Senior Manager â HR Policies & Employee Relations

PricewaterhouseCoopers; Dubai; On-site; AED 380,000 - 450,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading consulting firm in Dubai seeks a Senior Manager for Human Capital to oversee employee relations and policy governance. The ideal candidate will have 12+ years of experience including 5+ years in leadership, skills in compliance and employee relations, as well as fluency in English and Arabic. This position fosters a culture of trust and integrity while ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.

Qualifications

• 12 years of progressive experience in Human Capital or Governance.
• 5 years in a senior leadership role with proven policy design experience.
• Fluency in English and Arabic.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic advisory on employee relations matters.
• Lead the design of people policies ensuring compliance.
• Establish governance frameworks for employee relations.

Skills

Compliance Management

Employee Relations

Analytical Thinking

Conflict Resolution

Communication

Education

Bachelor Degree - Human Resources Management

Bachelor Degree - Business Administration

Bachelor Degree - Business Law

Job description

Overview

Line of Service: Internal Firm Services

Industry/Sector: Not Applicable

Specialism: IFS - Human Capital (HC)

Management Level: Senior Manager

Job Description & Summary: Firm Overview: At PwC we are a community of solvers where every individual plays an important role in shaping the future of our firm clients and communities. We seek individuals who excel in their roles and embody our core behaviors working together to create a better tomorrow. Our commitment to Trusted Leadership and Distinctive Outcomes from our PwC Professional framework defines how we deliver on our purpose and strategy serving our clients and living our values in every interaction. Trusted Leadership emphasizes building trust delivering sustained outcomes and demonstrating courage and honesty especially during challenging times. Distinctive Outcomes focus on excellence collaboration and inclusiveness ensuring our work adds value meaning and purpose. By integrating these principles into our daily operations we ensure that our efforts are aligned with our values and objectives. Thus we are looking for candidates who are self-aware collaborative committed to continuous learning and dedicated to delivering quality and integrity. Were a network of firms in 152 countries with more than 328000 people who are committed to delivering world-class capabilities and quality in assurance tax and advisory services. Established in the region for over 40 years PwC Middle East employs over 10000 people across 12 countries: Bahrain Egypt Iraq Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Libya Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia Palestine and the United Arab Emirates. Complementing our depth of industry expertise and breadth of skills is our sound knowledge of local business environments across the Middle East region. Our tailored solutions help our clients meet the challenges and opportunities of doing business in the Middle East market and beyond.

Line of Service and Overview: Internal Firm Services (IFS) is a network of specialist support professionals which includes Clients & Markets Finance Human Capital (HC) Marketing & Communications Office Management Risk & Quality Technology to name but a few. Each function plays a vital role in making sure we have all the right resources services and technology across our business.

Job Summary: We value every individual’s role in shaping our future. Were looking for candidates who excel in their roles and embody our core behaviors of Trusted Leadership and Distinctive Outcomes. Trusted Leadership focuses on building trust delivering sustained results and showing courage and honesty. Distinctive Outcomes emphasize excellence collaboration and inclusiveness. We seek self-aware collaborative individuals committed to continuous learning and delivering quality and integrity. As a senior member of the People Experience function you will lead the design implementation and governance of employee relations practices and people policies across the region. This role blends strategic advisory policy transformation and employee relations leadership ensuring our policies and practices are not only compliant and risk-managed but also clear accessible and people-centric. You will serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership balancing firm reputation and compliance requirements with the employee experience. With a strong focus on simplification consistency and proactive culture-building you will ensure our firm remains a great place to work while meeting regulatory and governance standards.

