HR Business Partner
Select Auto (Al Futtaim)
Total years of experience :20 years, 1 Months
Select Auto, part of Al-Futtaim’s Automotive Division mirrors Al-Futtaim automotive, power generation & management capabilities, supporting oil & gas & government contracting clients in austere & emerging markets outside the UAE, including Afghanistan, Iraq & Mozambique. I led a small HR team (x 2), working in partnership with Group HR centralised services to provide full HR operational & strategic support across all markets.
• Led and mentored HR team to support full employee life cycle in diverse geographies (Afghanistan, Iraq and Mozambique), with a strong focus on manpower planning, organisational design, talent acquisition, mobilisation, onboarding, talent and performance management, engagement and employee relations.
• Change management activity (start up, restructure, downsizing), developing and aligning HR strategy, policies, procedures and systems as appropriate, accounting for industry/geography specific differentials through formulation of HR strategy, aligned with Business and Group priorities.
• Development of total reward strategies, benchmarking and aligning with industry best practice, ensuring continued competitiveness within each market and maximising ability to attract and retain the best talent.
• Champion Employee Engagement (Drive Magic Moments) and Talent Framework for Select Auto, supporting managers to identify high performers and future leaders, develop learning, development and succession planning tools for the optimum performance management of their teams.
• Support and participate in formulation of organisational strategy and business objectives; developing HR strategy in line with continued changing requirements of the business.
• Crisis management activity ensuring effective emergency response in a variety of scenarios including medivac of critically ill employees from remote locations.
• Develop and mentor HR team aligned to their career aspirations & opportunities within the wider Group
• Regular business travel to all operations across Middle East and Asia, including locations considered to be austere and challenging.
Highlights
• Organisational structure developed & manned to support new business & subsequent entry into three new markets within one year, in line with operational timelines & in advance of formal legal entities being completed in two of the geographies
• Restructure of HR systems, process and SLAs, resulting in 100% compliance in all geographies, on all with an immediate, sustained improvement in recruitment, onboarding and offboarding service / timelines.
• Developed & implemented unique reward strategies aligned to varying legal obligations, to attract & retain both expat (all geographies) and local (Iraq) employees
• Selected for a pilot Al Futtaim Group Leadership Development program, Leaders for Growth
UAE (500 employees)
AMMROC provides world class military aviation Maintenance Repair & Overhaul (MRO) services for fixed & rotary wing platforms. Reporting to the VP HR&A & HR Director, I led an HR team (x 16 UAE Nationals), supporting 500+ multi-national employees in addition to project leading a number of key initiatives linked to the HR Strategy Road Map. With an operational & project focused approach to the implementation of global HR best practices, my responsibilities & achievements included:-
• Lead HR support to the business; recruitment, employee relations, performance management, total reward
• Organisational restructure inc. manpower planning, job design & evaluation using Hay Group methodology
• Restructure of systems, process & SLAs across HR Administration Service Department
• Design / implement reporting & analysis tools providing monthly statistics / reports & measurement & analysis of key trends across a variety of HR KPIs.
Afghanistan, Kosovo, Somalia, UAE (1600 employees)
Supreme Fuels is a blue chip liquid fuels service provider operating 17+ bulk fuel installations (total capacity of 110m litres+), supporting predominately Military & UN customers based in remote & inhospitable locations including Afghanistan, Somalia & Kosovo support. Reporting to the Managing Director I led the HR team (x 12) & In-country Admin team (x 30) based in multiple locations, to work closely with key partners to provide consultative, proactive support, advice & guidance on a wide range of operational & strategic HR matters:-
• Manpower planning & recruitment solutions for start up / existing projects across a diverse geography.
• Championship of the Afghanisation programme.
• Succession planning, performance management & oversight of the performance appraisal process.
• Employee relations activity ensuring disciplinary / grievance issues are ethically & legally compliant
• Change management (start up, restructure & downsize) in Afghanistan, Somalia, Kosovo & Maldives.
• Develop & implement HR policies, procedures & systems in line with organizational needs
• Coordinate crisis management & emergency response activity in a variety of scenarios including direct suicide attacks on Supreme installations & medivac of critically ill employees.
• Engagement, Reward & Retention strategy, to ensure employee satisfaction improvements.
