People Manager

Hill & Knowlton is a strategic and creative partner to drive breakthrough opportunities for growth and value creation, advance corporate strategy, and build reputation capital and resiliency. We’re a proven partner for business and brand transformation. A full-service global firm, we provide strategic communication, marketing and corporate affairs solutions distinguished by intelligence and creativity. Hill & Knowlton is part of the Burson Group and WPP (NYSE: WPP), the creative transformation company.

About Hill & Knowlton

Hill & Knowlton is the global strategic communications leader for transformation. We help brands, businesses and leaders build reputation, manage risk, and create breakthrough opportunities for growth. Founded in 1927, today’s Hill & Knowlton operates 70 offices in over 30 countries, providing advisory, public relations and creative solutions to local and global clients. Our global team offers integrated strategic services, grounded in deep sector expertise, and enabled by creativity and intelligence. Headquartered in New York, Hill & Knowlton is part of WPP, one of the world’s largest communications services groups.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Title: People Manager

REPORT TO: Senior People Business Partner

ROLE:

The People Manager is a multifaceted role that includes managing talent acquisition, onboarding, business intelligence, policy implementation, compensation & benefits, learning & development, people management, and fostering company culture. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of Bahrain and Saudi labour laws, excellent communication skills, the ability to work swiftly to meet deadlines, and a knack for building positive relationships across the network.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Talent Acquisition & Onboarding

• Work with the Head of Talent Acquisition and hiring managers to determine team resourcing planning and structuring
• Managing and tracking the Saudization rates and targets, and providing regular updates.
• Sourcing, filtering, and screening candidate applications, identifying potential candidates, and maintaining talent database.
• Helping in creating and maintaining job descriptions.
• Work with the Head of Talent Acquisition to determine appropriate selection process dependent on role and coach through recruitment process where required.
• Ensure all candidates’ reference and background checks are completed.
• Managing the relationships with Saudi universities regarding internships and career fairs.

Onboarding and Offboarding

• Welcoming new hires personally in KSA and taking them for office orientation..
• Updating and reviewing the onboarding program and decks regularly.
• Handling probations reviews and decisions with line managers.
• Undertake exit interviews with all leavers (where appropriate)
• Ensure all offboarding documentation is as per SOX requirements
• Prepare quarterly turnover report with insights regarding exit interview feedback and trends; make recommendations as to how to positively affect retention rates.

Business Intelligence

• Providing accurate and up-to-date people data reports to stakeholders when requested.
• Managing the regular People and Finance data audits.
• Managing the People Dashboard for KSA and Bahrain and continuously improving it.

Policies + Procedures

• Ensuring full compliance with the local labor laws and regulations, and regularly updating the company’s statutory bylaws (where applicable).
• Assisting in updating the company’s handbook and policies for KSA and Bahrain
• Leading the data integrity efforts across all platforms.
• Supporting colleagues with all different People platforms enquiries and requests.
• Sharing People best practices with line managers and senior leadership team.

Legal and Compliance

• In compliance with SOX requirements and audit, maintain accurate employment records
• Lead all grievance, disciplinary and termination procedures in line with local employment legislation and company’s best practice, developing senior managers understanding in this area
• Work with WPP legal providers where required to ensure appropriate process is followed and correct legal advice is provided to Team Leads
• Ensure all People activities are compliant with local employment legislation, SOX requirements and company’s best practice

Compensation & Benefits

• Coordinating the annual company benefits renewal processes for KSA and Bahrain.
• Conducting regular benefits data audits.
• Managing the annual promotions and compensation reviews with special attention to colleagues’ retention efforts.
• Reviewing the monthly payroll files.

Performance & Succession

• Responsibility for the performance system, annual performance appraisal cycle including performance appraisal training, communication of timelines, follow up to ensure 100% completion and supporting managers with development/training needs that arise from process
• Managing team talent mapping, Calibration, and succession planning process.
• Supervising and supporting the internship program for KSA and Bahrain
• Partnering with the management on organizational design, and skills assessment
• Reviewing and analyzing performance data to identify trends and recommend solutions to improve performance, retention, and employee experience.

People

• Supporting colleagues with their medical insurance enquiries and requests.
• Providing ongoing support to the team on People related matters, policies and procedures.
• Working with line managers and leadership team on addressing all types of team relations issues.

Culture

• Acting as the culture committee lead in KSA.
• Managing the annual colleague’s engagement survey and action planning.
• Representing the company in external events in KSA.
• Partnering with managers to retain, develop and motivate people to achieve their fullest potential.
• Working with business groups to assess, create and implement innovative solutions for a variety of engagement initiatives.

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

• Excellent presentation and communications skills.
• Proven ability to successfully work as a team member and to build and maintain a positive work environment across the network.
• Demonstrated ability to coach managers and supervisors to use company best practices for maximum effectiveness.
• Strong skills and experience within measurement and evaluation of People metrics to evidence tangible impact to the business.
• Confidence to seek input and response from senior colleagues.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Strong understanding of Bahrain and Saudi labor laws and regulations
• Ability to work swiftly and meet deadlines.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Ability to work across multiple teams and countries.

#LI-RS1

Hill & Knowlton is more than an agency. It’s a collection of thousands of brilliant, collaborative and driven employees – all united around a single vision of transforming our clients, our company and the world.

Across 70 offices in 30 countries our people are the heartbeat of our business. Bridging countless cultures, backgrounds and lived experiences, we are drawn together by a common drive and a collaborative spirit – called to our craft each day by the desire to deliver the best work.

And at H&K, diversity, equity and inclusion are not just values; they are strategic imperatives that fuel our future in an industry built on the art of understanding, connecting and developing relationships. We believe that a diverse workforce is essential for inspiring bold ideas, fostering constructive dialogue and cultivating meaningful experiences that drive innovation and creativity.

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