dubai is seeking a Talent & Performance Manager to lead the global performance cycle and shape how colleagues are assessed and developed across Cognita’s 86 schools. You will drive consistent goal-setting, competency calibration, and data-driven insights to inform senior leaders and improve outcomes.

You’ll partner with the Head of Talent & Performance on talent reviews, succession planning, and leadership development, while championing the Cognita People platform and ensuring data