Head of Recruitment and Emiratization (UAEN)

Head of Talent Acquisition & Emiratisation

Industry: Manufacturing / Semi-Government

Reporting to: VP People

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced Head of Talent Acquisition & Emiratisation to lead the organisation’s talent acquisition strategy and Emiratization agenda across the business.

The role will be responsible for building a strong, future-ready talent pipeline, strengthening the organisation’s employer value proposition, and ensuring the successful attraction, selection and retention of both Emirati and international talent across critical functions.

This is a strategic leadership role requiring strong knowledge of the UAE talent market, Emiratisation requirements, executive hiring and large-scale recruitment, combined with the ability to partner closely with senior business and HR leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the organisation’s overall Talent Acquisition strategy in line with business growth and workforce plans.
• Lead end-to-end recruitment across corporate, technical, operational and leadership positions.
• Partner with business leaders to understand workforce requirements, succession needs and critical talent gaps.
• Establish robust talent pipelines for current and future business needs.
• Drive recruitment effectiveness through data, market intelligence and TA analytics.
• Develop and maintain recruitment policies, processes, governance and service standards.

Emiratisation

• Own and drive the organisation’s Emiratisation strategy and hiring roadmap.
• Partner with leadership to establish Emirati workforce plans aligned with business and regulatory requirements.
• Build sustainable Emirati talent pipelines across early careers, experienced hires and critical/specialist roles.
• Develop relationships with UAE universities, government entities, career platforms and national talent programmes.
• Lead Emirati graduate, internship, scholarship and early-career hiring initiatives where relevant.
• Monitor Emiratisation hiring targets, progress and workforce metrics and provide regular reporting to senior leadership.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen Emirati career pathways, internal mobility and long-term retention.

Leadership & Stakeholder Management

• Lead and develop the Talent Acquisition team, setting clear objectives, standards and performance measures.
• Act as a trusted talent advisor to the executive leadership team and senior stakeholders.
• Lead senior and critical hiring mandates, including leadership and hard-to-find specialist positions.
• Manage relationships with recruitment agencies, executive search firms and other external talent partners.
• Build strong relationships with internal HR teams, particularly HRBPs, Learning & Development, Rewards and Workforce Planning.

Employer Brand & Candidate Experience

• Strengthen the organisation’s Employer Value Proposition and position the company as an employer of choice within the UAE market.
• Develop targeted talent attraction strategies for Emirati and specialist talent.
• Improve candidate experience across the recruitment lifecycle.
• Leverage digital platforms, social media, industry networks, events and partnerships to strengthen talent attraction.

Governance & Analytics

• Establish and monitor TA KPIs including time-to-hire, quality of hire, cost of hire, pipeline health, offer acceptance and Emiratisation metrics.
• Provide regular talent market insights and recruitment dashboards to senior leadership.
• Ensure recruitment practices remain compliant with UAE labour and Emiratisation requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement and digitisation of recruitment processes and systems.

Candidate Profile

• 10+ years of Talent Acquisition / Recruitment experience , with significant experience leading TA functions or teams.
• Strong experience in the UAE market , ideally within a large organisation, manufacturing, industrial, infrastructure, energy or semi-government environment.
• Demonstrated experience developing and delivering Emiratisation strategies and hiring programmes .
• Strong understanding of the UAE talent landscape and Emirati talent ecosystem.
• Experience hiring across technical, corporate, operational and leadership positions.
• Proven senior stakeholder and executive hiring experience.
• Experience managing recruitment teams, agencies and external talent partners.
• Strong understanding of recruitment governance, workforce planning and TA analytics.
• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• Bachelor’s degree required. HR / Talent Acquisition certifications would be an advantage.

Key Success Measures

• Delivery against Emiratisation and workforce hiring targets
• Strength and diversity of talent pipelines
• Quality and speed of critical hiring
• Recruitment cost and agency effectiveness
• Development and performance of the TA team
• Strength of employer brand and talent attraction

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