Organizational Development Specialist

Confidential Careers; Abu Dhabi Emirate; On-site; AED 246,000 - 424,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential Careers in the United Arab Emirates seeks an OD professional to design, implement, and continuously improve the organization’s performance management framework and capability-building initiatives. You will act as a change agent, aligning individual and team performance with strategic goals, training managers, and leveraging data to drive a high performance culture.

This role emphasizes building competency frameworks, talent review support, and change management to sustain engagement

Qualifications

• Proven track record in OD or HRBP with performance management experience.
• Experience designing or managing Performance Management cycles.
• Experience implementing competency frameworks and calibration sessions.
• Strong data analysis to drive evidence-based decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end design, rollout, and maintenance of PMS (KPIs/OKRs, reviews, PIPs).
• Drive process improvement using data analytics and feedback.
• Coach managers to conduct effective performance conversations.
• Provide insights on performance trends to senior leadership.
• Support competency frameworks and succession planning.

Skills

Performance management design

Data analytics

Change management

Facilitation & communication

HRIS/Performance software

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR, Psychology, Business Administration, or related field

CIPD (Level 5/7)

Tools

Excel

Power BI

Job description

The OD role is responsible for designing, implementing, and continuously improving the organization’s performance management framework and capability-building initiatives. You will act as a change agent, ensuring that individual and team performance is aligned with strategic business goals, driving a culture of continuous feedback, accountability, and high performance.

Key Responsibilities:

Performance Management System (PMS) Ownership

• Design & Implementation: Lead the end-to-end design, rollout, and maintenance of the Performance Management System, including goal setting (KPIs/OKRs), mid-year reviews, annual appraisals, and performance improvement plans (PIPs).
• Process Improvement: Continuously evaluate the effectiveness of the PMS; gather feedback and use data analytics to refine processes, ensuring they move beyond mere compliance to drive behavioral excellence and continuous improvement.
• Manager Enablement: Train, coach, and equip line managers and leaders to conduct effective performance conversations, deliver constructive feedback, and manage underperformance confidently.
• Data & Reporting: Analyze performance rating distributions and related HR metrics to identify trends (e.g., bias, skill gaps) and provide actionable insights to senior leadership.

Organizational Development & Capability

• Competency Frameworks: Develop and maintain core and leadership competency frameworks that underpin performance expectations, career progression, and talent reviews.
• Talent & Succession: Support talent review processes (HiPo identification) and succession planning, ensuring a robust pipeline of future leaders aligned with performance outcomes.
• Change Management: Facilitate organizational change initiatives, helping teams adapt to new structures, processes, or systems while maintaining engagement and performance levels.
• Culture & Engagement: Use performance and engagement data to design interventions that enhance employee experience, retention, and a high-performance culture.

Key Requirements:

Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Psychology, Business Administration, or related field. CIPD (Level 5/7)
• Proven track record (typically 2- years for Specialist) in OD or HR Business Partnering, with specific hands-on experience designing or managing Performance Management cycles.
• Experience in implementing competency frameworks and facilitating performance calibration sessions.
• Experience in using HRIS/Performance Management software and analyzing people data (Excel/Power BI).
• Analytical: Ability to interpret performance data and metrics to drive evidence-based decisions.
• Change Management: Familiarity with OD models and change management methodologies.
• Communication: Excellent facilitation and presentation skills, capable of simplifying complex frameworks for diverse audiences.