Head of Employee Relations, Policy & Governance

Michael Page; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 63,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

Michael Page is seeking a senior Employee Relations leader for the UAE to oversee governance, policy and compliance across a large multi-business group. The role acts as the senior escalation point for complex ER matters and drives policy harmonisation, transformation initiatives and organisational governance.

The successful candidate will lead a small ER team, partner with senior leadership on workforce risk and transformation, and support automation and AI-enabled HR initiatives while ensuring

Qualifications

• Significant experience in employee relations, governance, compliance and policy development.
• Proven background managing sensitive investigations, grievances, disciplinary processes and complex escalations.
• Experience creating and implementing policies from first principles within large-scale organisations.
• Strong understanding of employment law and regulatory compliance; legal qualifications are advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Act as the senior escalation point for complex, sensitive ER cases.
• Lead employee relations governance across multiple entities for consistency and compliance.
• Develop, write, implement and enforce group-wide people policies and governance frameworks.
• Provide expert guidance on investigations, grievances and disciplinary matters.
• Drive compliance with employment legislation and internal governance standards.
• Partner with senior leadership on workforce risk and transformation initiatives.
• Support automation and AI-enabled people transformation programmes.
• Establish reporting, controls, escalation processes and case management frameworks.
• Influence senior stakeholders and challenge non-compliant behaviours when required.
• Lead and develop a small ER function within a lean corporate structure.

Skills

Employee relations

Governance

Policy development

Investigations

Disciplinary matters

Stakeholder management

Change management

Transformation

Case management

Regulatory compliance

Education

HR professional qualifications (CIPD/SHRM)

Job description

Michael Page is seeking a senior Employee Relations leader for the UAE to oversee governance, policy and compliance across a large multi-business group. The role acts as the senior escalation point for complex ER matters and drives policy harmonisation, transformation initiatives and organisational governance.

The successful candidate will lead a small ER team, partner with senior leadership on workforce risk and transformation, and support automation and AI-enabled HR initiatives while ensuring