Senior Director of Human Resources (Retail, GCC)

About the role

The company, a fast‑growing retail group operating across Kuwait and other GCC markets, is looking for a Senior Director of Human Resources. Reporting directly to the CEO, you will steer the people agenda, transform the HR operating model and drive organizational effectiveness to support business growth.

Key responsibilities

• Define and execute the overall HR strategy covering talent acquisition, HR operations, compensation & benefits, performance management, employee relations, organizational development and learning.
• Partner with the CEO and executive team on organizational design, leadership capability, workforce planning and business expansion.
• Strengthen job architecture, grading, salary structures and compensation frameworks.
• Improve manpower planning, budgeting and productivity across all business units and GCC locations.
• Upgrade performance appraisal processes to link individual results with business outcomes.
• Lead senior leadership hiring, succession planning and internal leadership pipelines.
• Enhance recruitment speed, quality and effectiveness.
• Develop retention strategies for critical and high‑performing talent in Kuwait and the GCC.
• Ensure compliance with multinational payroll, HR reporting and employment regulations.
• Leverage HR systems, analytics and workforce data for better decision‑making.
• Build a high‑performing HR leadership team and manage transformation initiatives.

Required profile

• 15+ years of progressive HR experience with senior leadership responsibility.
• Proven track record of managing end‑to‑end HR functions in a large, complex organization.
• Experience in retail, consumer, FMCG, hospitality or similar frontline‑workforce environments.
• Background supporting a workforce of roughly 2,000 employees or more.
• Demonstrated success in HR transformation, organizational design, manpower planning and performance management.
• Strong capability in senior‑leader recruitment and succession planning.
• Experience operating across multiple GCC markets is highly desirable.

Required skills