Head of People & Culture

About Accor

Accor is a global leader in the hotel industry, operating in 110 countries with over 5,800 hotels and 10,000 restaurants and bars. The group offers a diverse integrated hotel ecosystem, encompassing luxury, high-end, mid-range, and economic brands, alongside exclusive lifestyle concepts, entertainment venues, private residences, and co-working spaces. Accor manages a portfolio of brands supported by more than 300,000 employees worldwide.

Role Summary

As the Head of People & Culture for Saudi Arabia, you will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of the people strategy across the Kingdom. This role ensures alignment with business priorities and organizational values. Based in Accor's Jeddah office, you will report to the Regional Director of People & Culture – GCC & Levant. The position is full-time and requires over 10 years of experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with hotel People & Culture and operational leaders to establish the People & Culture roadmap, including annual objectives and action plans.
• Activate the People & Culture strategy with operational leaders and General Managers to ensure commitment and delivery.
• Champion the Heartist program, ensuring employees and guests are central to strategic decisions and initiatives.
• Build and manage relationships with General Managers and People & Culture teams in hotels to ensure project and initiative implementation.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, driving initiatives in talent, culture, employee engagement, organizational effectiveness, and workforce planning.

Talent Management and Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with all localization rules set by the Ministry of Tourism in Saudi Arabia across all hotels.
• Maintain a best practice recruitment approach, utilizing Accor’s recruitment management system to attract top applicants.
• Anticipate recruitment needs and maintain a leadership pipeline of potential candidates and talents.
• Develop and implement action plans to attract talent, including presentations to hospitality schools, universities, social media, and job websites.
• Ensure hotel selection processes comply with company policy, including assessments, interview guides, and validation steps.
• Promote a strong talent management culture among leaders through continuous feedback, yearly reviews, potential assessments, talent reviews, career development, and succession planning.
• Support the leadership team in the talent management cycle and promote employee mobility to meet regional growth needs.
• Collaborate with Accor Academy to ensure learning offers meet current and future business needs.
• Coordinate with Learning & Development, Brand, and Accor Academy for consistent Brand orientation and culture program rollout.

Legal and Employee Relations

• Advise hotels on employment law and labor relations in accordance with country labor laws.
• Ensure proper follow-up and due diligence on all employee complaints, liaising with hotel People & Culture leaders and General Managers.
• Monitor legislative changes and provide guidance to People & Culture business leaders.
• Drive Heartists engagement and workplace culture improvement programs.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in People & Culture leadership roles.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute people strategies aligned with business objectives.
• Strong understanding of Saudi Arabian labor laws and regulations.
• Experience in talent management, recruitment, and organizational development.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and advisory skills.