HR Manager, Middle East

Team Summary

Our People team is responsible for managing and enhancing all aspects of human resources and employee experience. Our team oversees talent acquisition, including recruiting, interviewing and onboarding new hires, ensuring that the Firm attracts and retains top legal talent and business services professionals. We develop and implement HR policies, manage employee relations, and administer compensation and benefits programs to ensure a fair and supportive work environment. Additionally, the People team focuses on training, professional development, work allocation, mobility and fostering a positive workplace culture. We also handle performance management, employee engagement, and compliance with labor laws and regulations. Through our comprehensive HR strategies and initiatives, the People team ensures that the Firm’s workforce around the world is motivated, skilled and mobilized to deliver on the Firm’s objectives.

Position Summary

Position Summary

As a core member of the Middle East People Team, you are tasked with helping White & Case translate our business strategy into talent imperatives that deliver on our strategic vision of profitable growth, engaged people and outstanding client relationships.

Working across all 6 Middle East offices, the role holder will work with multiple client groups across Legal and Business Services, and will be responsible for managing key human resources processes at all stages of the employee lifecycle. Working closely with the Head of HR – Middle East, in the successful delivery of operational and strategic priorities across the region. Working with Partners and Business Services Leads on ensuring the optimal size, shape and performance of our teams. Identifying opportunities to implement initiatives and globally aligned programs to drive culture change and engagement across the Middle East, will be key to the role.

The role holder will have responsibility for the management and development of other team members and will also be expected to collaborate with the wider EMEA HR team and Centres of Expertise to help drive forward the global and regional people agenda through participating in HR projects and programs.

Our People Advisory Team

Trusted advisor or career coach, project manager or strategist, recruitment administrator, talent expert or experienced generalist? As part of our global People (Advisory) team, you can expect to utilize and develop your skills across every aspect of human resources and talent management.

Whilst traditional HR tasks are an important component of our work, we also apply this practical knowledge to high-level strategic initiatives that deliver on our employer value proposition to best enable and grow our business. We lead and manage significant projects to attract, retain and engage the best people, and we are recognized for our ability to get the job done.

We are proud of our high-performance work ethic, as well as the central role that we play in fostering an inclusive and collaborative culture. Through extensive contact with partners and business services leaders, we are trusted to offer advice and implement changes that help our teams perform at the highest level and deliver outstanding client service. Working with us will enable you to become a great professional and develop a uniquely broad range of experience to draw on throughout your career.

Duties and Accountabilities

Stakeholder Management

• Provide input across a range of HR issues and opportunities; design and deliver high impact solutions that meet (and enhance) the needs of the business within the Middle East and global Firm strategy.
• Work closely with colleagues across the People team to ensure that messages, processes, tools, and policies are aligned to support our ability to deliver exceptional client service, high performance and improved employee engagement.
• Work collaboratively with the partners to develop and implement People solutions that enable the sections and offices to achieve their strategic goals.
• Coach and advise to anticipate and pre-empt people issues.
• Attend local Partner and Group meetings, ensuring HR are represented as part of the agenda.
• Proactively share best practice, intelligence and firm wide programs and activities within the function and across the Middle East offices and teams.
• Maintain close relationships with the associate population with regular “catch ups” and forums, acting on feedback as necessary.

Maintain close relationships with business services managers/leads.

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Talent Management

• Clarify the resource requirements for the groups on an ongoing basis and engage the resourcing team to deliver against these needs.
• Drive consistency of approach across the Firm in attracting, managing and developing talent to support current and future organisational needs.
• Lead and manage the firms Recruitment Authorisation process for relevant practice groups in the Middle East, ensuring role requests are sensible and paperwork is drafted accordingly.
• Lead and manage the integration of new joiners/business units via effective on-boarding.
• Coordinate secondments/overseas assignments incoming and outgoing in collaboration with Global Mobility and Business Development (for client secondments).
• Regularly review the talent pipeline and identify individual status, taking appropriate actions as required.

Ensure diversity is a key consideration across all people related decisions.

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Employee Relations & Performance Management

• Advise on all employee relations issues and apply relevant guidance/policies and procedures in a commercial and practical way. Lead investigations and conduct hearings where necessary.
• Coach partners in managing/dealing with under performance. Manage sensitive exits accordingly.
• Monitor and review headcount against budget and identify underperformance/ utilization accordingly.

