Senior Manager - Organisation Design Reward And Governance - Dubai Holding Land Estates

About Dubai Holding Land Estates:

Dubai Holding Land Estates oversees a diverse land portfolio strategically located across Dubai’s most sought-after areas. With convenient access to major highways, nearby amenities, and flexible land use options, investors are presented with unique opportunities for development and growth.

Through the centralization of Dubai Holding’s land bank, Dubai Holding Land Estates focuses on large-scale master plans, ensuring alignment with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, whilst also supporting the business’s commitment to sustainable urban development and strategic land portfolio management.

About the Role:

Rewards Planning & Senior Leadership Advisory

• Lead reward planning and implementation across compensation, benefits and short-term incentives, aligning recommendations with business priorities, market benchmarks, internal equity and affordability. Advise Human Capital and business leadership on reward options, risks and cost implications within approved frameworks.
• Lead participation in compensation and benefits surveys and oversee analysis for annual compensation reviews, incentive design and forecasting. Present evidence-based recommendations and obtain the required approvals before implementation.

Strategic Workforce Planning & Cost Governance

• Lead the workforce-planning framework and annual manpower budgeting cycle with business heads and Finance. Challenge workload assumptions, evaluate headcount and cost scenarios, and recommend workforce optimisation aligned with business plans; maintain control of approved budgets and post-budget amendments.
• Prepare and deliver monthly payroll costing and workforce reports by department, function and employee category. Personally reconcile Human Capital, payroll and Finance records, investigate discrepancies, explain material variances and trends, and prepare management reports with recommended corrective actions.

Incentive Planning & Governance

• Lead the review of incentive structures and provide recommendations on policy competitiveness, affordability and alignment with business objectives. Oversee short-term incentive calculations, policy interpretation and validation to ensure accurate, defensible outcomes.
• Govern the end-to-end incentive approval and payment cycle, securing approvals in line with the Delegation of Authority and coordinating with Group Services HR and Finance for disbursement within agreed service levels. Oversee monthly dashboards, resolve discrepancies and escalate exceptions before payment.

Payroll Processing, Audit & Compliance

Prepare and process monthly payroll, employee settlements and pension calculations, including validation of employee changes, benefits and deductions. Reconcile payroll outputs, resolve discrepancies, maintain supporting records and submit payroll for independent review and approval before coordinating timely payment with Finance and Group Services. Prepare payroll reports, resolve employee queries and apply required controls and comply with applicable policies and regulatory requirements.

Lead coordination of internal and external Human Capital audits within the role’s remit. Ensure pre-audit checks, complete evidence and timely responses; assign and monitor remediation actions, maintain audit-ready records and escalate overdue actions or material control risks.

Human Capital Analytics, Data & Transformation

• Lead the Human Capital analytics roadmap and delivery of workforce dashboards and decision-support insights covering attrition, engagement, performance and compensation. Establish data definitions, validation and access controls, and oversee the accuracy of employee records, promotions, movements, compensation and benefits data.
• Deliver analytics and HRMS improvement initiatives, including integration, automation and group-wide projects. Personally translate stakeholder requirements into actionable insights and reporting enhancements, manage competing delivery priorities and apply consistent analytical and quality standards.

About You:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Finance, Business Analytics, Business Administration or a related field; master’s degree preferred.
• Relevant professional certification in rewards, payroll, Human Resources or analytics, such as a WorldatWork or CIPD qualification, Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification or an equivalent credential, is preferred.
• Strong knowledge of compensation structures, benefits and deductions, workforce planning, payroll costing, incentive frameworks, HR data governance and analytics; working knowledge of applicable UAE labour and payroll requirements.
• A minimum of 8 years of progressive, relevant experience in rewards, Human Capital analytics, workforce planning or HR operations, with substantial financial exposure.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience preparing and processing payroll, settlements and pension calculations, reconciling payroll and Finance records, and delivering workforce budgets, compensation reviews and incentive cycles.
• Experience advising senior stakeholders, presenting actionable workforce and reward insights, and leading cross-functional improvements, audit responses and remediation.
• Experience independently delivering complex activities and cross-functional projects and working with Finance and shared-services teams without reliance on junior support; experience in real estate or a holding company is an advantage.
• Ability to translate business priorities into integrated reward, workforce and analytics delivery plans and lead their implementation.
• Senior stakeholder advisory, influencing and presentation skills, including constructive challenge and clear communication of complex data, options and risks.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen in workforce costing, budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis and scenario modelling.
• Advanced capability in compensation benchmarking, pay and benefits analysis, short-term incentive design support, calculation and governance.
• Hands-on proficiency in payroll preparation and processing, employee settlements, pension calculations, deductions, reconciliations, audit evidence and approval submissions, with clear separation of preparation and approval responsibilities.
• Advanced Excel and practical payroll and HRIS/HRMS systems capability, including systems such as Oracle R12; proficiency in Power BI or Tableau and preparation of decision-ready reports.
• Sound judgement, confidentiality and integrity in handling sensitive employee, remuneration and business data; strong data-quality and access-control discipline.
• Programme and change leadership across HRMS, reporting, automation and integration initiatives; SQL, VBA or Python for data handling is an advantage.
• Strong independent delivery, prioritisation, workload management and quality-control skills, with the ability to coordinate and influence cross-functional stakeholders without direct reports.
• Strong analytical problem-solving, attention to detail and risk assessment, with the resilience to deliver accurate outcomes under competing deadlines.

About the Benefits:

At Dubai Holding, we're committed to nurturing the success and well-being of our colleagues. Join our dynamic and diverse team, and enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that includes competitive compensation, career development opportunities, and a collaborative work environment. We strongly believe in creating an empowered workforce that will help us build a connected city for tomorrow. We are committed to attracting the brightest minds and nurturing the most pioneering candidates who desire to make a great impact on the future of Dubai.