Human Resources Director

About the Role

The Human Resources Director will steer the HR operations for ZAD across its three locations: Kuwait head office, the product division in Turkey, and the Abu Dhabi Global Market branch. Reporting directly to the CEO, this role owns the comprehensive people strategy and its execution, focusing heavily on areas with significant business exposure such as compliance in multiple jurisdictions, payroll and benefits administration, executive and regulated recruitment, and organizational development.

This position blends leadership with hands-on responsibilities, as ZAD expands its presence in the UAE while growing teams beyond Kuwait. The Director is expected to establish high standards, set foundational frameworks, and personally manage critical HR tasks where internal capacity is limited.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement the company-wide people strategy across Kuwait, Turkey, and UAE, translating it into a detailed annual HR plan with defined priorities, accountable leads, and timelines.
• Ensure compliance with employment laws in each jurisdiction, including Kuwait Labor Law, Capital Markets Authority regulations, ADGM Employment Regulations, FSRA requirements for controlled roles, and Turkish Labor Law and social security mandates.
• Lead organizational design and workforce planning; maintain the organizational structure with grading and leveling systems; advise executives on optimal company structuring as growth occurs.
• Oversee recruitment efforts across all offices, personally managing high-level executive, regulated, and challenging hires.
• Manage compensation and benefits programs, including salary frameworks, market benchmarking across three countries, annual review processes, incentive schemes, and insurance plans.
• Supervise payroll processing and end-of-service payments to ensure accuracy, punctuality, and legal compliance across all entities.
• Conduct the performance management cycle, linking results to compensation and development plans; build succession and career progression frameworks to support employee retention.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive HR policies for the group, adapting them as necessary to local legal requirements and ensuring timely updates per regulatory changes.
• Build and lead the HR team to set work standards and develop required capabilities at each location.
• Serve as the senior HR consultant to executives and department leaders, providing counsel on organizational structure, talent management, conduct, and employee issues.
• Handle advanced employee relations matters including grievance resolution, disciplinary procedures, investigations, and terminations, ensuring consistent and lawful processes.
• Manage HR systems and data infrastructure, drive automation of manual workflows, and provide accurate, timely reporting to executives and the board.
• Oversee the HR budget and monitor the company's personnel expenditures against financial plans.
• Lead initiatives related to employee engagement, company culture, and internal communications across locations, responding proactively to feedback.

Core Competencies

• Expertise in employment laws across multiple jurisdictions.
• Strategic workforce planning capabilities.
• Designing effective compensation and benefits programs.
• Strong business partnership skills with influence at executive level.
• Sound judgment in employee relations matters.
• Regulatory knowledge pertinent to financial services sectors.
• Data literacy and analytics proficiency in HR contexts.
• Leadership across diverse cultures.
• High levels of discretion and integrity.

Minimum Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Law, or related disciplines; postgraduate qualifications are favored.
• Preferred professional HR certifications such as CIPD, SHRM SCP, or SPHR.
• At least twelve years of HR experience, including a minimum of five years in senior HR leadership roles.
• Proven track record of managing HR operations across multiple countries, preferably including the GCC region.
• Practical knowledge of Kuwait Labor Law; experience with UAE/ADGM employment legislation and Turkish labor regulations is highly advantageous.
• Background in financial services, fintech, banking, or regulated industries.
• Hands-on experience owning compensation frameworks, payroll governance, and organizational design.
• Demonstrated ability to establish or scale the HR function within newly formed entities or branches.
• Proficient in English; Arabic language skills considered a plus.
• Ability to operate effectively in both strategic planning and tactical execution within the same timeframe.