Manager - People and Culture Operations

Aldar Education; Abu Dhabi Emirate; On-site; AED 201,000 - 290,000; Full time

Job summary

Aldar Education invites a Manager - People and Culture Operations to lead school-level HR operations in Abu Dhabi Emirate, UAE. You will drive staffing plans, oversee end-to-end recruitment, and ensure compliance with ADEK and UAE laws while coordinating onboarding and visas for new hires.

The role demands substantial experience in HR or recruitment within a service context, with strong stakeholder management and policy execution across a multi-school network.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years HR or recruitment experience, or 5 years in generalist HR in a service-related industry.
• Experience in education sector and UAE Labour Law knowledge is important.
• Strong safer recruitment practice and regulatory compliance understanding.
• CIPD qualification or membership desirable for the role.

Responsibilities

• Forecast staffing requirements with school leadership and recruit qualified staff.
• Lead proactive recruitment planning for upcoming academic years.
• Manage vacancies and candidate lifecycles through careers platforms.
• Conduct safer recruitment checks including references and police clearance.
• Monitor activity against headcount and workforce budgets.
• Coordinate onboarding, visa and work permit processes for new hires.
• Prepare employment contracts and related HR documentation.
• Track Emiratization targets and KPIs for the school workforce.
• Support HR policy communication and employee relations across campuses.

Skills

People and Culture operations

HR business partnering

Talent acquisition

Workforce planning

Safer recruitment

Employee onboarding

UAE Labour Law

ADEK compliance

Emiratization

Visa and work permit coordination

Employment contracts

Headcount management

HR information systems

Time and attendance

Health insurance administration

Education

Diploma/Degree in Human Resources

CIPD membership desirable

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Outlook

Job description

Manager - People and Culture Operations Job Snapshot Role: Manager - People and Culture Operations Location: Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates Industry: Education Management Function: Human Resources Experience: Minimum 7 years in HR or recruitment, or 5 years in generalist HR within a service-related industry Job Type: Full-time

Job Details Country: United Arab Emirates City: Abu Dhabi Emirate Industry: Education Management Function: Human Resources Salary: 18000-26000 Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the job city; please confirm the final offer with the employer. Gender: Any Candidate Nationality: Any Job Type: Full-time

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with the School Leadership Team to forecast staffing requirements and recruit qualified academic and operational employees.
• Drive proactive recruitment planning for upcoming academic years rather than relying on reactive vacancy management.
• Manage vacancies and candidate lifecycles through approved careers platforms and recruitment channels.
• Conduct safer recruitment checks including references, suitability verification, police clearance, and required pre-employment documentation.
• Monitor recruitment activity against approved school headcount and workforce budgets.
• Review employment contracts against budget and authorized headcount before progressing them for approval.
• Coordinate new employee onboarding from pre-employment communication through school induction and operational readiness.
• Ensure incoming employees understand requirements associated with their roles and working and living in the UAE.
• Manage ADEK pass processing and track regulatory readiness for new employees.
• Coordinate visa and work permit requirements with central People and Culture and Public Relations teams.
• Liaise with government relations teams to ensure employees meet ADEK requirements before the academic year begins.
• Prepare employment contracts, renewals, and associated HR documentation in accordance with approved terms and policies.
• Coordinate onboarding flights and accommodation arrangements where applicable and raise relevant purchase requests.
• Work with IT on email accounts, system access, and other technology requirements for new starters.
• Coordinate staff identification card processing and related onboarding administration.
• Track Emiratization targets and advise school leadership on progress toward required KPIs.
• Support the Principal, Finance, and central People and Culture teams with workforce and manning budget planning.
• Coordinate probation processes and ensure reviews are completed within required timelines.
• Manage performance review and appraisal cycles to support a measurable high-performance culture.
• Track significant performance cases and provide required reporting to central People and Culture.
• Develop and update job descriptions in line with competency frameworks and performance enablement processes.
• Coordinate professional development requirements, bookings, records, and reporting for school employees.
• Ensure employees receive appropriate communication and training when new HR policies, processes, or systems are introduced.
• Manage health insurance applications, renewals, and cancellations in coordination with the Rewards team.
• Oversee employee time and attendance records and associated reporting systems.
• Maintain an accurate and current school organization chart.
• Prepare NOCs, bank letters, government letters, immigration documentation, experience certificates, and other employee correspondence.
• Maintain confidential personnel files and ensure employment documentation remains complete and current.
• Conduct annual People and Culture audits and resolve documentation or compliance gaps.
• Maintain HR systems so employee data accurately reflects the school 's workforce.
• Monitor CTC and ensure staffing remains consistent with authorized headcount.
• Compile monthly and ad-hoc People and Culture KPIs covering absence, turnover, recruitment, professional development, disciplinary matters, performance cases, visas, ADEK passes, and compliance.
• Lead employee retention and engagement initiatives for the assigned school workforce.
• Support school leadership with investigations, disciplinary procedures, and employee relations matters.
• Advise employees and managers on HR issues and elevate significant matters when required.
• Manage informal employee relations cases in accordance with approved policies and standards.
• Maintain accurate and confidential employee relations case files.
• Track legal and employee relations cases and keep appropriate senior stakeholders informed.
• Act as the initial People and Culture contact for relevant legal employment cases.
• Coordinate employee resignations and ensure acknowledgement documentation and exit requirements are completed.
• Manage leaver processing and coordinate with Payroll on final settlement requirements.
• Support housing and other administrative close-out procedures associated with departing employees.
• Work with Operations teams to manage health and safety communications and mitigate identified workforce risks.
• Participate in group-wide People and Culture meetings to share knowledge and maintain consistency across schools.
• Guide junior HR Officers and People and Culture Assistants on operational activities and service standards.

