Director - People Development And Effectiveness-People And Organization Management

The Director, People Development & Effectiveness leads SSMC’s people capability, organizational effectiveness, and business partnership agenda, ensuring that SSMC staff are skilled, engaged, and empowered to deliver clinical and service excellence. The role provides a single senior accountable owner for performance management, high-potential identification and succession, learning and leadership development, employee wellbeing, organizational effectiveness, and the P&O Business Partnership Team. The Director is accountable for strengthening SSMC’s lowest-maturity P&O pillar, responding to identified business risks in workforce planning and career mobility, embedding the EX = PX principle, and translating the SSMC Way Academy into a scalable, revenue-generating capability, subject to Finance and Commercial validation.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities
Performance Management
• Design, implement, and continuously improve SSMC’s performance management framework to ensure it is meaningful, fair, forward-looking, and differentiated
• Drive a meritocracy-based performance culture aligned to SSMC Values, the SSMC Way Programme, and the PH EX = PX formula
• Oversee the annual performance cycle end to end: goal-setting, mid-year check-ins, year-end calibration, and rating distribution
• Partner with People Rewards & Governance to ensure performance outcomes directly inform compensation, recognition, and career progression decisions
• Build accountability culture tools and metrics to track delivery vs. intent across SSMC leadership and teams. 

High Potential Identification & Succession Planning
• Design and run the SSMC High Potential Identification Programme, with a target of achieving 60% bench strength for all critical and senior leadership roles by end of FY2027
• Build and maintain succession plans for all critical roles, with readiness ratings updated quarterly
• Develop the Emirati Accelerated Leadership Programme in partnership with DOH, ADEK, and UAEN hiring bodies to meet Emiratization targets and grow the national leadership pipeline.
• Facilitate talent review calibration sessions with clinical and operational leaders to identify, stretch, and retain high-potential SSMCers
• Maintain talent pool visibility for the Executive Director, P&O and SSMC Executive Team

Learning & Development
• Lead the design, curation, and governance of SSMC’s learning ecosystem across clinical competency, functional excellence, and leadership domains
• Develop and deliver bite-size, digital-first learning programmes aligned to SSMC’s strategic priorities, capability gaps, and the SSMC Way
• Drive adoption and utilisation of PH’s EduCare and Delta Force capability platforms, ensuring active learner engagement and measurable skill development
• Manage the SSMC Training Academy and ensure delivery against the annual L&D plan, ROI targets, and utilisation benchmarks
• Expand the SSMC Training Academy into the SSMC Way Academy, with internal cross-charge, external enterprise and public enrolment, and government-funded or DOH-CPD-accredited programme streams.
• Oversee mandatory competency-based training compliance, DOH licence renewal requirements, and training record management
• Partner with external institutions (e.g., RCSI, INSEAD, AHEIs) for specialised clinical and leadership programmes

Leadership Development
• Design and deliver SSMC’s enduring leadership development architecture to build bench strength and consistent leadership quality at all levels
• Deliver executive and senior leadership development programmes in partnership with academic institutions
• Build internal coaching and mentoring ecosystems that develop leadership confidence, accountability, and the ability to challenge constructively
• Lead the Emirati Accelerated Leadership Programme to fast-track high-potential UAE national talent into senior clinical and operational leadership roles

Wellbeing & Wellness
• Lead SSMC’s employee wellbeing strategy encompassing physical, mental, financial, and occupational health dimensions
• Oversee the Workplace Wellness Council and ensure its annual programme delivers against all six core pillars: Wellbeing, Rewards & Recognition, Engagement, Surveys, Community, and Culture.
• Lead the Saadni peer support programme, Workplace Violence Response Programme, and Critical Incident Stress Management initiatives
• Drive DOH and PH Engagement Survey cycles; analyse results, benchmark against sector, and develop targeted improvement action plans with P&O Business Partners
• Design and track wellbeing KPIs including burnout indicators, engagement scores (DOH EES target ≥ 4.5), and programme utilisation rates
• Partner with the Occupational Health team to ensure environmental, ergonomic, and health screening initiatives are delivered on schedule

Business Partnership
• Lead the P&O Business Partnership Team as the primary interface between P&O and SSMC’s clinical, operational, and corporate leadership teams
• Translate SSMC strategy and business priorities into integrated people plans covering workforce planning, organisation design, capability, performance, engagement, succession, and change.
• Establish clear service standards, stakeholder governance, and business partnership rhythms to improve responsiveness, ownership, and employee experience
• Use workforce and people insights to proactively identify risks, challenge constructively, and support leaders in making evidence-based people decisions
• Ensure Business Partners drive execution of performance, talent, engagement, wellbeing, and organisational effectiveness priorities within their assigned portfolios.

