HR Process Excellence & AI Adoption Manager

Etihad Airways; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the aviation sector is seeking an HR Process Excellence and AI Adoption Manager to drive strategic improvements and implement AI technologies. This managerial role requires a focus on process optimization, driving change across the HR department, and fostering a culture of innovation and sustainability within the organization. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in process excellence and a proven ability to lead cross-functional projects.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years total work experience, with 3-5 years in Process Excellence.
• 2-3 years exposure to AI adoption and automation initiatives.
• Proven track record in driving change management.

Responsibilities

• Lead and standardise HR processes, embedding automation and AI solutions.
• Advise process owners on performance and optimisation plans.
• Oversee continuous improvement initiatives to ensure business value.

Skills

Leadership

Continuous Improvement

Data Analytics

Change Management

AI Technologies

Education

Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Lean Six Sigma

Process Mining Tools

Automation Tools

Job description

The HR Process Excellence and AI Adoption Manager is responsible for driving strategic process improvements and embedding Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies across the organization to increase efficiency, optimize cost, and enhance service delivery. This role leads process reengineering initiatives and partners with business and technology teams to identify, design, and implement AI-driven solutions.The Manager serves as a subject matter expert in process optimisation, championing a continuous improvement agenda across the HR Department. The position will play a critical part in embedding a culture of innovation and sustainability within HR’s service delivery, influencing change across the division and its stakeholders.

Accountabilities

• Lead and standardise HR processes across the division, embedding automation and AI-enabled solutions, where possible, to ensure consistency, scalability, and improved user experience. Define and govern the HR process framework, enabling structured process ownership and accountability.
• Deploy optimised processes that leverage intelligent technologies and digital tools to ensure process performance meets or exceeds service level expectations and enhance employee touchpoints.
• Advise process owners on performance, process, cost, cycle time and quality metrics and co-develop optimisation plans to improve service delivery and business outcomes.
• Partner with the HR Governance and Compliance lead to ensure process designs align with internal controls, policies, and regulatory compliance across all delivery models.
• Identify process excellence opportunities by analysing internal performance data and external best-fit practices, with a focus on future-ready and AI-enhanced operating models.
• Partner with the Data and Analytics Lead to embed data standards and governance when process changes are made and align process improvements with reporting and performance tracking.
• Partner and collaborate with other PDT team members and stakeholders to co-create digital solutions that enable HR process efficiency and an intuitive employee digital experience.
• Oversee process-related continuous improvement initiatives to ensure realisation of business value, ROI and sustained performance gains.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, process ownership and digital agility, embedding AI, self-service and automation where relevant to deliver smarter HR services that support end-to-end process excellence and value proposition.
• Act as the process consultant for Level 4 process design, and provide expert guidance to process owners and stewards in advancing process maturity and digital enablement.
• Collaborate across Etihad to ensure integration of HR processes with Etihad corporate processes to support a unified and cohesive employee experience.
• Collaborate with key internal, external stakeholders and peers to lead change initiatives to ensure complex process solutions are designed for adoption, scalability, and long-term success.

Education & Experience

7–10 years of total work experience, with :

• Minimum 3–5 years in Process Excellence, Operational Excellence, or Business Transformation
• At least 2–3 years of exposure to AI adoption, automation initiatives (e.g., RPA, ML models in operations), or data-driven process redesign

Proven track record of :

• Leading cross-functional continuous improvement projects
• Driving change management and digital transformation in complex organizations
• Using data analytics and AI technologies to enhance process efficiency

Experience with :

• Lean Six Sigma methodology
• Process Mining and Automation Tools (e.g., Celonis, UiPath)
• AI adoption use cases in Human Resources
• Collaboration with IT / Data Science teams for implementation of tech solutions

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, was formed in 2003 and quickly went on to become one of the world’s leading airlines. From its home in Abu Dhabi, Etihad flies to passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. Together with Etihad’s codeshare partners, Etihad’s network offers access to hundreds of international destinations. In recent years, Etihad has received numerous awards for its superior service and products, cargo offering, loyalty programme and more.All this ties into Etihad’s ambitious Journey 2030 strategy. The airline plans to double its fleet size and triple the number of customers over the next six years as it sets out to be the airline everyone wants to fly!

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Beware of fraudulent job offers from individuals or organizations claiming to represent the Etihad group. We will never ask for personal information, bank details, or payment during the recruitment process. Interviews are conducted face-to-face or via video / telephone before any formal offer. If you are asked for money, please treat it as fraudulent.