Job Description

The Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO) is a key member of the executive leadership team, responsible for shaping and delivering the Group’s people strategy across its hotels in the Middle East and GCC.

This is more than an HR leadership role. The CHCO will help build the organization for the Group’s next stage of growth by strengthening leadership capability, talent, culture, workforce planning, HR operations and people infrastructure, while ensuring HR priorities are closely aligned with business performance and exceptional guest experiences.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a Group-wide human capital strategy aligned with business objectives, brand standards, growth plans, new openings and acquisitions.
• Advise the CEO and Board on organization design, workforce planning, succession and leadership matters.
• Lead the corporate HR function and provide strategic direction to property HR teams across the Group.
• Build a high-performance, guest-centric culture focused on ownership, accountability and engagement.
• Lead organization design, workforce planning, manpower optimization and change management across corporate and hotel operations.
• Develop talent acquisition, employer branding, leadership development, succession planning and internal mobility strategies.
• Establish performance management, engagement, recognition and retention initiatives.
• Oversee compensation, benefits, payroll governance and reward strategies across markets.
• Ensure compliance with GCC labor laws, nationalization requirements, employee relations and HR governance.
• Drive HR technology, HRIS, people analytics and digital transformation to improve efficiency and decision-making.
• Strengthen leadership capability, service excellence and frontline workforce effectiveness across the Group.

The Leader We Are Looking For

We are seeking an experienced and commercially minded senior HR leader who can operate strategically while remaining close to the business. The ideal candidate will bring:

• Strong executive presence and credibility with CEOs, Boards, owners and senior leadership.
• Significant experience in hotels, hospitality or other complex, multi-site service environments.
• Proven experience leading HR across multiple GCC countries and diverse, multicultural workforces.
• A track record of organizational transformation, growth, pre-openings and change management.
• Strong expertise in talent, succession, performance, rewards, employee relations and workforce planning.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with the ability to connect people strategy to productivity, growth, cost and profitability.
• Excellent cross-cultural leadership, communication and influencing skills.