Head of People

Location: Dubai, UAE Reports to: CEO About the role: The Head of HR acts as a strategic partner to the leadership team while maintaining direct, hands-on execution of the People strategy, driving initiatives that align with DT One s business objectives and fostering a culture of high performance. This individual will lead and execute the company's people strategy, focusing on talent management, organisational design, employee engagement, and operational excellence. Key responsibilities: Strategic Leadership • Partner with the leadership team to develop and execute a forward-looking HR strategy that supports DT One s business objectives. • Provide strategic guidance and direct operational leadership on organisational design, workforce planning, and change management initiatives, with implementation ownership. • Drive a culture of accountability, and innovation across the organisation. Talent Management • Lead efforts to attract, develop, and retain top talent, ensuring a robust pipeline for critical roles. • Oversee performance management processes, including leadership development and succession planning. • Design, launch, and personally drive initiatives to enhance employee engagement and retention, ensuring close connection to day-to-day employee experience. Employee Relations and Compliance • Serve as a trusted advisor on employee relations matters, fostering a positive and transparent work environment. • Ensure compliance with all local labour laws and regulations, as well as internal policies and procedures. Operational Excellence • Partner with the shared services people operations team to ensure efficient workflows, data integrity, payroll/benefits delivery and vendor management. • Ensure market aligned compensation and benefits. • Manage HR metrics and reporting to provide insights into workforce trends and data-driven decision-making. • Partner with Finance to align workforce planning and budgeting with organisational goals. HR Leadership • Act as a mentor and coach to the leadership team, fostering their growth and development. • Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including employees, managers, and external partners. • Continuously assess and refine HR processes to ensure efficiency and scalability. Qualifications and Experience: • Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field (Master's degree preferred). • Minimum of 10 years of progressive HR experience, with at least 3 years in a leadership or senior HRBP role. • Proven experience that combines strategic HR business partnering with direct, hands-on operational delivery in fast-paced tech environments. • Strong understanding of global HR practices and compliance requirements, with experience working across multiple jurisdictions. • Experience in organisational design, talent management, and change management. • Familiarity with HR systems and tools, including Greenhouse and HiBob, for recruitment, data analytics and decision-making. • M&A experience and working with EOR providers is advantageous. The ideal candidate is someone who: • Thrives under pressure, breaking down complex challenges, prioritising effectively, and delivering in fast-paced, changing environments. • Comfortably operates in ambiguous and fast-paced environments. • Thinks strategically with the ability to translate business needs into HR initiatives. • Exhibits exceptional interpersonal and communication skills. • Effectively influences and builds strong relationships at all levels of the organization. • Proactive, solution-oriented approach to problem-solving. • High level of integrity and discretion.