HR Business Partner

Taaleem is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We hold ourselves to a high standard of effective practices in relation to child protection and we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We expect all staff to share this commitment.

All successful applicants must be willing to undergo enhanced child protection screening appropriate to the post, including various background checks including, receipt of high-quality references, proof of relevant qualifications, identification and police checks, including overseas checks. No member of staff will be able to start until these checks are complete and this process takes, on average, a month. 

As part of our founding team, you will play a pivotal role in building a vibrant and inclusive community where the learning of every individual is at the heart of daily life. Guided by the Harrow values, our staff will create an environment in which every pupil is nurtured, challenged, and empowered to achieve their very best.

Harrow International School Dubai is seeking a strategic and results driven HR Business Partner who thrives in a dynamic environment, brings strong stakeholder management skills, and is passionate about supporting a positive, high-performing workplace.

Job Purpose:

The HR Business Partner acts as the dedicated point of contact for the assigned school, partnering closely with the Principal and Senior Leadership Team to deliver effective people solutions. The role is responsible for driving a positive culture, strong employee experience, leadership capability, and full compliance with Taaleem policies, UAE Labour Law, and Dubai regulatory requirements.

Key Accountabilities:

Strategic HR Partnership

• Act as a trusted advisor to the Principal and school leadership team, translating school objectives into people priorities.
• Provide proactive, practical HR advice, constructively challenging leadership where people decisions may create risk or misalignment.

 Employee Relations & Policy Advisory

• Advise employees and managers on Taaleem policies and procedures, ensuring consistent application and compliance with UAE Labour Law.
• Own employee relations matters, including disciplinary, grievance, performance, and attendance cases, escalating complex or high-risk issues appropriately.

Workforce Planning & Resourcing

• Lead workforce planning for the school, ensuring headcount is aligned to budget, enrolment, and operational needs.
• Identify capability gaps, resourcing risks, and succession vulnerabilities.
• Lead the end-to-end recruitment and selection process for school-based roles, in partnership with Central HR and Education teams.

Compensation, Budgeting & Contracts

• Support the Principal with annual budgeting, staffing models, and compensation planning.
• Ensure all new hires, salary adjustments, and contractual changes are within approved budgets and aligned with policy.
• Ensure timely and accurate issuance of contracts, amendments, and employment documentation.

Performance & Talent Management

• Drive a robust performance management culture, supporting leaders with underperformance, capability development, and appraisal processes.
• Identify high-potential employees and succession risks, supporting leadership with development plans and career pathways.

Compliance & Governance

• Ensure full compliance with KHDA and Immigration requirements for the school.
• Maintain oversight of employment risk, regulatory compliance, conduct, ethics, and governance standards.
• Ensure accurate case management, documentation, and audit readiness.

Change & Transformation Support

• Support leadership through organisational change, role redesign, restructures, leadership transitions, and cultural or behavioural initiatives.
• Support onboarding and integration of new hires and leaders into the school.

HR Systems & Data Integrity

• Ensure accurate and timely employee data management for the school across all HR systems, including HCM, Payroll, ATS, and Performance Management platforms.
• Partner with HR Shared Services to ensure data accuracy, system compliance, and smooth operational delivery.

HR Objectives & KPIs

• Accountable for delivery of agreed HR goals and KPIs for the school, aligned to Taaleem’s People & Culture strategy.

Education:        

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or Human Resources.
• Recognised HR Qualification and/or professional accreditation preferred.

Experience:

• 8+ years’ of generalist HR experience is essential (Recruitment, Performance Management, Compensation & Benefits, Employee Relations, Compliance). 
• 5+ years of UAE Labour Law knowledge and experience is essential.  
• 5+ Years of HR experience is preferred, supporting key business leaders. 
• Education Industry HR experience is preferred. 
• Knowledge of the UAE educational regulatory authorities, including but not limited to, KHDA/ADEK is preferred. 

Competencies:

• Coaching & advisory: ability to coach and advise key stakeholders on people management solutions and challenges. 
• Competent using IT systems, including Microsoft Word/Excel/Outlook, applicant tracking systems, performance management systems, and Oracle. 
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills: Ability to balance business needs with HR priorities. 

 Attributes:

• Strong communication skills and the ability to influence key stakeholders through data story telling. 
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced environment while balancing priorities and delivering results on time. 

School Values and Behaviours

All staff are expected to conduct themselves in line with the school’s values which are: Courage, Honour, Humility and Fellowship. While the School’s values set out what matters most to us, the behaviours below are intended as a shared set of expectations to refer to, and standards to aspire to, in our dealings with others. They are the practical application of our values.

COURAGE

• We remain optimistic and purposeful in a disrupted world.
• We take responsibility for our decisions, even the hard ones.
• We always challenge poor behaviour in ourselves and others.
• We are open to new ideas and seek fresh challenges.

HONOUR

• We keep our promises.
• We act with integrity – doing the right thing, even when it is difficult or when no one is watching.
• We respect and value our traditions whilst setting them in the context of today.

HUMILITY

• We work hard to serve others within the School and across our wider communities where possible putting their interests before our own.
• We give and seek honest and appropriate feedback, reflect on our failures and learn from them.
• We support each other through challenges and whatever the outcome, we celebrate those that took part. 

FELLOWSHIP

• We respect each other and value our differences, knowing that we are more effective and more resilient working together.
• We are kind and inclusive; we value the contribution that each of us makes.
• We role model the behaviours that we would like to see in others; we ask only of others what we would be prepared to do ourselves.

Equality, diversity and inclusion are values that are important to us at Taaleem. We believe in diversity of thought and actively welcome everyone regardless of their background to bring their valuable and relevant skills to our community.

Note: It is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.

This advertisement is posted on behalf of Harrow International School Dubai which is part of the group owned by Taaleem Holdings PJSC and independently operated under a licence to use the Harrow School brand. For further details of the relationship, please see the relationship statement on the harrowdubai.ae website. Accordingly, applicants should be aware that the employer will be part of Taaleem Holdings PJSC’s group and under its control and not Harrow School.