Director, People & Culture - Rixos Baghdad

Established in 2000 in Turkey, Rixos pioneers the ‘ALL Inclusive, ALL Exclusive’ concept, inviting guests to discover a world of possibilities, with luxurious stays, inclusive of culinary delights from around the globe, live entertainment, daily sports, and fitness activities, sensorial spa and wellness journeys and fun-filled kids and teens activities. Each Rixos property presents a unique experience inspired by local culture, global influences, and our Turkish heritage, all within a setting of unparalleled luxury.

Reporting to the General Manager with a dotted line to the VP, People & Culture, Rixos and AIC the role holder will contribute to the performance of their area by facilitating the hiring and retention of exceptional talent as well as driving HR processes, employee engagement, learning and development, performance and talent management and compliance initiatives within their hotel(s).  They will work with the Director, People & Culture, Rixos & AIC to provide People & Culture support and resources to the Hotel teams.

This is a front line, People & Culture generalist role where the incumbent will be required to navigate an international environment and provide perspective on what industry leading Human Resources delivery means.  They will deliver activities, processes and procedures which support the existing team and the future growth of the business. They will build positive and effective working relationships with their hotels and employee community in order to drive development, effectiveness, engagement and retention in line with the needs of the business.

They will work to ensure the roll out and execution of key People & Culture initiatives including but not limited to, organizational design, employee development, performance management, employee relations, employee marketing, compensation resource planning and talent management.

Responsibilities

Employee Relations

• Foster a positive and structured work environment which encourages the successful operation of the business, calling upon the necessary processes to deal with disciplinary, grievance and workforce change situations. 
• Work alongside with the function leaders to investigate, document and administer corrective action immediately and effectively to reach the mutual goals of the business and the employee in keeping with the company policy and local labor law.
• Be the champion of the processes to ensure that the leaders understand their role in the process as well as the fair treatment of the employees.

Recruitment

• Hire new employees in conjunction with the Departmental Leader through INES/People Hub

• Use the interview guides provided and Talent Meter to gain further information on any potential candidate.

Employee Engagement and Communications

• Strive to increase employee engagement by promoting a positive work environment where each employee is informed and proactive about the overall business goals.  Ensure the consistent delivery of business and employee information with transparency so that each employee understands how they contribute to the company’s success. 
• People & Culture Audit. 
• Ensure the EES Champions for the hotel/departmental action plans in order to increase employee engagement and improve EES scores year on year.
• Represent the organization as an exemplary ambassador the Ennismore All Inclusive - Employee Service Culture
• Labor Turnover to be closely monitored and proactive actions taken with regards to trends and suggestions to People & Culture leader as well as Hotel Manager/General Manager.

Learning & Talent Development

• Ensure Departments have adequate Departmental trainers, and these are well utilized to the business’s needs.
• Work with the Learning & Development leader on a 12-month training needs analysis that align with the hotel business plan.
• Ensure all mandatory training is compliant.
• Work with the Exec Com with regards to the needs of the business and suggest on and off job training interventions that will assist in strengthening the skills of the employees.

Compensation & Benefits

• Ensure annual pay increases are budgeted to the market
• Any Exec Com roles are interviewed, and packages approved by Regional Heads prior to offering
• All benefits grids are approved on an annual basis with no deviations to grading or benefits given to colleagues to ensure pay parity

Performance Management

• For all supervisory positions have a transparent development program in place in conjunction with the People & Culture leader as well as Learning & Development.
• Development of direct reports to give them ongoing feedback and development.
• Ensure bi-annual Talent Review process is conducted and associated documentation maintained to the required standard.
• Facilitate the performance management cycle from probation reviews, annual performance reviews, development plans as well as on the job training.
• Development Plans for all High Potential employees in conjunction with the Learning & Development leader.

People & Culture Metrics

Be the champion of the following metrics and hold the other leaders and General Manager to account, give advice and guidance on where improvements can be made:

• Labour Turnover, reflect and guide on high turnover departments with regards to how to reduce it and share findings with the Exec Com.
• Learning & Development Hours
• Mandatory Training – Employee, Onboarding, Departmental Training etc 100% compliant
• Employee Engagement Score (EES) with action plans and follow up
• Payroll % of revenue
• Internal Promotions & Transfers process
• People & Culture Framework review

Employee Marketing

• Exciting and innovative ways of celebrating and communicating what is important to the employees this could include:
  • Town Hall Meetings
  • Virtual Competitions
  • CSR activities
  • Communication through mixed media
  • Organisational updated and PR on why work for AAI

Housing, Transportation & Activities

• To ensure that the employees have a safe and secure place to eat, sleep and enjoy whilst not at work.
• Through the Housing team ensure that employees enjoy their time when they aren’t at work with varied activities and transport to places that are meaningful for them.
• Housing to be at the desired cleanliness and maintenance standards as well as following the desired sharing levels per grade as per the benefits grid.

Finance

• The activities and contribution of the role will impact the performance of the hotel. 
• They will act on behalf of the business to work through complex situations and reduce risk, interpreting and implementing company policies and employment legislation as appropriate.
• They will be required to exercise sound judgment and integrity at all times to ensure confidentiality of protected information.
• Be fiscally competent in budgeting, forecasting including the commentary that goes with the documents/meetings.
• Demonstrate full awareness of hotel budget/P&L and work towards achieving it by minimizing expenses and maximizing revenue through suggestions on the payroll forecasts and hiring plans.

Abilities/Key Competencies/Skills

Alongside these key competencies, the incumbent of the role will be required to demonstrate the fundamentals of the company’s Employee service culture to be responsive, respectful and deliver a great experience.

Leading Myself

• Positive Orientation
• Operational Decision Making
• Self-Development & Management

Leading Others

• Developing an Empowered Team
• Leading an Engaged and Diverse Team
• Communication

Leading the Business

• Advocating Guest Passion
• Business Planning and Analysis
• Business Improvement and Change

Experience/Certificates/Education

• Educated to bachelor’s degree level or beyond, most likely within a business or human resources management related discipline, or experience equivalent
• Prior experience as a Department Head in a large, fast paced organization
• Fluency in verbal and written English is essential – an additional language e.g. Arabic would be an advantage
• Ideally CIPD qualified to level 7
• 5 years prior experience as a Director People & Culture in a like property
• Must be a highly capable user of Microsoft office programmes including Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Previous working experience in a truly global work environment is essential

Experience/Certificates/Education

• Educated to bachelor’s degree level or beyond, most likely within a business or human resources management related discipline, or experience equivalent
• Prior experience as a Department Head in a large, fast paced organisation
• Fluency in verbal and written English is essential – an additional language e.g. Arabic would be an advantage
• Ideally CIPD qualified to level 7
• 5 years prior experience as a Director People & Culture in a like property
• Must be a highly capable user of Microsoft office programmes including Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Previous working experience in a truly global work environment is essential