HR Manager (People & Culture) — Arabic & English

Job Description About Joud Coffee

Joud Coffee is a homegrown Abu Dhabi brand built on generosity, craft, and real hospitality. We've grown fast—and now we're focused on the next phase: stronger culture, higher engagement, better leadership, and consistent guest experience across every outlet.

We're hiring an HR Manager (People & Culture) who is a builder and a floor operator—not a policy-only, behind-the-desk HR person. You will spend real time in outlets, coaching managers, listening to teams, and turning culture into daily behaviors.

You will also own Employer Branding & Talent Attraction, including building our Linked In presence to attract top talent. And you must be strong on UAE labour compliance and have hands-on Emiratization experience.

Arabic & English fluency is required (spoken and written).

Requirements (must-have)

Nice to have

Location & work style

• Culture & Engagement (your #1 mission)
• Translate our values into clear frontline behaviors (how we speak, serve, lead, and solve problems)
• Build practical culture routines: recognition, manager coaching, 'wins of the week,' team rituals
• Run engagement systems that lead to action: listening sessions, pulse checks, feedback loops, action plans
• Protect a 'no ego / high ownership' environment- resolve conflicts early and keep standards high
• Field HR - be on the floor, not behind the desk
• Build a structured outlet visit cadence (weekly/bi-weekly) with check-ins
• Coach outlet leaders on people topics: attendance, attitude, teamwork, service behavior, discipline, escalations
• Train managers on tough conversations + documentation (firm, fair, consistent)
• Detect issues early (culture drift, burnout, poor leadership) and fix them with real interventions
• Hiring & workforce growth (multi-site)
• Own recruitment end-to-end: role scorecards, structured interviews, selection standards, offers, onboarding
• Build workforce plans with Ops: staffing models by outlet/format and peak season planning
• Raise hiring quality and retention through better screening, onboarding, and manager capability
• Build referral programs and partnerships to keep the pipeline warm
• Employer Branding & Linked In (you own it)
• Build and manage our Linked In company page (setup/refresh, access control, brand consistency)
• Create an employer brand content plan: team stories, promotions, training, culture moments, behind-the-scenes
• Run hiring campaigns and build a talent community (followers -> applicants -> hires)
• Track simple results: follower growth, engagement, applicant quality, conversion rates
• Coordinate with Marketing for brand guidelines, but HR owns the talent narrative
• Emiratization (must-have experience)
• Lead Emiratization planning and execution: sourcing, hiring, onboarding, retention, development pathways
• Build relationships and pipelines for Emirati talent (universities, programs, local networks)
• Manage relevant reporting/requirements and ensure ongoing compliance with Emiratization initiatives
• Design career paths and support plans to help Emirati employees succeed and grow in operations and HQ roles
• UAE Labour Law & HR compliance (must-have)
• Ensure strong compliance with UAE labour law and MOHRE-related processes
• Own contracts, policies, employee relations, investigations, disciplinary actions and terminations (proper process + documentation)
• Coordinate visa/work permit administration with PRO / government portals where relevant
• Maintain accurate employee records and HR reporting (headcount, turnover, attendance, leave, etc.)
• Fluent Arabic & English (spoken + written)
• 5-8+ years HR experience, ideally in hospitality/retail with multiple locations
• Strong UAE labour law knowledge + hands-on HR compliance experience (ER, documentation, terminations, contracts)
• Proven Emiratization experience (implementation, hiring pipelines, onboarding/retention, reporting/requirements)
• Experience building employer branding / talent attraction, including Linked In company page + hiring campaigns
• Field/operator mindset: you enjoy being in outlets and solving real people problems
• High integrity, calm under pressure, strong judgment and confidentiality
• Experience in a fast-scaling, founder-led brand
• Built onboarding/training systems for frontline teams
• HRIS/LMS exposure (training platforms a plus)

Abu Dhabi-based. Regular travel to outlets is essential (this is part of the job, not optional).