Associate Director - Talent

Aldar Education is currently seeking an outstanding Associate Director Talent. The Associate Director Talent is a strategic leadership role responsible for defining, driving and continuously enhancing Aldar Education's talent agenda across Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, Leadership Development, Succession Planning and Talent Technology. Reporting directly to the Chief People Officer, the role acts as a trusted advisor to the HQ Leadership Team, Principals and School Senior Leaders. The role is accountable for ensuring Aldar Education attracts, develops and retains high-performing talent through innovative talent strategies, data-driven decision-making, exceptional stakeholder partnership and best-in-class talent systems. The Associate Director Talent leads the implementation and optimization of Talent technologies, including the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), Learning Management System (LMS) and Performance Enablement platforms, ensuring an outstanding employee and candidate experience. Starting with one school and 250 students in 2007, Aldar Education has grown into a highly sought after education provider, now supporting over 38,000 students in 28 schools and a growing network of almost 5000 educators, with over 100 nationalities, offering a wide range of curricula and ancillary services such as a Teacher Training Academy. Working collaboratively, our education network s purpose is to empower the next generation to shape our future, directly supporting the educational goals of Abu Dhabi s government. Today, Aldar Education s efforts are guided by the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 plan, which aims to build a sustainable knowledge-based economy through premium education. Minimum Qualifications • Bachelor s degree in HR or related field or minimum of a HR module within a non-HR degree • Recognized HR Qualification and/or professional subscription (eg CIPD Level 5 or equivalent SHRM level) desirable Minimum Experience • Minimum 10 years progressive HR/Talent experience with at least 5 years in a senior Talent leadership role • Demonstrated experience leading both Talent Acquisition and Learning & Development • functions. • Experience implementing and optimizing HR technology platforms, including ATS, LMS and Talent Management systems. • Experience partnering with Executive Leadership Teams and leading large-scale organizational transformation initiatives. • Management experience within P&C including leading and coaching non-direct reports and senior colleagues through talent programs. • Education industry experience is highly preferred otherwise experience within hospitality, healthcare or other service-intensive sectors essential. Job Specific Knowledge & Skills • Strong presentation and executive communication skills. • Strong business acumen including Budget ownership and financial planning. • Strong organisational and project management skills to meet multiple priorities and deadlines. • Good Executive stakeholder management and influencing skills. • Experience in HR technology transformation and digital enablement. • Good skills in Talent analytics and data storytelling. • Very Good MS Office skills. • Ability to roll up sleeves and get things done through taking calculated risks and experimenting with new solutions. • Strong analytics and problem-solving skills • Successful track record in helping build, implement, and sustain key talent management initiatives. • Establish trust by maintaining a high level of credibility, integrity, confidentiality, and skilled communications with all levels of employees. • Work in a highly collaborative and effective manner, both independently and in crossfunctional teams. • Proficiency in HR technologies and data-driven decision-making. • Must have outstanding organisational and analytic skills to drive implementation of initiatives and evaluate and report on results. • Possess flexibility and has a history of delivering results in a changing and highly ambiguous work environment. • Serve as backup to other teammates. Assist with their workload or even substitute for them as appropriate. Main Duties • Responsible for developing and executing a multi-year Talent Strategy aligned to • Aldar Education's growth plans, organizational priorities and workforce requirements • Develop and execute an effective leadership assessment process for talent selection of • Executive, Senior Management, and Management positions. • Provide regular Talent insights and recommendations to the Executive Leadership Team and stakeholders where required. • Lead and manage a highly skilled team of talent acquisition and development professionals, providing guidance and mentorship. • Monitoring and reporting on staff turnover rates and analyse/address with P&C team areas and potential for employee retention. • Establish and manage succession planning processes to support the organization having a pipeline of leadership-ready talent. Specific Duties • Collaborate with the People & Culture Team and other key stakeholders on all talent • related matters. • Lead recruitment efforts for executive-level positions. • Own the end-to-end recruitment strategy and governance framework for both School and • Corporate functions. • Benchmark talent practices against leading education and service-sector organizations to ensure continuous improvement. • Lead the continuous enhancement and optimization of the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and Careers Platform to improve efficiency, candidate experience, compliance and reporting capabilities. • Lead the implementation and continuous enhancement of Aldar Education's flagship talent pipeline programs, including Graduate Teacher Programs, National Development • Programs and leadership pathways. • Drive the adoption of automation, AI-enabled recruitment tools and recruitment analytics to improve quality of hire, reduce time-to-fill and enhance recruitment effectiveness. • Establish recruitment governance, service levels and recruitment performance metrics across HQ and Schools. • Oversee all psychometric assessment tools, systems and processes related to talent. • Represent People & Culture in strategic business initiatives, school integrations, acquisitions and organizational transformation projects. •