Head of Human Resources

Confidentiel; Dhahran Compound; On-site; SAR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidentiel in Saudi Arabia seeks an seasoned Head of HR to design and execute HR strategy, governance and reporting across the company. You will lead the HR function, partner with executive leadership and shape workforce priorities, risks and strategic people decisions.

The role covers organization design, talent acquisition, performance management, learning and development, and employee lifecycle governance, ensuring compliance with Saudi labor requirements and driving leadership continuity

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, business or related field.
• Master’s degree or MBA preferred.
• Professional HR certification preferred.
• 15 years HR experience with 5 years in senior leadership

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the HR strategy and roadmap.
• Establish HR policies, governance, and delegated authorities.
• Advise executive leadership on workforce priorities and risks.
• Define HR KPIs, dashboards and reporting; monitor compliance.
• Oversee governance of employee lifecycle and payroll inputs.
• Lead and develop the HR team; align functions with business priorities.
• Drive organization design, performance management, and succession planning.
• Oversee learning, development and leadership pipeline.
• Ensure compliance with Saudi labor requirements and risk management.
• Coordinate with legal, finance and internal audit on people governance.

Skills

HR strategy

Governance

Leadership

Executive advisory

People & culture

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business

Master's degree/MBA

Professional HR certification (CIPD/SHRM/SPHR)

Job description

Responsibilities:

1. HR Strategy & Governance

• Develop and execute the HR strategy, annual priorities and roadmap in alignment with corporate objectives.
• Establish HR policies, governance frameworks, decision rights, delegated authorities and minimum standards for implementation across the Company.
• Advise executive leadership and subsidiary management on workforce priorities, organizational risks and strategic people decisions.
• Define HR KPIs, dashboards and reporting requirements, and monitor performance and compliance across the company.
• Ensure HR initiatives support business growth, operational readiness, leadership continuity and organizational sustainability.

Leadership of the HR Function

• Hire, lead, coach and hold accountable the HR team reporting directly to the Head of HR.
• Align the HR functions through integrated plans, clear ownership, shared priorities and coordinated delivery.
• Approve functional plans, budgets, resources, policies and major initiatives within delegated authority.
• Build a high-performing HR leadership team with strong business partnership, governance discipline and professional capability.

3. Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning

• Provide strategic direction for workforce planning, talent acquisition, executive recruitment and critical-role resourcing.
• Ensure recruitment priorities are aligned with approved manpower plans, budgets, Saudization objectives and business requirements.
• Establish Company standards for requisition governance, selection quality, assessment, offers, mobilization and recruitment reporting.
• Promote internal mobility, succession pipelines and optimal deployment of talent before external hiring, where practical.
• Monitor vacancies, recruitment risks, workforce supply and key talent market trends through the Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition.

4. HR Operations & Employee Governance

• Oversee the governance of employee lifecycle administration, including onboarding, contracts, employee records, transfers, promotions, leave, attendance, payroll inputs and offboarding.
• Ensure HR operations are accurate, timely, confidential and compliant with approved policies and applicable requirements.
• Establish appropriate controls for employee data, documentation, case management, records retention and service quality.
• Provide senior oversight for employee relations, grievances, disciplinary cases and sensitive workforce matters.
• Direct operational improvement, process standardization and HR technology enablement through the HR Operations.

5. Organization Development & Effectiveness

• Lead the Company agenda for organization design, operating model effectiveness, job architecture, role clarity and workforce productivity.
• Oversee performance management, talent reviews, succession planning, career frameworks and leadership pipeline development.
• Guide organizational change, culture, engagement and transformation initiatives in line with Company priorities.
• Ensure organization structures and position requirements are supported by sound business justification and approved governance.

6. Learning & Development

• Establish the Company learning and development strategy based on current and future capability requirements.
• Oversee leadership development, professional capability programs, mandatory learning and succession-related development plans.
• Ensure learning investments are prioritized, measurable and aligned with business outcomes and workforce plans.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning, knowledge transfer and internal capability building across the Company.
• Monitor learning effectiveness, participation, capability improvement and budget utilization through the Learning & Development function

7. Compliance, Risk & Executive Reporting

• Ensure Company HR frameworks and practices comply with applicable Saudi labor requirements, corporate policies and approved authorities.
• Oversee HR risks, audit findings, corrective actions and policy exceptions, escalating material matters to executive leadership.
• Sponsor reliable workforce analytics and executive dashboards to support evidence-based decisions.
• Coordinate with Legal, Finance, Compliance, Internal Audit and other functions on people governance and risk matters.
• Present HR strategy, workforce insights, functional performance, major risks and resource requirements to executive management and relevant governance committees.

8. External Stakeholder & Provider Management

• Build effective relationships with relevant government entities, professional bodies and strategic partners.
• Oversee major HR consultants, recruitment partners, training providers and HR technology vendors in line with procurement and contract governance.
• Ensure external support delivers defined outcomes, value for money, confidentiality and compliance with Company requirements.

Education:

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Management or a related field. Master's degree or MBA is preferred. Professional certification such as CIPD, SHRM, SPHR or equivalent is preferred.

Experience:

15 years of progressive Human Resources experience, including at least 5 years in a senior HR leadership role. Demonstrated experience leading multiple HR disciplines, advising executive management, establishing corporate HR governance, and operating within a Holding Company, Joint Venture, or multi-entity environment is preferred.