Cluster Director of HR

Job Description

The Cluster Director of Human Resources is a key member of the cluster leadership team, responsible

for leading the people strategy across multiple hotels within the portfolio.

Reporting to the Cluster General Manager, this role serves as a strategic business partner to hotel

leadership and ownership. The Cluster Director of Human Resources will oversee all aspects of

human capital management across hotels with different positioning, operating models, and staffing

requirements.

The role will play a critical part in the successful pre-opening, opening, and stabilization of the hotels

by developing workforce strategies, establishing organizational structures, building leadership teams,

implementing HR systems and policies, and ensuring the portfolio attracts, develops, and retains

talented employees while maintaining compliance with all local regulations and company standards.

The successful candidate will combine commercial awareness with strong people leadership

capabilities to support business performance, organizational effectiveness, employee engagement,

and long-term talent sustainability across the portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Human Resources Leadership

• Develop and execute a cluster-wide Human Resources strategy aligned with business

objectives, hotel operating models, ownership priorities, and brand requirements.

• Serve as a strategic advisor to the Cluster General Manager and hotel leadership teams on all

people-related matters.

• Establish organizational structures, workforce plans, and staffing strategies appropriate for

each property's positioning and operating model.

• Drive a high-performance culture focused on accountability, development, engagement, and

service excellence.

• Support long-term talent planning and organizational effectiveness across the portfolio.

Pre-Opening Human Resources Management

• Lead all Human Resources pre-opening activities from project handover through opening

and stabilization.

• Develop and manage the Human Resources pre-opening critical path and readiness plan.

• Support the preparation, review, and management of Human Resources Pre-Opening

Budgets (POB).

• Develop pre-opening staffing plans, mobilization strategies, and recruitment timelines.

• Establish hotel organizational structures, position control frameworks, grading structures, and

manpower plans.

• Implement HR policies, procedures, systems, and employee lifecycle processes prior to

opening.

• Coordinate onboarding, orientation, and hotel opening induction programs.

Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning

• Lead recruitment strategies for all hotels across the cluster.

• Ensure leadership and critical positions are filled in accordance with opening timelines.

• Develop recruitment partnerships with hospitality schools, training providers, and external

agencies.

• Implement workforce planning initiatives to optimize labor resources across the portfolio.

• Support cluster-wide recruitment campaigns and talent pipeline development programs.

• Establish succession planning strategies for key operational and leadership roles.

Saudi National Development & Compliance

• Develop and implement Saudization strategies aligned with regulatory requirements and

business objectives.

• Establish recruitment, training, and development programs for Saudi nationals.

• Partner with government agencies, universities, hospitality academies, and training

institutions to develop future talent pipelines.

• Monitor compliance with labor legislation, Saudization targets, GOSI requirements, and

employment regulations.

• Ensure proper workforce reporting and government compliance across all properties.

Learning & Development

• Establish cluster training and development strategies.

• Develop leadership development and succession planning programmes.

• Implement pre-opening training, service culture, and onboarding initiatives.

• Support operational departments in building technical and leadership capabilities.

• Monitor training effectiveness and organizational capability development.

• Foster a culture of continuous learning and career development.

Employee Engagement & Culture

• Lead employee engagement initiatives, culture-building activities, and recognition

programmes.

• Develop programs that promote collaboration across the hotel portfolio.

• Drive employee well-being, inclusion, and retention initiatives.

• Monitor engagement survey results and implement action plans.

• Support the development of a strong employer brand and employee value proposition

Performance Management & Organizational Development

• Establish performance management frameworks across the portfolio.

• Support leaders in performance coaching, talent reviews, and development planning.

• Drive organizational effectiveness and change management initiatives.

• Support leadership teams in managing performance, employee relations, and workforce

challenges.

• Promote accountability and continuous improvement throughout the organization.

Compensation & Benefits

• Oversee compensation and benefits programmes across the hotel cluster.

• Ensure compensation structures remain competitive, equitable, and aligned with market

conditions.

• Support annual salary review, incentive planning, and workforce budgeting processes.

• Monitor labor costs and staffing productivity metrics.

• Partner with Finance and Operations teams to align manpower and compensation strategies

with business objectives.

Financial Management

• Prepare and manage Human Resources operating budgets and pre-opening budgets.

• Support manpower budgeting and labor cost forecasting across the portfolio.

• Monitor recruitment costs, training investments, employee housing budgets, transportation

costs, uniforms, and other HR-related expenditures.

• Identify opportunities to improve productivity and optimize labor resources.

• Ensure HR initiatives deliver measurable business value and return on investment.

Stakeholder Management

• Act as the primary Human Resources representative for ownership, hotel leadership, and

external stakeholders.

• Build strong relationships with government authorities, educational institutions, training

providers, and recruitment partners.

• Provide workforce analytics and people insights to support strategic decision-making.

• Participate in project meetings, business reviews, and opening readiness assessments.

Requirements

The Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will be a commercially minded and people-focused HR leader with a strong

track record of supporting hotel openings, workforce mobilization, organizational development, and

talent strategies across multiple properties.

You will bring:

• Proven Human Resources leadership experience within hotels, hospitality portfolios, mixeduse

developments, or complex service organizations.

• Strong pre-opening experience including workforce planning, recruitment mobilization, HR

systems implementation, and opening readiness activities.

• Experience preparing manpower budgets, staffing structures, and Human Resources Pre-

Opening Budgets (POB).

• Strong understanding of labor laws, employment regulations, Saudization requirements, and

workforce compliance in Saudi Arabia.

• Demonstrated expertise in talent acquisition, employee relations, organizational

development, succession planning, compensation, and performance management.

• Experience establishing organizational structures and staffing models for hotels with varying

positioning and operating requirements.

• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with

ownership, operating team, and government authorities.

• A collaborative leadership style with a passion for developing talent and building highperforming

teams.

• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to align people strategies with business goals.

• Excellent communication, coaching, and change management capabilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Hospitality Management, or

a related field.

• Professional HR certifications are advantageous.

• Minimum 10 years of progressive Human Resources experience within hospitality or service

industries.

• Minimum 5 years in a senior Human Resources leadership role.

• Previous multi-property, cluster, or portfolio Human Resources experience preferred.

• Proven pre-opening hotel experience strongly preferred.

• Experience managing large-scale recruitment and workforce mobilization programs.

• Strong understanding of Saudi labor legislation and hospitality workforce requirements.