Group Head - Reward

Aldar Education is seeking an outstanding Group Head - Rewards to lead the organisation's Total Rewards, Performance Management, and Workforce Planning functions, ensuring competitive reward practices, effective performance frameworks, and workforce strategies that support business objectives, talent needs, and organisational growth. This is an exciting opportunity to join the highly successful Aldar Education family of schools and play a key role in shaping the technology strategy and service delivery across some of Abu Dhabi s leading educational institutions. As the leading education group in Abu Dhabi, Aldar Education provides inclusive and innovative learning that inspires and empowers communities. We offer a range of educational brands for learners from nursery through to adult education, with the broadest choice of curricula across the largest number of locations in Abu Dhabi. Working collaboratively, our education network aims to empower the next generation to shape our future while directly supporting the educational priorities of the Abu Dhabi Government. Our work is guided by the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, which seeks to build a sustainable, knowledge-based economy through premium education. The Group Head - Rewards will be responsible for market benchmarking, salary reviews, bonus management, performance management frameworks, workforce planning, reward analytics, policy development, and compliance. Acts as a strategic advisor to leadership, driving data-informed decisions on rewards, performance, and workforce requirements, while overseeing benefits and insurance programmes and ensuring competitive, equitable, and business-aligned people practices. Minimum Qualifications • Preferred: Currently pursuing or completed a globally recognised HR qualification (e.g. CIPD or SHRM) and/or WorldatWork certification. • Desired: Bachelor s or Master s degree in HR, Business, Finance or a related discipline, with formal study in reward where applicable. • Formal training in job evaluation, compensation and benefits benchmarking. Minimum Experience • Essential: Senior HR leadership experience (Senior Manager level or above) within an organisation of 1,000+ employees, with direct team leadership. • 5+ years experience in reward, or 7+ years generalist HR experience with strong expertise in reward, performance management and workforce planning. • Proven experience in job evaluation using a recognised methodology (e.g. Hay, WTW). • Experience across generalist HR, with a specialist focus on reward and strong understanding of performance management and workforce planning. • Proven experience leading company-wide compensation and benefits reviews, performance management initiatives and workforce planning programmes, including implementation of recommendations. • Experience developing and managing multi-layer incentive, reward and recognition programmes as part of an overarching Total Reward strategy. • Hands-on experience with compensation benchmarking, pay analysis and company-wide reward reviews. • Experience managing company bonus and incentive programmes. • Strong experience partnering with senior leaders in complex, matrix organisations, including workforce planning and organisational effectiveness. • Experience working across the Middle East is desirable, with UAE experience preferred. • Experience managing UAE employee benefits and insurance programmes. • Experience within education or other service-related sectors is preferred. • Demonstrated career progression and stability, with experience operating at a senior HR level in complex organisations. • Demonstrable commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. Job Specific Knowledge & Skills • Excellent English communication, presentation and relationship-building skills, with the ability to communicate complex reward, performance and workforce matters clearly to diverse stakeholders. • Strong business acumen and understanding of organisational structures, roles, workforce requirements and performance expectations across corporate and school environments. • Advanced Excel, analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to analyse reward, performance and workforce data and translate insights into actionable recommendations. • Proven track record of designing, implementing and sustaining high-impact reward, performance management and workforce planning initiatives. • Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple complex priorities and deliver initiatives within deadlines. • Strong judgement, commercial awareness and decision-making skills, with the ability to assess complex and ambiguous situations and recommend practical solutions. • Highly collaborative and proactive, with the ability to work independently and effectively across cross-functional teams. • Demonstrated ability to build trust through credibility, integrity, confidentiality and strong stakeholder management. • Experience working with external reward, compensation and benefits consultants. • Flexible, adaptable and results-oriented, with the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced and changing environment. • Comfortable working autonomously while maintaining strong professional relationships and acting in the best interests of the organisation. • Preferred: Currently pursuing or completed a globally recognised HR qualification (e.g. CIPD or SHRM) and/or WorldatWork certification. • Desired: Bachelor s or Master s degree in HR, Business, Finance or a related discipline, with formal study in reward where applicable. • Formal training in job evaluation, compensation and benefits benchmarking. Minimum Experience • Essential: Senior HR leadership experience (Senior Manager level or above) within an organisation of 1,000+ employees, with direct team leadership. • 5+ years experience in reward, or 7+ years generalist HR experience with strong expertise in reward, performance management and workforce planning. • Proven experience in job evaluation using a recognised methodology (e.g. Hay, WTW). • Experience across generalist HR, with a specialist focus on reward and strong understanding of performance management and workforce planning. • Proven experience leading company-wide compensation and benefits reviews, performance management initiatives and workforce planning programmes, including implementation of recommendations. • Experience developing and managing multi-layer incentive, reward and recognition programmes as part of an overarching Total Reward strategy. • Hands-on experience with compensation benchmarking, pay analysis and company-wide reward reviews. • Experience managing company bonus and incentive programmes. • Strong experience partnering with senior leaders in complex, matrix organisations, including workforce planning and organisational effectiveness. • Experience working across the Middle East is desirable, with UAE experience preferred. • Experience managing UAE employee benefits and insurance programmes. • Experience within education or other service-related sectors is preferred. • Demonstrated career progression and stability, with experience operating at a senior HR level in complex organisations. • Demonstrable commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. Job Specific Knowledge & Skills • Excellent English communication, presentation and relationship-building skills, with the ability to communicate complex reward, performance and workforce matters clearly to diverse stakeholders. • Strong business acumen and understanding of organisational structures, roles, workforce requirements and performance expectations across corporate and school environments. • Advanced Excel, analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to analyse reward, performance and workforce data and translate insights into actionable recommendations. • Proven track record of designing, implementing and sustaining high-impact reward, performance management and workforce planning initiatives. • Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple complex priorities and deliver initiatives within deadlines. • Strong judgement, commercial awareness and decision-making skills, with the ability to assess complex and ambiguous situations and recommend practical solutions. • Highly collaborative and proactive, with the ability to work independently and effectively across cross-functional teams. • Demonstrated ability to build trust through credibility, integrity, confidentiality and strong stakeholder management. • Experience working with external reward, compensation and benefits consultants. • Flexible, adaptable and results-oriented, with the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced and changing environment. • Comfortable working autonomously while maintaining strong professional relationships and acting in the best interests of the organisation.