Senior Director Human Resources

About the Role

A fast-expanding retail group operating across Kuwait and the GCC, employing over 2,000 staff, is seeking an experienced Senior Director of Human Resources. This senior leadership position offers direct collaboration with the CEO and executive team, holding comprehensive responsibility to drive the people agenda, elevate HR frameworks, enhance organizational efficiency, and redefine HR's role in business success and expansion.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and lead the HR strategy encompassing talent acquisition, HR operations, compensation and benefits, performance management, employee relations, organizational development, and learning initiatives.
• Collaborate with the CEO and leadership to optimize organizational structure, leadership capabilities, workforce strategy, and overall business growth.
• Enhance organizational design including job architecture, grading systems, salary structures, and compensation models.
• Advance manpower planning, budgeting, and improve workforce productivity throughout business units and GCC operations.
• Revamp performance management and appraisal processes to foster accountability, create clear performance differentiation, and align individual outcomes with business goals.
• Strengthen senior leadership recruitment, succession planning, and internal leadership pipeline development.
• Elevate recruitment quality, efficiency, and effectiveness across the organization.
• Create practical retention programs tailored for Kuwait and GCC markets, particularly targeting critical and high-performing talent.
• Ensure strong governance of multinational payroll systems, HR reporting, and compliance with employment laws.
• Promote the use of HR information systems, analytics, and workforce data to inform better management decisions.
• Build and mentor a capable HR leadership team, maintaining accountability, quality service levels, and a business-driven approach within the HR function.
• Lead major HR transformation and change management initiatives, ensuring efficiency and suitability for a fast-paced business environment.

Qualifications and Experience

• More than 15 years of progressive HR experience, including senior leadership roles such as Director, Senior Director, or Head of HR.
• Proven track record managing comprehensive HR functions in large and complex organizations.
• Strong background in retail, consumer goods, FMCG, hospitality, or similarly large frontline workforce industries.
• Experience managing HR for organizations with approximately 2,000 or more employees.
• Successful involvement in HR transformation, organizational design, manpower planning, performance management, and workforce productivity enhancement.
• Expertise in executive-level recruitment including direct sourcing, market mapping, headhunting, or executive search.
• Significant experience managing HR across multiple GCC countries is highly desirable.
• In-depth knowledge of employment laws and practices in Kuwait and the GCC.
• Commercial acumen to balance HR governance with operational agility and business demands.
• Proficiency in both Arabic and English is preferred.

Why Join

• Direct interface with the CEO and top leadership.
• Authentic authority to influence the people strategy and HR operating model.
• Role spans multiple GCC countries and diverse business units.
• Opportunity to lead impactful organizational transformation beyond routine HR maintenance.
• Prominent role where HR initiatives significantly drive growth, productivity, leadership development, and organizational outcomes.