Specialist – HR Centre of Excellence

Job Title: Specialist – HR Centre of Excellence

Department: Human Resources

Reports To: Chief Human Resources Officer

Type: Contract – 12 months, full-time

Location: DIFC, Dubai, UAE.

We are looking for someone who will help build something in one year that outlasts them.

Manoj Re is a DIFC-based reinsurance brokerage firm. Over the next twelve months we are putting in an HRMS, a performance cycle with real KPIs and KRAs, a learning calendar and an employee experience programme.

This role is the pair of hands beside our CHRO while designing and implementing the framework. You will not be asked to invent it, but you will be asked to help make it happen and you will have your hands on all of it.

If you have ever wanted to build an HR function properly, from a blank page and if you want a year that stretches you further than the three before it, we would like to meet you.

WHAT YOU WILL ACTUALLY DO

You will:

• Assist with the HRMS rollout: prepare and clean employee data, upload records, test workflows, configurations and approval routes, log issues with the vendor and keep the implementation tracker current and users supported.
• Maintain the HRMS once it is live: employee records, leave and attendance data, document uploads, user queries and monthly data-accuracy checks.
• Support the performance cycle: prepare KPI and KRA templates and role-wise libraries from the CHRO's framework, circulate them, track completion department by department, chase pending submissions, follow up with HODs and compile the status dashboard.
• Assist with the learning and development module: collate training needs, support the learning-needs analysis, maintain the training calendar, coordinate sessions and trainers, track attendance and cost, and collect pre and post-training feedback.
• Run employee experience surveys and listening exercise: set up the questionnaire, circulate it, chase responses, compile a clean summary for the CHRO to analyse, and maintain the action tracker with named owners and deadlines so the survey leads somewhere.
• Support Talent Acquisition alongside the CHRO: post approved vacancies, source and shortlist CVs, coordinate assignments and interviews, maintain the candidate tracker and pipelines for critical roles, and follow up for interview feedback.
• Prepare and format HR policies, SOPs, templates and checklists from the CHRO's drafts, and maintain the master document list with owner, version, approval status and review date.
• Build and maintain HR trackers and Excel dashboards — headcount, joiners and leavers, budget versus actual variance, training, performance completion and survey actions — that answer real management questions rather than reporting activity.
• Prepare HR communication and employer-brand material: internal announcements, recognition posts, newsletters and approved social content.
• Keep every open item visible, maintain the action tracker, follow up with owners, and flag what is slipping before it becomes a problem.
• Deliver against the twelve-month plan with monthly outputs, escalate blockers early, and leave a complete handover pack with documented steps, trained users, open items and recommendations before the contract closes.
• Be dependable when a deadline, a go-live or a cycle genuinely needs the extra push, including at times that are not always convenient.

You should apply ONLY if you:

• Genuinely enjoy supporting someone and making their work lighter — this role is measured on exactly that.
• Are excellent at follow-up. A large part of this job is politely chasing people until things are actually done.
• Have been part of an HRMS rollout and understand what configuration, migration, testing and adoption really involve.
• Have worked through a full performance cycle and can prepare KPIs and KRAs that hold up in a real appraisal conversation.
• Are strong in Excel and comfortable living inside trackers, formulas and dashboards.
• Are organised to the point of being particular about file names, versions and folders.
• Learn quickly and ask early rather than guessing.
• Are comfortable being measured on what is live and working, not on how busy you were.
• Are genuinely committed to the outcome — you want to point at something real at the end of the year.
• Are available to start at short notice and ready to commit properly to the full twelve months.

You should NOT apply if you:

• Want a steady, predictable HR role with fixed boundaries.
• Need every requirement defined for you before you can start.
• Find following up and chasing people uncomfortable.
• Consider data cleaning, formatting and tracker maintenance to be beneath you.
• See a contract role as a placeholder while you look for something permanent.
• Measure your contribution in activity rather than in what is working at the end.
• Are uncomfortable with pace, direct feedback or shifting priorities.
• Would find it difficult to hand your work over to someone else and walk away from it.

Non-negotiables:

• Minimum 5 years of HR experience across HR operations, HR coordination or HR Centre of Excellence work.
• Hands-on exposure to performance-cycle administration, L&D coordination.
• Direct involvement in an HRMS implementation or rollout — configuration, workflow mapping, data migration, testing or user adoption.
• Advanced Excel and the ability to build dashboards and reports that support decisions.
• Bachelor's or master’s degree in human resources, Business Administration or a related discipline.
• Currently in the UAE, able to start at short notice and able to commit to the full twelve months.

What you'll get:

• One year working directly beside a Chief Human Resources Officer.
• Exposure across HRMS, performance management, learning, employee experience and recruitment inside a single year.
• Real work for your portfolio: systems you helped launch, documents you helped produce, cycles you helped run.
• Structured feedback and coaching. You will be taught, not just used.
• Competitive contract package, medical insurance, annual leave and a workplace that values initiative, ownership and follow-through.

If you are the person who quietly makes sure nothing is forgotten, we would like to hear from you.

Please submit your resume to deepika@manojre.com with the subject line:

Application – HR Centre of Excellence (1-Year Contract)

Pay: From AED1.00 per month

Work Location: In person