What you'll do:

Our client is seeking a Learning & Development Senior Manager, reporting to the Head of HR. The role is responsible for leading the strategic and operational delivery of all learning, development, and emiratization initiatives across the organisation. This role plays a key part in building internal capabilities, fostering leadership pipelines, and ensuring the effective identification and development of high-potential talent to support long-term organisational goals and continuity.

Key Responsibilities:

Learning & Development Strategy

• Develop and implement the organisation’s learning and development strategy to align with business and emiratization goals.

• Lead annual learning needs analysis and oversee the creation of the corporate learning plan.

• Design, manage, and evaluate behavioural and technical training programmes within approved budgets and timelines.

• Manage vendor relationships with external training providers, professional bodies, and consultants.

National Talent Development

• Lead the design and execution of all emiratization programmes (e.g. Graduate Programmes, leadership tracks).

• Manage the full lifecycle of trainee recruitment, onboarding, coaching, and performance management.

• Collaborate with universities and educational institutions to attract and develop emerging talent.

• Represent the organisation at career fairs and other outreach events to promote national development initiatives.

Talent Management & Organisational Development

• Design and implement talent management frameworks, including performance management, succession planning, and leadership development.

• Deliver HR projects that enhance organisational effectiveness, employee experience, and service delivery.

• Drive initiatives that foster a high-performance and inclusive work culture.

Capability & Competency Frameworks

• Maintain and embed organisational competency frameworks across performance, development, and talent processes.

• Ensure these frameworks support the current and future capability needs of the organisation.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build strong internal and external partnerships to support L&D strategy execution and talent pipeline development.

• Liaise with internal stakeholders to assess needs and measure the impact of learning initiatives.

Continuous Improvement & Risk

• Identify and implement improvements to L&D processes, tools, and systems.

• Ensure all activities comply with internal controls, governance, and risk management frameworks.

Reporting & Governance

• Prepare reports and insights to support decision-making and track progress against L&D and talent goals.

• Manage an annual training budget, ensuring strategic allocation and return on investment.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Education, or a related field (Master’s preferred).

• Professional certifications in L&D or HR (e.g. CIPD, SHRM).

• 8–10 years of progressive experience in learning and development or broader HR roles.

• Experience in managing graduate development and national talent programmes is highly desirable.

• Exposure to financial services or highly regulated environments is a plus.

REF: TG93418