Regional People Manager, Middle East

Dow Jones & Company; Dubai; On-site; AED 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A global media leader is seeking a Regional People Manager based in Dubai. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's degree in HR, 5-7 years of regional HR experience, and a track record of implementing HR best practices. Responsibilities include managing HR initiatives across the Middle East, ensuring compliance with employment laws, and fostering collaboration across teams. The position offers comprehensive benefits including healthcare, retirement plans, and education benefits.

Benefits

Comprehensive Healthcare & Insurance Plans

Paid Time Off

Retirement Plans

Lifestyle programs & Wellness Resources

Education Benefits

Family Care Benefits & Caregiving Support

Fitness Reimbursement Program

Subscription Discounts

Employee Referral Program

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of progressive HR experience at a regional level.
• Knowledge of employment laws across UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
• Proven track record in HR best practices creation and expansion.

Responsibilities

• Act as the local People point of contact for all people-related initiatives.
• Support leaders across diverse countries and cultures.
• Manage compliance with local legislation and HR systems.

Skills

Emotional intelligence

Cultural sensitivity

Communication skills

Organizational skills

HR systems proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

Professional HR certification (CIPD, SHRM, HRCI)

Tools

Workday

Job description

Job Description

Dow Jones is strategically expanding its presence across the Middle East and as a global media leader we are seeking a passionate and experienced Regional People Manager to join our wider EMEA People Team. This role will be based in Dubai and will support our exciting growth period across the Middle East.

The ideal candidate will be commercially savvy possessing high emotional intelligence and a deep understanding of localised employment law and People operational best practice across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. They will have a proven track record of building relationships across diverse cultures and multiple organisational levels with the ability to influence positive HR change throughout the broader People team and organisation.

Reporting to the Senior Director People this role will work closely with the General Manager for the Middle East global COEs and the People Business Partner APAC & Middle East. This individual will play a key role in supporting the growth and delivery of the full employee lifecycle experience in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. They must be capable of challenging conventions, building meaningful relationships and thinking critically to achieve success. The Regional People Manager will embody our values of Collaboration, Trust, Impact and Excellence delivering a people‑first approach.

You will

• Act as the local People point of contact for people‑related initiatives and develop a deep understanding of the business. These initiatives include recruitment, employee engagement, retention, performance planning, compliance, employee relations, career development and people organisational transformation.
• Have worked in global organisations and can support leaders across different countries and time zones. You are able to help bridge cultural differences and advocate for employees in a regional and global matrixed environment.
• Have worked with employees and managers across all aspects of the employee life cycle. This includes advising on HR‑related matters while maintaining localised HR systems, ensuring Freezone/Mainland compliance and legal obligations while communicating with internal and central departments to uphold the Dow Jones culture of collaboration.
• Collaborate with the People Business Partner APAC & Middle East on global HR projects assigned by the Senior Director People. This will involve aligning clear goals and objectives to strategically support organisational stakeholders and connect with business goals.
• Demonstrate the ability to navigate and make decisions effectively amidst ambiguity, addressing issues even when established processes or systems are absent. Throughout this you will communicate openly and transparently, acting with good intent when collaborating with our business team and partners.
• Foster and maintain strong connections with the wider People Team. This requires excellent relationship‑building skills. As needed you will contribute to the development of localised human resource policies, practices and systems to attract, retain and mobilise talent thereby supporting business priorities and fostering a competitive advantage.
• Be responsible for managing, reviewing and providing necessary documentation and compliance to local legislation. This is done in tandem with the central People Operations team.

You Have

• Minimum Bachelors degree in relevant HR or People‑related subject plus or Professional HR certification e.g. CIPD, SHRM, HRCI.
• 5‑7 years of progressively responsible regional human resources experience.
• A proven track record of contributing to the creation and/or expansion of HR best practices.
• Ability to balance business needs with employee advocacy.
• Experience and knowledge of current country‑specific employment/labor laws.
• Proficiency with HR systems including Workday and the ability to leverage data and analytics for informed decision‑making and recommendations.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage and resolve sensitive employee issues.
• Ability to operate effectively and independently with sound organisational skills; ability to prioritise with strong attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal in English; advantageous if you can also speak Arabic.
• Enthusiastic positive attitude and able to work in a fast‑paced cross‑matrixed environment.

Our Benefits

• Comprehensive Healthcare & Insurance Plans
• Paid Time Off
• Retirement Plans
• Lifestyle programs & Wellness Resources
• Education Benefits
• Family Care Benefits & Caregiving Support
• Fitness Reimbursement Program
• Subscription Discounts
• Employee Referral Program

Reasonable accommodation: Dow Jones Making Careers Newsworthy - We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. EEO/Disabled/Vets. Dow Jones is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application and/or interview process. If you need assistance or accommodation in completing your application due to a disability email us at Please put Reasonable Accommodation in the subject line and provide a brief description of the type of assistance you need. This inbox will not be monitored for application status updates.