People Manager

Calvin James Recruitment; Dubai; On-site; AED 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment agency in Dubai is seeking a People & Culture Manager to oversee HR operations within a manufacturing environment. The ideal candidate will have over 7 years of HR experience, with a strong focus on strategic leadership, talent acquisition, employee engagement, and compliance. This role offers an excellent opportunity to shape the HR landscape in a dynamic setting.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive HR experience, including 3 years in a managerial role.
• Strong understanding of labor laws and safety regulations.
• Experience managing diverse workforces (blue-collar and white-collar).

Responsibilities

• Drive HR strategies aligned with business goals.
• Lead recruitment and workforce planning initiatives.
• Oversee employee relations and engagement strategies.
• Design training programs for skills enhancement.
• Manage compliance with labor laws and HR operations.

Skills

Strategic HR Leadership

Talent Acquisition

Employee Relations

Learning & Development

Performance Management

Compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources or related field

Master's degree (preferred)

Job description

The People & Culture Manager will be responsible for driving the full spectrum of HR and organisational development activities within a manufacturing environment. This role ensures alignment of HR strategies with business goals, creates a high performance culture, manages workforce planning, and champions employee engagement, diversity, and wellbeing.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic HR Leadership

• Partner with senior management to align People & Culture initiatives with organisational goals.
• Develop, implement, and monitor HR strategies, policies, and procedures that support operational excellence and workforce productivity.
• Support change management initiatives within the manufacturing environment, ensuring smooth adaptation to new systems, technologies, or organisational structures.

Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning

• Lead end-to-end recruitment for both blue-collar and white-collar roles, ensuring timely hiring to meet production and business demands.
• Oversee workforce planning, succession planning, and talent pipeline development.
• Collaborate with technical managers to design recruitment campaigns tailored to manufacturing skill requirements.

Employee Relations & Engagement

• Act as the first point of contact for employee relations matters, ensuring fair and consistent application of policies.
• Build and sustain strong employee engagement initiatives to drive motivation, morale, and retention.
• Oversee grievance handling and conflict resolution processes.

Learning & Development

• Assess skills gaps and design training programs to enhance technical, leadership, and soft skills within the workforce.
• Partner with external training providers to deliver industry-specific upskilling programs.
• Champion leadership development initiatives to build managerial capability across the plant.

Performance & Culture

• Lead the performance management cycle, including goal setting, mid-year reviews, and appraisals.
• Promote a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and safety in line with manufacturing best practices.
• Ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are integrated into daily operations.

Compliance & HR Operations

• Ensure compliance with labor laws, health & safety regulations, and industry-specific workforce legislation.
• Oversee HR operations including payroll coordination, attendance, leave management, and employee records.
• Manage HR metrics and reporting for leadership decision-making.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field (Master’s preferred).
• 7+ years of progressive HR/People & Culture experience, with at least 3 years in a managerial capacity within the manufacturing or industrial sector.
• Strong understanding of labor laws, industrial relations, and health & safety regulations.
• Experience managing a diverse workforce (blue-collar and white-collar).