Human Resources Director

SYSTRA; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 600,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

SYSTRA is seeking a Senior HR Director for the Saudi Arabia market to lead the people strategy in alignment with business goals. You will oversee Saudization, workforce planning, and HR operations, while ensuring regulatory compliance and strong leadership across the HR function.

The role requires extensive HR leadership, cross-functional collaboration with senior stakeholders, and fluency in Arabic and English.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR Management, Organizational Development, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 15+ years of relevant HR leadership experience.
• Ability to develop and deliver a people strategy aligned to business objectives.
• Strong knowledge of HR operations, workforce planning, organizational development, and talent management.
• Experience implementing Saudization or localization plans.
• Fluency in Arabic and English is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and delivery of the KSA people strategy in partnership with senior leadership.
• Oversee workforce planning, Saudization, and talent development initiatives.
• Ensure HR policies comply with Saudi laws and localization obligations.
• Drive organizational effectiveness, leadership development, and succession planning.
• Manage HR operations including payroll, compensation, and employee relations.
• Provide data-driven reporting on workforce metrics to executive leadership.

Skills

Leadership (HR teams)

Strategic workforce planning

Saudization / localization

HR analytics & reporting

Bilingual: Arabic & English

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HRM / Organizational Development / Business Administration

CIPD or equivalent HR qualification (advantage)

Tools

HR systems

Workforce analytics

Job description

SYSTRA is one of the world's leading engineering and consultancy groups specialising in public transport and sustainable mobility. With over 10,300 employees, SYSTRA's mission is to design safe and sustainable transport solutions to bring people together, develop social inclusion and facilitate access to employment, education and leisure throughout the world.

For 65 years, the Group has been working alongside cities and regions to contribute to their development by creating, improving and modernising their infrastructure and transport systems, throughout the life cycle of their projects. SYSTRA is involved from the earliest stages of design through to the testing, deployment and maintenance phases. The company provides all its services in over 80 countries worldwide and generates 74% of its turnover internationally. With its new services, SYSTRA supports its clients and partners in their digital, ecological and energy transition, in order to invent the mobility of tomorrow.

Context

The HR Director leads the development and delivery of the people strategy for the KSA business. Reporting to and working in partnership with the Managing Director and senior leadership team, the role aligns workforce capability, organizational effectiveness, and talent priorities with the business strategy and project pipeline.

The HR Director oversees the full range of HR activities, including workforce planning, Saudization, talent acquisition and development, HR operations, organizational development, employee relations, and compliance. The role supports sustainable growth by building a capable, engaged workforce and developing Saudi talent, while ensuring HR policies and practices comply with applicable KSA requirements.

Missions/Main Duties

Strategic business partnership and commercial workforce planning

• Translate business plans, project pipelines and operational demand into workforce, organization and capability plans.
• Advise leaders on workforce cost, productivity, mobilization, organization design, succession and people-related risks.
• Use workforce and financial data to assess options, challenge assumptions and support timely business decisions.
• Align local workforce plans and HR priorities with Group strategy, policies and procedures.

Saudization, national talent and Nitaqat

• Set and lead the nationalization strategy, integrating applicable Saudization and Nitaqat requirements into workforce planning, recruitment and talent decisions.
• Monitor workforce composition and compliance status; identify emerging gaps, advise leadership and coordinate timely corrective action with Government Relations and business leaders.
• Build sustainable Saudi talent pipelines and progression through targeted recruitment, development, retention and succession planning.

Organization, talent and leadership

• Strengthen organizational effectiveness, leadership capability, performance and succession in line with current and future business needs.
• Set priorities for learning, career development and graduate or early-career programs, including the development of Saudi employees.
• Support the implementation of Group HR initiatives, adapting them to local business needs while maintaining alignment with Group direction.

HR governance, compliance and risk management

• Ensure HR policies, processes, records and practices comply with applicable Saudi laws, regulations and employment requirements, including relevant Saudization and localization obligations, as well as Group HR policies and procedures.
• Work with Government Relations, Legal and other specialists to monitor regulatory changes, assess their impact and implement required actions.
• Maintain effective HR controls, documentation, reporting and escalation processes to support compliance and audit readiness.
• Promote the consistent and fair application of HR policies, employee relations procedures, performance processes and confidentiality requirements.
• Identify people-related risks and recommend practical mitigations.

HR operations and employee experience

• Oversee HR operations, including employee relations, performance management, compensation and benefits, payroll administration and HR policy implementation.
• Establish efficient, consistent, employee-focused processes with clear service standards and accountability.
• Work with Finance and business leaders on workforce cost planning, payroll accuracy and people-related budgets.
• Resolve complex or sensitive employee matters with sound judgment, consistency and appropriate confidentiality.

HR technology, analytics and continuous improvement

• Use HR systems and technology to improve service delivery, process efficiency, data quality and the employee experience.
• Establish and monitor people metrics covering workforce planning, Saudization, recruitment, retention, learning, employee relations, service delivery and people costs.
• Provide concise, evidence-based reports and recommendations to senior leadership, highlighting trends, risks, progress and decisions required.
• Identify opportunities to improve HR processes, systems, controls and management practices, and lead agreed improvements.

Stakeholder engagement and team leadership

• Build trusted relationships with the Managing Director, KSA leadership team, Finance, project leaders and HR counterparts across other global business units.
• Collaborate with Group HR and other global business units to share effective practices, coordinate cross-business initiatives and support consistent implementation of Group policies, procedures and HR priorities.
• Lead, develop and support the HR team, setting clear priorities and fostering a responsive, collaborative and service-oriented culture.
• Represent HR in relevant leadership and business forums, ensuring people considerations are integrated into planning, decisions and execution.

Profile/Skills

In accordance with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s nationalization framework and applicable labor regulations, eligibility for this position is restricted to Saudi nationals

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management, Organizational Development, Business Administration, or a related discipline; a relevant master’s degree is an advantage.
• Typically, 15 or more years of relevant experience, including substantial senior-level HR leadership experience.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and deliver a people strategy linked to business objectives and operational requirements.
• Strong knowledge of HR operations, workforce planning, organizational development, learning and development, employee relations, and performance management.
• Experience developing and implementing Saudization or localization plans and building national talent pipelines.
• Working knowledge of the KSA employment and HR regulatory environment, and the ability to work effectively with Government Relations, Legal, and other specialists on compliance matters.
• Experience leading HR teams and influencing senior leaders and diverse stakeholders.
• Strong analytical, financial, communication, presentation, and report-writing skills.
• Experience using HR systems and workforce analytics to support decision-making and process improvement.
• Experience in a project-based, engineering, infrastructure, or consulting environment is an advantage.
• CIPD or an equivalent HR qualification is an advantage.
• Fluency in Arabic and English is preferred.

Systra is an equal opportunities company; this position is open to all applicants.

Workplace Type

On-site