People Operations Manager

Company Description

Since launching in Kuwait in 2004, talabat, the leading on-demand food and Q-commerce app for everyday deliveries, has been offering convenience and reliability to its customers. talabat’s local roots run deep, offering a real understanding of the needs of the communities we serve in eight countries across the region. 

We harness innovative technology and knowledge to simplify everyday life for our customers, optimize operations for our restaurants and local shops, and provide our riders with reliable earning opportunities daily. 

At talabat, we foster an innovative environment where our talabaty employees can strive to create a positive impact across the region through the use of our platform.

Job Description

Role Summary

As a Manager People & Culture Business Partner, this role involves closely partnering with our stakeholders (Business Leaders) to support their organizational needs. It combines both operational and creative aspects – you never know what new initiatives you might be working on in the upcoming quarter! We’re looking for someone flexible, creative, and resourceful to navigate the many challenges ahead, with the autonomy to make things happen. This role will be pivotal in managing the people strategy and end-to-end employee lifecycle for both regional hubs; Shared Service Center (SSC) and Dipatch, ensuring seamless integration of People strategies and experience.

General Responsibilities:

• Lead on the People & Culture Strategy within SSC & Dispatch Line of businesses while assessing the local population people needs to tailor fit-for-purpose people initiatives.

• Own the Manpower Plan for the specified Line of businesses and partner with Talent Acquisition to fulfill the hiring needs and requirements. Support the Business to maintain the MPP Budget efficiently and effectively, while executing the needed changes within the assigned budget whenever needed.

• Managing his/her team to execute the monthly employees’ transactions and changes (New Joiners, Internal Movement/Promotions, and Leavers) and maintaining people’s data across different platforms and systems, thoroughly and accurately. Provide reports and analytics to present insights to the Business/People & Culture on people’s related aspects.

• Elevate talabat’s culture and employee experience through behavioral change, enhancing the on-boarding and off-boarding journey, and leading the people’s engagement initiatives and activities which impacts the employees’ satisfaction and motivation within talabat.

• Drive a high-performance culture by managing the Performance Review Cycles and Talent Reviews, and supporting the Business Leaders by tackling performance improvement plans and/or growth and development plans to elevate individual performance. Collaborate with the Talent Development Team to enhance teams’ performance, growth, and development by identifying performance gaps, development needs and tools, growth opportunities, and coaching and mentoring employees and managers on performance-related matters.

• Partner with the Total Rewards Team and the Head of Functions to lead the ‘annual’ Pay Review Cycle. Perform regular compensation checks/reviews and initiate rewards programs to ensure healthy pay and compensation mix and equity in alignment with talabat’s rewards strategy.

• Provide expert advice to maintain the served-verticals’ Organizational Structure and hierarchy, as well as to lead the Organizational Changes and Succession Planning in alignment with the business needs and drive for efficiency and effectiveness.

• Managing the transformation by developing change management strategies with the Head of function in collaboration with management. Supporting the building of change both top-down and bottom-up, and owning the change topics on the business area level. Comfortably influencing others in continuous improvement and acting as a change ambassador and mentor within the People & Culture team.

Values and Competencies:

• Experience First - Focus on What Matters: Communicates function's OKRs and defines team members’ priorities to meet these OKRs, focusing on high-impact projects or tasks. Uses effective methods and data to track progress and reiterate team members’ priorities when required.

• Experience First - Customer Centric: Seeks to understand customers’ needs and suggest new ways to meet and exceed their needs. Emphasizes a team approach to providing great customer service.

• Make it Happen - Delivering Results: Delivers toward their functions’ strategy and objectives. Does not give up during setbacks, and looks for alternatives when certain actions have not led to the desired impact. Influence their team and hold them accountable for achieving results and impact. Takes personal responsibility for their own mistakes and coaches others to recover quickly to achieve or exceed results and impact.

• Make it Happen - Problem Solving: Uses a structured approach to identify and resolve short-term problems. Ask the right questions to identify the cause and immediate effects. Delivers solutions that drive the performance of the team and function.

• Together we Grow - Working in Teams: Facilitates cooperation, trust, and teamwork and supports constructive resolution of conflicts to reach joint results. Aware of own bias and take action against them. Recognizes others' ideas and opinions and actively integrates them when needed.

• Together We Grow - Growing Self & Others: Commits to personal development. Develop their team by providing ongoing coaching, and feedback and educating them about growth opportunities in talabat.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of HR experience with a strong focus on HR business partnering experience.

• Experience in call center environments or similar customer-facing operations (preferably in a high-growth, fast-paced environment).

• Proven experience in leading and developing teams. 

• Exceptional stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build strong relationships and collaborate effectively with internal and external partners.

• Ability to influence and advise senior leaders on People & Culture matters, providing strategic solutions to business challenges.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to leverage data and HR systems to drive informed decisions.

• Fluency in English is a must.

• Regional experience in working with diverse, multi-location teams is highly desirable. 

• Exposure to Talent and Reward functions would be considered a plus.