Key Responsibilities

Employee Relations (ER)

• Provide strategic advisory on complex and sensitive employee relations matters including grievances investigations disciplinary cases counselling and terminations
• Lead and coach the HC team in conducting investigations ensuring fairness consistency and timeliness
• Partner with Ethics Legal and Risk teams to manage high-risk cases and ensure alignment with labor law firm values and code of conduct
• Introduce proactive ER initiatives (manager training awareness sessions ER toolkits) to prevent issues and strengthen trust and culture
• Oversee ER analytics and reporting identifying trends and recommending actions that enhance employee experience and mitigate risk

Policies & Compliance

• Lead the design revamp and simplification of people policies ensuring they are globally aligned locally compliant accessible and written in clear inclusive language
• Digitize and centralize policy access improving visibility and usability across the region
• Stay abreast of regional labor law changes; act as the focal point for communicating and embedding regulatory updates into policies and practices
• Serve as the point of contact for all HC-related internal and external audits.
• Ensure policies reinforce the firms values culture and commitment to diversity equity and inclusion

Governance & Strategic Enablement

• Establish and maintain operating procedures governance frameworks and reporting dashboards for ER and policy compliance.
• Use data and employee feedback to continuously improve policies and ER processes
• Connect ER and policy insights to broader People Experience initiatives (engagement well-being onboarding) to enhance the overall employee lifecycle
• Partner with senior stakeholders to balance business needs employee experience and compliance

Required Experience & Competencies:

• 12 years of progressive experience in Human Capital (HC) HC Governance or Compliance preferably within multinational or matrixed organizations
• 5 years in a senior leadership role with proven experience in policy design compliance strategy and cross-functional collaboration
• Proven hands-on experience managing complex and sensitive employment matters including investigations and litigation cases
• Deep knowledge of labor laws across the Middle East region (UAE KSA Oman Bahrain Kuwait Jordan Iraq Palestine Lebanon Libya Egypt Qatar)
• Strong ability to influence senior stakeholders and act as a trusted advisor
• Experience in simplifying digitizing and modernizing HR policies
• Data-driven mindset with strong analytical skills combined with sensitivity to employee experience and firm reputation
• Ability to build credible rapport with leadership and employees and to manage situations requiring discretion and trust
• Fluency in English & Arabic

Expected Skills & Behaviors:

• Demonstrates thought leadership in Human Capital (HC) policies and compliance setting a high standard for ethical conduct and governance
• Cultivates a culture of integrity and transparency across all levels of the organization
• Communicates complex policy matters with clarity and conviction inspiring trust and confidence among stakeholders
• Encourages ownership and accountability by fostering a compliance-first mindset
• Continuously monitors regulatory changes and industry trends to ensure policies remain current relevant and future-ready
• Drives innovation in compliance practices through digital tools automation and data-driven insights
• Advocates for fair and inclusive workplace practices through robust policy frameworks
• Establishes strong cross-functional partnerships with Legal Risk Audit and HR teams to ensure seamless policy implementation
• Builds scalable compliance frameworks that support regional and global expansion

Education (if blank degree and/or field of study not specified)

Degrees/Field of Study required: Degrees/Field of Study preferred: Bachelor Degree - Human Resources Management Bachelor Degree - Business Administration Bachelor Degree - Business Law

Certifications (if blank certifications not specified)

Required Skills

Compliance Management Compliance Management Systems Conflict Management Conflict Negotiations Conflict Resolution Management Employee and Labor Relations Employee Relationships Employee Relations Law Employee Relations Programs Employment Litigation Governance Framework HR Employee Relations HR Policy Development Human Resource Practices Human Resources Best Practices Human Resources Policies Labor and Employment Law Labor Employment Labor Rights Policy Design Policy Setting Risk Mitigation

Optional Skills

Active Listening Active Listening Analytical Thinking Coaching and Feedback Communication Complaint Management Confidential Information Handling Conflict Resolution Contract Dispute Resolution Contract Interpretation Creativity Developing Policies and Guidelines Disciplinary Procedures Embracing Change Emotional Regulation Empathy Employee Data Management Employee Relations Employee Relations Program Development Employee Surveys Handling Sensitive Information Human Resources (HR) Policies Human Resources (HR) Project Management Inclusion Influence 15 more

Desired Languages (If blank desired languages not specified)

Arabic English

Travel Requirements

Not Specified

Available for Work Visa Sponsorship

Yes

Government Clearance Required

Yes

Job Posting End Date

Required Experience:

Senior Manager