Ideal Profile

Candidates should hold a diploma or degree in Human Resources or a related discipline together with relevant professional training appropriate to the role. A recognized HR qualification or professional membership such as CIPD is desirable. Applicants should have at least 7 years of HR or recruitment experience in any industry, or approximately 5 years of generalist HR experience within a service-related environment. Previous education-sector experience is preferred. Sound working knowledge of UAE Labour Law is important, together with strong safer recruitment practice and an understanding of employment compliance. Knowledge of ADEK recruitment and staffing requirements is a significant advantage. Experience working with UAE government bodies and familiarity with immigration and relevant regulatory processes will strengthen suitability for the position. Candidates should be competent with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, HR information systems, employee records, workforce reporting, and KPI tracking. Fluent written and spoken English is required, while Arabic proficiency is highly advantageous. The position requires excellent organisation, careful prioritisation, cultural awareness, confidentiality, attention to detail, and the ability to manage several sensitive priorities under pressure. The successful candidate should also demonstrate the confidence to influence senior stakeholders while creating a workplace environment based on trust, fairness, accountability, and consistent application of policy.

Skills Set

• Human resources management
• People and Culture operations
• HR business partnering
• Talent acquisition
• Workforce planning
• Safer recruitment
• Employee onboarding
• UAE Labour Law
• ADEK compliance
• Emiratization
• Visa and work permit coordination
• Government relations
• Employment contracts
• Headcount management
• Manning budgets
• Probation management
• Performance management
• Performance appraisals
• Employee relations
• Disciplinary procedures
• HR investigations
• Employee engagement
• Staff retention
• Professional development
• HR compliance audits
• Personnel records
• HR information systems
• Time and attendance
• Health insurance administration
• HR KPI reporting
• Organization charts
• Exit management
• Final settlement coordination
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Outlook
• Stakeholder management
• Team coaching
• CIPD
• Safeguarding compliance

Why Join Us

This position offers substantial responsibility within Abu Dhabi Emirate 's Education Management sector, combining strategic HR partnership with direct ownership of school-level People and Culture operations. The successful candidate can influence workforce quality, employee experience, leadership effectiveness, regulatory compliance, retention, and long-term staffing readiness across a complex educational environment. Aldar Education places particular emphasis on professional development and operates a large, multicultural workforce across its growing education network. This creates valuable exposure to large-scale recruitment, workforce planning, government compliance, employee relations, performance management, and HR leadership within the UAE education market.

About the Company

Aldar Education is a major education group in the United Arab Emirates, supporting more than 38000 students across 31 schools and a workforce of almost 5000 educators representing more than 100 nationalities. Its education network spans multiple curricula and related services while supporting Abu Dhabi 's wider objective of developing a sustainable, knowledge-based economy through high-quality education.