SSMC Way Academy and Commercial Value.
• Develop the SSMC Way Academy as a scalable capability and potential profit centre serving SSMC, PureHealth entities, external enterprises, and eligible government-funded programmes
• Build and execute the Academy commercial plan, including programme portfolio, accreditation, pricing, demand generation, delivery capacity, partnership model, and financial governance
• Work with Finance and Commercial teams to validate planning assumptions and pursue the illustrative Year 1 revenue ambition of AED 4.5 million
• Track Academy revenue, cost, contribution, learner outcomes, utilisation, and client satisfaction, ensuring commercial growth does not compromise quality or mandatory internal capability needs.

Organisational Effectiveness
• Lead organisational effectiveness diagnostics including culture surveys, P&O maturity assessments, team effectiveness tools, and business alignment surveys
• Champion the SSMC Way Programme and Accountability Culture initiative to embed values-aligned behaviours across all levels of the organisation
• Partner with P&O Business Partners and the People Strategy team on change management and organisation design interventions
• Oversee the Employee Relations function to ensure proactive, analytics-driven management of workplace issues, investigations, and off-boarding
• Track and report on capability, engagement, performance, and wellbeing KPIs to the Executive Director, P&O and SSMC Leadership Team.

Accountabilities
• Accountable for achieving SSMC bench strength of 60% for critical roles by end of FY2027
• Accountable for improving the DOH Employee Satisfaction Score from the 2024 baseline of 3.9 toward a target of 4.5 by FY2027
• Accountable for L&D utilisation rates and the quality of learning interventions as measured by post-programme effectiveness surveys
• Accountable for the on-time delivery of mandatory training compliance and DOH licence renewal requirements
• Accountable for the SSMC Way Programme rollout and measurable culture indicators including the Accountability Culture index
• Manages the People Development & Effectiveness budget across L&D, wellbeing, and organisational effectiveness programmes
• Accountable for strengthening the maturity of the People Development & Effectiveness pillar and providing a single point of ownership across its sub-functions
• Accountable for leading the P&O Business Partnership Team and ensuring integrated people plans, consistent stakeholder coverage, and measurable service delivery across assigned portfolios
• Accountable for development of the SSMC Way Academy commercial model and progress toward the illustrative AED 4.5 million Year 1 revenue ambition, subject to Finance and Commercial validation
• Accountable for Academy financial and operational performance, including revenue, contribution, programme quality, accreditation, utilization, and learner outcomes
• Manages the P&O Business Partnership Team together with the Organisational Effectiveness Managers, Coordinators, and the Engagement & Employee Branding Specialist
• Reports on capability, engagement, performance, and wellbeing KPIs to the Executive Director, P&O and SSMC Leadership Team

Qualifications

Educational Qualification:
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Organisational Psychology, Education, Business Administration, or a related field
Desired:
- Master’s degree in Organisational Development, Human Resource Management, Education Leadership, or a related field

Specialist Certifications:
Required:
- Recognised HR certification such as CIPD Level 5/7 (Learning & Development pathway), SHRM-CP/SCP, or equivalent
- Recognised coaching or facilitation qualification (e.g., ICF Associate Certified Coach, Hogan, or equivalent)
Desired:
- Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP / ATD certification)
- Organisational Development (OD) certification or equivalent accreditation

Experience:
Required:
- 8–10 years of progressive HR or L&D experience, of which a minimum of 4 years in a senior leadership role managing learning, OD, or people development functions
- Proven track record designing and delivering organisational capability and leadership development programmes at scale
Desired:
- Experience in a large healthcare, medical centre, or hospital environment
- Demonstrated experience implementing digital learning ecosystems and culture transformation programmes
- Experience facilitating talent review and succession planning processes for senior leadership populations

Additional Requirements:
Required:
- Proficiency in the English language (written and spoken)
- Strong facilitation, coaching, and influencing skills with the ability to build trusted relationships at senior leadership level
- Excellent analytical skills and ability to translate people data into actionable capability and engagement strategies
- Deep understanding of UAE labour law, DOH requirements, and Emiratization obligations relevant to talent development
- Proven ability to lead cross-functional programmes and drive cultural change in a complex, multi-disciplinary environment
Desired:
- Proficiency in the Arabic language
- Experience working within a PureHealth Group or Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) network
- Familiarity with Oracle Fusion HCM, EduCare, or equivalent enterprise learning management systems Physical Requirements.