Junior HR Business Partner - UAE National | IKEA | Jebel Ali, Dubai

About Al-Futtaim Private Company LLC

No two days are the same at Al-Futtaim, no matter what role you have. Our work is driven by the desire to make a difference and to have a meaningful impact with the goal of enriching everyday lives. Take our engaging and supportive work environment and couple it with a company culture that recognises and rewards quality performance, and what do you get? The chance to push the limits every single day.

As a humble family business that started on the banks of the Dubai Creek in the 1930s, Al-Futtaim has expanded to a presence in 31 countries, a portfolio of over 200 companies, and 42,000 employees. You’ll find us in industries ranging from automotive and retail, to finance and real estate, and connecting people with international names like Lexus, Ikea, and Adidas. Our team is proudly multicultural and multinational because that kind of diverse representation gives us the global mindset to grow and impact the people, markets, and trends around us.

About Al-Futtaim IKEA

GROWING TOGETHER...

We are a values-driven company with a passion for life at home. Our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people.

Al-Futtaim IKEA holds the franchise rights for IKEA in Egypt, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

About you

You have a deep business knowledge and are energized by working in a changing complex environment and you navigate with confidence in an agile way. You have excellent skills in communication, negotiation and have a strong engagement and commitment to develop the business by optimizing performance through people. You appreciate the mix of strategic, tactical and operational thinking and demonstrate an open mind-set. You are a strong communicator with the ability to influence and inspire across all levels. You show high level of integrity from a values perspective and credibility built through seniority and extensive competence in the HR field.

What’s more, we believe that you have the following knowledge, capabilities and motivation:

• Live and share the IKEA values every day
• Human Resource, Psychology or Business Management Degree. CIPD qualification desirable
• 5years HR Generalist Experience. Previous experience as a HR Business Partner, IKEA experience is preferred
• Budget planning, business acumen, communication design, data analysis, planning & coordination, project management, change management, stakeholder management
• Ability to build working relationships
• Proven leadership abilities and lead by example
• Strong mediation and counselling skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Analytical skills, financial modeling skills
• Computer literate

About the role

You act as a trusted advisor to senior line management on all human capital management matters; to ensure a keen understanding of the business so as to implement HR strategies and practices that support robust business growth; reinforce a culture of performance focus, project management, HR process, reports, analysis, meritocracy and diversity; and comply with Group HR policy.

Key Specific Accountabilities:

Business Partnering:

• Know the business, the strategy and business drivers, products, budgets, forecasts and employee issues. Understand their hopes, fears, likes and dislikes and know who the key influencers are.
• Work proactively, constantly adding measurable value and making tangible improvements, clarifying what the business and HR need and evaluating outcomes.
• Involved and able to influence at all stages of business strategy development and implementation, contributing to decision making.
• Act as a trusted business partner and coach to senior line management, encouraging managers to think strategically, consider the impact of changes on the organisation and how best to make use of people to achieve success.
• Consult and support line managers across the business units to focus on measuring the employee engagement of the business units and take actions necessary to improve it.  Advice, coach and mentor management team on people related issues.  Act as change agent and facilitate transition.
• Work together with the recruitment team and advise the business needs; actively source using relevant recruitment tools and media attracting candidates with the correct skill set to support IKEA’s expanding business.
• Ensure the organisation has a committed “fit for the future” workforce to deliver its strategic ambition.
• Liaise with Group Employee services in order to ensure smooth on-boarding process of new co-worker is planned for, within the Regional Office; collaborate with line managers in order to arrange induction & 0n-the –job training plans for new co-workers.
• Provide detailed monthly analysis concerning Internal Promotions, Annual Exceptional Promotions and Exceptional Effort Award.
• Work closely with HRSS, HRIS and HR employee services on internal transfers of candidates or new budgeted positions within the company (i.e. new SAP numbers).
   

Employee Relations (ER)

• Act as a trusted advisor and coach to managers to ensure that the relationship between  the organisation and its co-workers is managed appropriately within a frame work of organisation practices and policies to manage risk and achieve business performance.
• Manage ER issues within the business unit and provide expert guidance and support on key people issues.
• Support line managers in creating a culture of co-worker engagement based upon Al Futtaim & IKEA values.  
• Always reinforce culture of meritocracy, performance-focus and diversity. Act as an advisor to line managers in order to educate them and minimise risks. 
• Ensure compliance with local law and group policy throughout the employee lifecycle. 
• Communicate and implement new changes to HR policies and procedures to the store management team and employees. 
• Handle investigations within the store and work closely with HRSS on them to ensure that the disciplinary policy & procedures are properly applied before any employee exits from the business.

Financial Management

• Ensure annual manpower budgeting exercise is conducted accurately and efficiently.
• Ensure annual casual labour manpower budgeting exercise is conducted efficiently.
• Create, obtain approval for and manage HR department budget.
• Ensure HR team adherence to the business financial systems and processes.
• Monitor incentives pay-outs
• Monitor spending (manpower costs, engagement costs, utilities, and all spending related to HR)

Training & Development

• Work together with L&D    to secure a consistent welcome to the business for all new employees is conducted ensuring that the new joiner can reach full potential as quickly as possible 
• Enforce developmental growth methods and succession planning to develop growing talent. 
• Build a high-performance culture by working with L&D to deliver programs that recognise and reward critical skills, capabilities, experience and performance and ensure that reward systems are market-based, equitable & cost-effective. 

Workforce optimization 

• Play a key role in communicating organizational messages and monitoring feedback within the business.
• Look at business unit productivity and take necessary actions to improve it.
• Ensure that the delivery of HR services and information to employees on all levels is accurate, efficient, timely and cost effective.
• Monitor & communicate compliance to the manpower budgets
• Ensure appropriate adherence to company mandated manpower budgeting process.

HR Processes

• Provided appropriate business/management information to the HR GM based on trends and patterns and regular financial reporting of co-worker costs.
• Lead the yearly budgeting process to optimize adherence to a manpower cost to an agreed level of budgeted costs for the assigned Store
• Ensure that poor performers are reviewed in a fair way and appropriate performance improvement plans are in place.
• Work with employee services to ensure adequate support for Housing and other group benefits.
• Work with the AF Emiratization team / Country Heads of HR to ensure compliance to the Labour requirements for national employee quotas – including recruitment drives and incentives.

A few more things for you

Interest? Then please join us for a rewarding career journey!

We are here to provide excellent service but a little help from you can ensure a five-star candidate experience from start to finish.

Before you click, “apply”: Please read the job description carefully to ensure you can confidently demonstrate why this opportunity is right for you and take the time to put together a well-crafted and personalised CV to further boost your visibility. Our global Talent Acquisition team members are all assigned to specific businesses to ensure that we make the best matches between talent and opportunities. We not only consider the requisite compatibility of skills and behaviours, but also how candidates align with our Values of Respect, Integrity, Collaboration, and Excellence.

As part of our candidate experience promise, we also want to make ourselves available to you throughout the application process. We make every effort to review and respond to every application.

Apply now