Contribute to the Lead and support the quarterly headcount management and people development review with the RSH(s), Regional COO and Regional HRD to ensure timely interventions and ensure that follow up items are actioned in a timely way.

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Learning & Development

• Work alongside the Senior Manager L&D (EMEA) to plan and deliver suitable learning solutions to meet the Middle East’s need for development of skills.
• In consultation with Partners and members of the HR team, prioritize attendees for the Firm’s programs and courses, and signpost available resources and sessions to the legal and business support populations.
• Share learning know-how within the HR team, provide guidance to Partners, and support in the effective follow-up of learning outcomes for maximum return on investment.

Benefits

• Manage the locally provided benefits in the Middle East (medical, life) in coordination with the Global Benefits team, Global Benefits provider and local broker team, identifying new ways to maximize our investment in these benefits.
• Lead on communication and education of these benefits, working with the providers to identify opportunities to reduce claims spend and improve user experience.
• Act as point of escalation for claims and other issues, ensuring satisfactory investigation of all issues.

Projects, Policies & Processes

• Contribute to people policies and processes that support the Middle East, Firm and People Team strategy and objectives, and lead an annual review of all policies in the Middle East from both. legal compliance and best practice perspective.
• Drive participation in Firm-wide programs including but not limited to annual milestones, performance evaluations, upward feedback, engagement surveys and exit interviews.
• Lead on the relationship with payroll, ensuring all relevant forms/changes are processed by the HR Coordinator each month.
• Oversee the monthly upload of DEWS file, ensuring the HR Assistant processes contributions for approval and payment in a timely fashion, to avoid any penalties.
• Participate in relevant projects, leading and championing as appropriate (section, office and/or firm wide) the Firm’s reputation as a global law firm and employer of choice.
• Use and understand the Firm’s People tools, programs, systems and policies, engaging with internal clients effectively to ensure their use across the Firm.
• Work collaboratively to ensure the timely launch and successful delivery of the evaluation and compensation processes, including leading office and Middle East-wide moderation meetings.
• Guide Partners and managers through the salary and bonus (compensation) process (benchmarking internal and external and link to performance). Ensure approach is consistent across the region.
• Middle East Lead on the annual budget process, ensuring that necessary expenditure which supports the strategy and development of the region is captured within each of the relevant budgets across the People Team
• Keep up to date with external trends and best practice in HR and talent management more broadly.

Line management responsibility for three team members. Overseeing their work ensuring best practice, and coaching and mentoring them for their continued development.

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Qualifications

• CIPD qualification (full or part) or equivalent advantageous.
• Professional services background; experience in a global law firm preferred.

Skills / Experience

• Proven expertise in HR Business Partnering and HR Operations, ideally gained within a global law firm.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships at all levels with a strong client focus.
• Excellent commercial awareness and strong business acumen, ensuring focus on issues contributing to the growth and success of the Firm.
• Strong influence and persuasion skills.
• Demonstrable experience of managing HR team members at all levels. Attention to detail, with the ability to question constructively existing procedures and consider alternatives.
• Experience of managing complex Employee Relations cases.
• High levels of integrity, ability to balance confidentiality with duty of care, and able to act with discretion and diplomacy.
• Effective time management and prioritization skills, along with the ability to meet deadlines under pressure.
• Self-motivated and able to work under own autonomy or as part of a team.

Location and Reporting

• This is role is based in Abu Dhabi, UAE with regular travel to Dubai, and travel to other Middle East offices as necessary.
• This role reports to the Head of HR – Middle East.

This role reports to

Senior Manager, Human Resources - Middle East

The Firm may modify and amend any job description at any time in its sole discretion. Nothing herein creates a contract of employment or otherwise modifies the at-will nature of employment.

The above is only a general description of the essential duties associated with this position and does not represent an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all duties.

Note to Recruitment Agencies

Our internal Recruitment team manages all aspects of lateral hiring. All agencies must have signed terms of business—specific to the relevant office—before submitting any candidates. CVs or applications sent directly to White & Case partners or employees will also not be considered formal introductions. If you have questions, please contact the relevant Recruitment team. We work with our preferred suppliers when engaging agencies.