• Benchmarking Supreme compensation packages to ensure continued competitiveness within the market.
• Participate in formulation of organizational strategy & business objectives; develop HR strategy in line with continued changing requirements of the business.
• Implement learning, development & career programs including induction program, technical training & competency frameworks in partnership with the L&D Manager.
• Pay & benefits including oversight of the administration & approval of the business unit payroll.
• Develop & implement of a suite of Monthly KPI & statistics, analysis of data to identify key trends
• Development of the HR&A team (Dubai & Afghanistan), their career aspirations & succession planning.
• Regular business travel to operational installations & project locations including areas considered to be hostile & inhospitable such as Afghanistan & Somalia.
Highlights
• $0.5m pa cost savings through introduction of direct recruitment strategies (85 - 100% direct resourcing)
• 700% increase in headcount within 18 months (continued high volume recruitment)
• 90% HR roles filled via continued professional development, promotion & career progression of HR team
• Organisational restructure, job evaluation & grading re-structure of 200+ roles & continued evaluation of new roles arising (Hay Group methodology in partnership with Group Compensation & Benefits Manager
• 2 promotions within 14 months (Assistant HR Manager - HR Manager, HR Manager - HRBP)
Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar & UAE (200 employees)
Reporting into two Country Managing Directors, a standalone HR solution covering UAE, Qatar & Kuwait. Remit included advice & guidance on all operational & strategic HR matters to management & employees, including:-
• Manpower planning, Recruitment & Retention
• Performance Management, Employee Relations, legal compliance with relative labour laws
• Learning & Development, Career Development & Succession Planning
• Change Management in line with business growth & restructure
• Pay & benefits, payroll processing & approval, HR admin services, Dubai & JAFZA visa & PRO activity
• Regular travel across the GCC
Highlights
• Successfully project managed attainment of ISO 2008:9001
• Implementation of Health & Safety policy & standards within the warehouse & office environment
• Implementation of web-based self service HRIS
• Design & implementation of bespoke HR policies & procedures
Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, UAE (700 employees)
HR partner within an FMCG environment, (Retail Logistics) covering 5 distribution centres in UAE, Bahrain & Qatar, supporting 150+ stores in UAE & Oman. Working closely with key business & HR shared service partners to provide support & advice on operational & strategic HR issues including:
• Manpower planning, high volume recruitment
• Engagement & retention of staff
• Performance Management, Employee Relations, legal compliance with relative labour laws
• Learning & Development, Career Development & Succession Planning
• Regular travel across the GCC
Highlights
• Implementation of full time HR support & process systems within Logistics Lower Gulf division
• High volume recruitment (300 RDC staff within two months)
• Design & implement Career Development Programme for Logistics management staff
• HR lead on Crisis management team following Cyclone Gonu (Oman); 4 stores completely destroyed, 45 displaced staff without basic living requirements & requirement by the business to return to normal operations as quickly as possible
UK (500 employees)
Professional HR generalist, serving staff across three sites within a fast pace, changing culture. Working closely with key business & HR partners on all operational & strategic generalist HR issues:
• Identify & implement effective recruitment solutions, meeting business need during period of rapid growth
• Support harmonisation project across HR/business functions during merger of ntl, Telewest & Virgin Mobile, including project work across additional sites throughout the UK
• Advice & guidance to business partners on employment legislation, HR policy, procedure & best practice
• Coach & develop line managers in all aspects of HR practice & people management
• Support & guide staff within three separate businesses/cultures during harmonisation project following merging of the business
UK (250 employees)
Standalone professional HR service, within a logistics / production environment of 250+ employees. A member of the Senior Management Team reporting to the Managing Director, with a high degree of autonomy, responsible for working closely with key business partners on all operational & strategic generalist HR issues including:
• Attraction & retention strategy, bespoke solutions to meeting continuing needs of the business & Key Performance Targets for recruitment, retention & stability
• Advice & guidance to business partners on employment legislation, HR policy, procedure & best practice
• Coach & develop line managers on people management, performance management & employee relations
• Employee relations activity, including communication & negotiation with elected Works Council
• Development of staffing infrastructure through job evaluation, role grading, benefits analysis
• Implement HR strategy, policy & procedure, incorporating key HR objectives in line with employment legislation, organisational objectives & strategy
• Implement strategies to ensure MetroMail’s position as an ‘Employer of Choice’ within the local community
• Manage & co-ordinate all organisational restructure activity including redundancy & due diligence
• Support business initiatives to ensure progressive focus on training & development
• Development & maintenance of best practice HR administration & database systems.
