HR Business Partner - UAE

Job description:

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Middle East HR Director, the HR Business Partner – UAE plays a pivotal role in shaping a high-performance and engaging employee experience across our retail network.

This is a true generalist HR role with strong retail proximity — combining operational excellence with strategic impact. You will act as a trusted advisor to leaders, a visible presence in stores, and a strong ambassador of Puig’s culture and values.

While retail remains the primary focus, the role also contributes to broader HR initiatives across the region providing exposure to a wider organizational scope.

If you are passionate about retail, believe in being close to the field, and gain energy from store visits, engaging conversations and translating business realities into impactful people solutions, this role is for you.

Partnering & Talent Management

• Partner closely with retail leaders to align people priorities with business strategy
• Act as a trusted advisor on organizational design, team structure, performance, engagement, and change management.
• Drive the full retail performance management cycle, enabling meaningful feedback conversations and development planning.
• Lead the annual talent review process for retail teams, building succession pipelines and identifying high-potential talent.
• Attract, develop, and retain top retail talent, ensuring strong workforce planning and proactive hiring strategies.
• Support recruitment at all levels, including career fairs and assessment centers ensuring an inclusive and high-quality candidate experience.
• Maintain strong field presence through regular store visits to stay close to teams and understand operational realities.
• Use people analytics and KPIs to identify trends, build action plans, and influence business decisions.

 Employee Lifecycle & HR Operations

• Oversee the full employee lifecycle, from onboarding to exit partnering with HR Operations team to ensure seamless execution. 
• Manage pre-boarding, onboarding, probation follow-up, exit processes and ensure accurate documentation.
• Conduct and analyse exit interviews to identify themes and drive continuous improvement.
• In partnership with local HR Operations, oversee and manage employee contractual changes including offers, promotions, salary adjustments and status changes 
• Oversee and manage employee relations matters in partnership with the local HR Operations team, coaching managers on performance, absence management, and disciplinary processes while ensuring compliance, fairness and sound judgment.
• Ensure completion of mandatory corporate trainings and policy adherence.

Culture and Engagement

• Act as a strong ambassador of Puig culture and values across the retail network.
• Co-design and implement engagement initiatives aligned with employee feedback and business priorities.
• Champion well-being, diversity, equity and inclusion across every stage of the employee journey.
• Drive recognition programs that celebrate performance, key milestones reinforcing a culture of appreciation and belonging.
• Leverage employee feedback and engagement insights to build action plans that strengthen retention and team effectiveness.
• Promote internal communication platforms to foster connection, transparency and create a sense of community.
• Drive employer branding and people storytelling initiatives, including LinkedIn campaigns and internal communications, to strengthen Puig’s positioning as an employer of choice.

Reward & Budget

• Drive the annual salary review process and oversee retail commission scheme effectiveness.
• Support market benchmarking to ensure competitive retail compensation and benefits.
• Ensure data integrity within SuccessFactors, maintaining accurate employee master data to support payroll, reporting and decision-making.
• Monitor and manage the retail HR budget, partnering closely with Finance & Payroll on reporting and forecasting.
• Review and validate monthly payroll, ensuring all employee changes are accurately captured prior to final HR approval. 

Broader HR & Regional Contribution

• Design and manage the full Graduate Program lifecycle, ensuring a strong candidate experience, structured development journey and clear pathways into permanent roles where available.
• Support recruitment and onboarding for selected head office roles (below Director level).
• Manage the Emiratization program and ensure compliance with UAE national hiring requirements.
• Contribute to regional HR projects and initiatives that elevate the overall employee experience across markets.
• Provide HR operational support to head office populations as required, while maintaining primary focus on retail

• Proven experience as an HR Business Partner, ideally within retail, beauty, luxury or fast-paced environments.
• A genuine passion for retail and a strong belief in Retail HR as a strategic, long-term focus.
• High operational rigor with excellent attention to detail.
• Strong analytical capability and confidence working with HR systems and Excel.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
• Strong influencing, coaching and stakeholder management skills.
• A collaborative, solutions-oriented and positive mindset.
• Fluent in English (Arabic is a plus).

• An entrepreneurial, creative and welcoming work culture
• A range of learning and development opportunities
• An international company with plenty of opportunities to grow
• A competitive compensation & benefits package