Sr. Specialist People Operations

As the region’s leading local tech organization, we’re proud to say that we have been delivering for millions of people right across MENA for the past 18 years.

We were founded in Kuwait in 2004, and acquired by Delivery Hero (DHER) in 2015. This gives us a unique outlook - local knowledge with global expertise. It also allows us to innovate, create, and bring new technologies for the betterment of the MENA region, such as q-commerce, sustainable packaging, cloud kitchens, autonomous delivery vehicles, robots, and drones.

Today, we deliver hundreds of millions of food orders, grocery items, and other products per year, to our customers in nine countries throughout the region with more than 4,500+ employees! Our food delivery business works with over 27,000 brands and almost 50,000 branches.

Our q-commerce concept, talabat mart (121 Stores), now delivers groceries to customers in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE in 30 minutes or less! Our philosophy is to ensure we do what is suitable for our ecosystem- our customers, partners, people, riders, and the communities in which we operate.

A brief role summary including:

1. Role Purpose
   The Onboarding Specialist is responsible for managing the end-to-end onboarding process for employees across the GCC region, ensuring a smooth and engaging experience. This includes managing onboarding for employees at all levels, ensuring compliance with UAE labor laws, and collaborating with multiple stakeholders to achieve seamless outcomes.
2. Impact & Scope
   This role focuses on delivering a best-in-class onboarding journey, driving operational efficiency through automation, and enhancing the new hire experience, while continuously improving processes to ensure effectiveness and scalability.

• What’s on the menu? (Duties & Responsibilities)

This role will take direction from the Line manager and any other team member assigned by the line manager or HOD. Day-to-day tasks will include:

1.   Onboarding Coordination: Manage the full onboarding lifecycle for employees across all levels (senior management to entry level), ensuring timely execution and compliance while continuously looking for learning opportunities to improve the onboarding experience.
2.   New Employee Orientation: Organize and conduct orientation sessions to familiarize new hires with the company’s culture, values, and policies, using feedback to refine session content and delivery for maximum impact.
3.   Documentation and GR Check: Ensure accurate collection, verification, and management of documents based on nationality and regional requirements, proactively addressing potential issues and suggesting improvements to the process.
4.   Compliance: Ensure work permit, and labor law compliance in all processes, tracking progress to meet SLA targets while adjusting priorities to ensure critical objectives are met.
5.   System Proficiency: Use tools such as Google-Suite, Jira, Workday, Looker, and Tableau to track and report onboarding activities while identifying opportunities to optimize system usage for improved team performance.
6.   Surveys and Feedback: Design and administer surveys to evaluate onboarding effectiveness and implement process improvements, actively seeking feedback from stakeholders to enhance processes.
7.   Collaboration: Work closely with IT, People Partners, and other departments to ensure new hires receive necessary tools, access, and support, collaborating effectively with team members and offering guidance to junior colleagues.
8.   Stakeholder Management: Engage with internal and external stakeholders to align onboarding activities with organizational goals, taking responsibility for solving customer issues and sharing insights to improve the experience.
9.   Reporting and Tracking: Maintain and present onboarding data, ensuring SLAs for key processes are met, and regularly evaluate progress against objectives to deliver high impact.
10.   Public Speaking and Training: Confidently deliver presentations and engage new hires during onboarding sessions, using judgment to address challenges and provide solutions that enhance team performance.
11.   Project Management: Lead and contribute to projects aimed at streamlining and enhancing onboarding processes regionally, ensuring alignment with team goals and taking proactive steps when actions do not lead to the desired outcomes.

What are we looking for:

Qualifications & experience:

1. Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
2. 4+ years of experience in onboarding, Core People operations
3. Data analysis project management skills.
4. Solid understanding of UAE labor laws, visa processing, and work permit management.
5. Experience working with diverse teams and stakeholders across regions.

 Skills and attributes:

1. Proficiency in GSuite, Jira, Workday, Looker, and Tableau.
2. Strong organizational, project management, communication, and public speaking skills.
3. Problem-solving and critical thinking capabilities, with the ability to proactively identify and address challenges.
4. Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks while prioritizing high-impact objectives.
5. Ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively with team members, offering guidance to others while seeking growth opportunities.