Alvarez & Marsal MENA
Director, Middle East People Lead
- Permanent
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Experience 10 - 15 yrs
Job expiry date: 17/05/2026
Job overview
Date posted
02/04/2026
Location
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Salary
SAR 40,000 - 50,000 per month
Compensation
Comprehensive package
Experience
10 - 15 yrs
Seniority
Director
Qualification
Bachelors degree
Expiration date
17/05/2026
Job description
Alvarez & Marsal (A&M), a global consulting firm, is seeking a Director, Middle East People Lead to spearhead human capital initiatives across the Middle East. The role is based in Riyadh and collaborates across Dubai and Abu Dhabi offices, reporting to the EMEA People Lead. The position requires driving employee engagement, workforce planning, operational excellence, and compliance with local labour laws across multiple Middle Eastern countries. The Director will serve as a trusted advisor on the full employee lifecycle, design and implement regional People strategies, oversee HR operations including Workday and payroll, lead professional development of regional People teams, execute key People projects, ensure policy compliance, mitigate legal and operational risks, advise on employee relations matters, foster a culture of inclusion and innovation, support workflow automation, and optimize operational efficiency in alignment with global HR service delivery standards.
Required skills
Key responsibilities
- Serve as the primary trusted advisor to senior leaders on all aspects of human resources and people management, including workforce planning, succession planning, employee engagement, performance management, and talent development across the Middle East region.
- Collaborate closely with global and regional People leadership teams to design, implement, and execute comprehensive People strategies that align with business objectives, improve employee experience, drive performance, and support organizational growth and transformation.
- Lead and manage key People projects for the Middle East, including initiatives related to organizational design, employee lifecycle improvements, HR policy updates, compliance projects, talent development programs, and employee engagement campaigns.
- Oversee the professional development, coaching, and mentoring of the regional People teams, ensuring knowledge transfer, continuous learning, and career growth opportunities to strengthen HR capabilities within the organization.
- Develop, enforce, and continuously refine HR policies, procedures, and best practices in alignment with global standards while ensuring full compliance with local labour laws, regulations, industry standards, and organizational policies to mitigate operational and legal risks.
- Provide expert guidance to the local People team on complex employee relations matters, grievances, disciplinary actions, performance issues, and compliance requirements, leveraging support from global and regional leadership as necessary.
- Manage People operations including Workday (HRIS), payroll administration, HR reporting, queries management, SLA adherence, and other operational functions, ensuring efficiency, automation of workflows, and continuous improvement of processes.
- Foster a regional culture aligned with A&M’s global vision and values, focusing on diversity, inclusion, innovation, collaboration, and alignment with organizational strategy, while tailoring approaches to the local work environment and employee expectations.
Experience & skills
- Demonstrate a minimum of 10 years of progressive HR experience, including at least 5 years in leadership roles managing multi-regional teams within matrixed international organizations, ensuring operational excellence and strategic alignment.
- Possess significant Middle East regional experience, preferably within the professional services sector, with a deep understanding of local labour laws, HR practices, compliance requirements, cultural norms, and regulatory environments across multiple countries.
- Hold a Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, or a related field, with a Master’s degree preferred; professional HR certifications such as SHRM-SCP or SPHR are highly desirable and demonstrate expertise in global HR operations and strategy.
- Exhibit proven experience in workforce planning, organizational development, change management, employee lifecycle management, and HR service delivery across multi-country and multi-regional teams in complex business environments.
- Demonstrate expertise in HR operations, including HRIS systems like Workday, payroll administration, employee relations, compliance monitoring, policy implementation, workflow automation, and operational efficiency improvement.
- Show a strong track record of building high-performing People teams, coaching and mentoring HR professionals, and fostering career development while maintaining engagement, performance management, and succession planning at a regional level.
- Exhibit fluency in Arabic and English, with strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities, cultural sensitivity, and the capability to influence and advise leaders at all levels of the organization effectively.
- Demonstrate a history of successfully leading HR initiatives that improve employee experience, operational effectiveness, compliance, diversity and inclusion, and innovation within a dynamic, fast-paced, client-focused, and entrepreneurial work environment.