Regional Talent Acquisition Manager

Job Summary:

The Regional Talent Acquisition Manager plays a critical role in driving high-volume, multi-country recruitment for Americana’s restaurant operations across the GCC. This role is responsible for building and executing comprehensive recruitment strategies that meet evolving workforce needs while ensuring alignment with business objectives, local laws, and budget constraints.

The role requires a highly strategic yet hands-on professional with deep experience in bulk hiring, F&B operations, and international recruitment campaigns, especially from labor-exporting countries. The manager leads a small team and collaborates closely with internal stakeholders, government entities, external vendors, consulates, and academic institutions to ensure timely and compliant talent acquisition and deployment.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Talent Acquisition Planning

• Design and execute short-term and long-term recruitment strategies to support dynamic business growth and seasonal needs across multiple brands and markets.
• Forecast manpower needs in collaboration with Operations, HRBPs, Finance, and Planning teams.
• Identify optimal source countries and recruitment channels to ensure consistent talent pipelines for both frontline and management roles.
• Provide market intelligence and strategic advisory to business leaders on risks, opportunities, and cost implications in different labor markets.

Recruitment Operations & Execution

• Lead and manage end-to-end bulk recruitment processes, including job marketing, agency coordination, and talent pooling.
• Organize and lead overseas recruitment drives across multiple source countries specially Asia and Africa, etc.
• Continuously explore and evaluate new countries for international hiring based on market trends, legal frameworks, and talent quality.
• Manage the mobilization process across the GCC, ensuring timely deployment in line with operational readiness and project timelines.
• Coordinate with internal visa and onboarding teams across various GCC countries to ensure smooth processing.
• Handle real-time escalations and resolve visa-related and consulate issues efficiently in partnership with Admin and legal teams.

Stakeholder & Vendor Management

• Serve as a key point of contact between Talent Acquisition and internal stakeholders including HRBPs, Brand Heads, Finance, and Legal.
• Manage relationships with external recruitment agencies, government agencies, overseas consulates, embassies, and labor attachés.
• Build strategic partnerships with universities, training institutes, and vocational centers in source countries for future pipeline creation.
• Regularly engage with local authorities across GCC to align with labor laws, quotas, and government initiatives.

Process Compliance & Employer Brand

• Ensure strict compliance with internal TA policies, external legal regulations, and visa procedures.
• Implement diversity and inclusion principles within the recruitment process.
• Support employer branding initiatives to attract top talent, particularly for bulk hiring campaigns in external markets.
• Contribute to recruitment marketing strategies and coordinate with the Communications team for social media and PR alignment.

Team Leadership & Reporting

• Manage, mentor, and support a small, agile TA team to meet aggressive hiring targets.
• Set clear KPIs, provide regular performance feedback, and create development plans for team members.
• Analyze recruitment data and present dashboards, reports, and insights to senior leadership.
• Remain flexible to re-prioritize based on urgent needs and changing business environments.

Qualifications & Requirements:

• Minimum 8–10 years of TA experience with a strong focus on bulk hiring for frontline operations.
• Mandatory experience in the Food & Beverage industry, specifically in high-volume restaurant hiring across multiple geographies.
• Demonstrated success organizing and leading international recruitment campaigns and overseas hiring drives.
• Experience managing large-scale mobilization across GCC countries.
• Solid understanding of visa processing, labor laws, consular coordination, and government approvals across GCC and source countries.

Preferred Skills & Attributes:

• Excellent stakeholder management and vendor coordination skills.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to advise leadership on global recruitment trends and hiring risks.
• Effective communicator and presenter, able to engage with senior leadership and cross-functional teams.
• Hands-on, adaptable, and solution-oriented – able to quickly resolve issues under pressure.
• Strong data analysis and reporting capabilities; comfortable presenting recruitment metrics and trends.
• High level of cultural awareness, flexibility to travel extensively across GCC and international markets.
• Experience building university and institutional partnerships for long-term pipeline development.
• High proficiency in Excel and data calculation, consolidation and analysis

Language & Education:

• Fluency in Arabic and English is a must.
• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, or related field
• Certifications in Talent Acquisition, Recruitment Marketing, or International HR are an advantage