• Balancing all aspects of HR activity with the commercial needs of the business.
Highlights
• 80% absence reduction, 45% increase (100% attendance) via implementation of Absence Mgmt programme
• 85% reduction in performance management issues requiring formal disciplinary action
• £30, 000+ pa saving in temporary staffing costs
• Implementation of Productivity Improvement throughout the business
• 95% production staff attaining NVQII level within 12 months of development & implementation of a bespoke National Vocational Qualification, Performing Manufacturing & Warehousing Operations
• Successfully project managed attainment of Investors In People acreditation
UK (500 employees)
Professional HR generalist service, within a (unionised) customer service & sales contact centre environment. Leading a team (x3) to work closely with key business partners on all operational & strategic generalist HR issues:
• High volume recruitment (competency based / assessment centre), achieving challenging targets in aggressively paced start up environment (0 - 1500 in 12 months)
• Employee relations activity in a volatile start up, unionised (GMB union), environment, conducting investigatory, disciplinary, grievance & appeal hearings with senior business partners.
• Advise, guide, coach & develop business partners on employment legislation, HR policy, procedure & best practice, people / performance management & employee relations skills
• Liaise with & support HR Teams across three additional sites, ensuring consistency in the application of policies & procedures
• Active participation in key strategic & HR projects, developing and implementing HR & organisational strategy, policy, procedure and key HR objectives in line with employment legislation and organisation strategy
• Co-ordinate all TUPE related activates for new business opportunities including due diligence information
• Coach, develop and mentor HR team broadening their professional knowledge, skills & accountabilities, ensuring a pro-active approach in all aspects of HR practise
• Implement monthly HR MIS reports (absence, attrition, stability, recruitment, performance, learning), measuring against set KPIs, recommending & implementing measures for improvement
Highlights
• 1500+ staff recruited within 12 months across three sites
• 25% reduction in absence via Absence Management Programe, despite introduction of Company Sickness Benefit (100% increase in benefits during first month of absence)
• Successful TUPE transfer of 20 staff following restructure
• Achieved MSc in Human Resource Management (whilst working full time)
UK (1500 reducing to 500 employees)
Professional HR service to manufacturing, engineering & support staff within a unionised environment. Reporting directly to the HR Manager immediate responsibilities included:
• Develop & manage recruitment & induction process across the business, to mid management level
• Advise & guide business partners & staff on employment legislation, HR policy & best practice, coaching and developing Line Managers on HR process, performance management & employee relations
• Support Line Managers with conducting performance management, discipline & grievance issues
• Negotiating with & working alongside on-site & full-time MSF & AEEU union representatives
• Support and subsequently lead restructure activity for eight change management (redundancy) exercises
• Management of all payroll & Company Group Personal Pension Plan administration
• Implement & provide monthly HR KPI statistics & ad hoc reports to Snr Managers / Directors
• Implement HRIS and Payroll (Software for People), ensuring maximum utilisation, efficiency & accuracy
• Ministry of Defence (MOD) security clearances & re-vet administration, liaising with MOD representatives during the annual Company Ministry of Defence audit
• Develop and implement formal technical apprenticeship programme, management & mentoring of trainees
• Liaise with schools & colleges to provide work experience & sponsorship opportunities
• Deputise for HR Manager
Highlights
• Personal career development from HR Secretary to HR Officer (& associated qualifications) within 6 years
• TUPE transfer of GEC Plessey Semiconductor to Mitel Semiconductor (1998) to Dynex Semiconductor (1999)
• Management of the outsourcing of the Company payroll (£6m+ per annum) from ‘within house’
• Develop & implement a new company pension plan & associated benefits
• Develop new employee handbook in line with revised & new employment legislation, policies & procedures
• Implement a new Technical Trainee Scheme to ensure growth of new talent within the business
• Develop HR / Careers section to be incorporated into the existing Company website