Senior Manager - HR

Adidas Group; Dubai; On-site; AED 650,000 - 1,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Adidas Group in the UAE seeks an experienced HR Business Partner to shape people strategies for non-commercial functions, partnering with leaders to drive performance, DEI, and talent development across the UAE.

You will align global, regional and cluster HR priorities, lead governance, coordinate budgets, and deliver high-quality HR services that position Adidas as an employer of choice.

Qualifications

• University degree in related fields.
• 10+ years of progressive HR experience, preferably in an international and matrix organization.
• Experience leading cross-functional HR projects, governance processes and strategic initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Act as a strategic HR Business Partner to UAE leaders of non-commercial functions.
• Advise leaders on people, organization, culture, talent, performance and DEI priorities.
• Provide coaching to leaders and embed HR concepts for high-performance culture.
• Build relationships to translate business needs into people priorities for UAE.
• Coordinate EMC HR governance calendar and implement global/regional priorities.
• Lead EMC-wide HR projects with scoping, planning, governance and risk management.
• Oversee data accuracy and HR process inputs across local systems.

Skills

Strategic HR partnership

Stakeholder management

Project management

Data-driven decision making

Executive communication

People development

Education

University degree in related fields

Job description

Purpose:

Provide one-stop HR Business Partnering service and support to respective functions based in the UAE, ensuring that leaders and employees receive consistent, high-quality HR support throughout the employee lifecycle. In parallel, play a double-hat role by driving cluster-wide HR projects and activities/improvements to strengthen consistency and effectiveness across the EMC HR organization.

Key Responsibilities:

• Act as a strategic HR Business Partner to leaders of non-commercial functions based in the UAE, building, cascading and executing functional people agendas aligned with business priorities and the adidas people strategy.
• Act as a member of relevant Functional Leadership Teams and advise leaders on people, organization, culture, talent, performance and DEI priorities.
• Provide trusted coaching and guidance to leaders and managers; articulate and embed HR concepts and tools that enable great line management and an employee-oriented, high-performance culture.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal customers to understand business needs, translate them into people priorities and ensure the requirements of global functions in the UAE are represented in the EMC overarching people agenda.
• Provide HR Business Partnering support across the employee lifecycle and work closely with HR Centres of Excellence, HRS and country HR teams to deliver a consistent employee experience and position adidas as an employer of choice.
• Manage core HR processes for the supported UAE functions, including people development, recruitment, mobility, compensation, promotions and workforce planning in partnership with relevant Centres of Excellence and line managers.
• Own the EMC HR governance calendar and coordinate the implementation of global, regional and cluster HR priorities with respective HR teams.
• Lead and support EMC-wide HR projects and strategic initiatives, including project scoping, planning, stakeholder alignment, governance, risk management, implementation and closure.
• Establish project governance, milestones, decision forums and tracking mechanisms to ensure initiatives are delivered on time, within budget and to the required quality standards.
• Coordinate the EMC HR strategy and annual planning cycle, translating priorities into actionable roadmaps, ownership, measures and reporting cadences.
• Coordinate the EMC HR budget planning, forecasting and tracking process, consolidating inputs, monitoring spend and supporting informed prioritization and resource decisions.
• Act as the central point of contact for EMC HR governance, process, policy, presentation, data consolidation and leadership reporting requirements.
• Coordinate with country HR teams to ensure standardization, accuracy and quality of data and process inputs, and maintain data accuracy across locally utilized HR systems.
• Act as the EMC contact point for global and regional HR transformation and project teams, ensuring timely dissemination, coordination and implementation of information and requirements across the cluster.
• Analyze HR processes and operating practices, challenge the status quo and lead continuous improvement actions that simplify work, increase efficiency and strengthen the employee and stakeholder experience.

Key Relationships:

• Function Leaders and Functional Leadership Teams based in the UAE
• EMC Senior Leadership Team and EMC HR Leadership Team
• HR Business Partners and Country HR teams across EMC
• Global and Emerging Markets HR teams
• HR Centres of Excellence
• HRS, Finance, Data and Analytics and other enabling functions
• External business partners

Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

• Strong leadership, influencing and stakeholder management skills
• Strategic HR partnership capabilities and strong business acumen
• Ability to balance hands-on HR Business Partnering with cluster-level strategic, governance and project responsibilities
• Excellent project and program management skills, including planning, governance, risk management, budget tracking and execution discipline
• Strong analytical capabilities with the ability to translate data and insights into clear recommendations and actions
• Excellent organization, prioritization and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Collaborative and inclusive attitude with a growth mindset
• Strong work ethic, integrity and sound judgment
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation and executive communication skills

Requisite Education and Experience:

University degree in related fields

10+ years of progressive HR experience, preferably in an international and matrix organization, with strong HR Business Partnering exposure

Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional HR projects, governance processes and strategic initiatives

Experience in a leadership role is an advantage