Employee Relations Manager

Employee Relations Manager

Cognita is a global leader in independent education. Founded in 2004, we are a growing community of 100+ schools in 16 countries – in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East – serving more than 85,000 students. Each of our schools are proudly unique, however our collective purpose is to create an environment where everyone can, ‘Thrive in a rapidly evolving world’.

At Cognita, we know every student is unique. We nurture their distinct personalities and strengths. We support them academically, socially, and emotionally, wherever they are in the world, wherever they’re starting from. We protect what’s special about them, while offering them rich knowledge, opportunities, and best practices. And they get to be part of something bigger; ensuring they get an education that’s, quite literally, world class.

We are hiring for an Employee Relations Manager to join our growing HR team at Cognita Middle East.

We are looking for someone who is experienced in offering advice and guidance to line managers on employee relations issues; someone confident in leading disciplinary and grievance procedures when they arise and bringing them to a successful resolution; balancing ‘the rules’ and adherence to company policies with our mindset of being passionate and compassionate and interacting with one another in a professional adult way. The individual will also support the enhancement of our employee handbook, policies and procedures, and intranet.

The role is an individual contributor but very much part of our dynamic HR team, reporting into the HR Director for the Middle East and working closely with our Heads of HR as a service provider to their school leadership teams to be called upon on a case by case basis. The ideal candidate is someone likely to have either a HR employee relations background or legal background with a specialism in employment law.  Someone who is used to working with independence and experienced in dealing with complex ER cases, ideally across multiple jurisdictions in the Middle East although this isn’t essential for someone who is a fast learner.

The role will be based from our regional hub in Dubai Media City but will move around our schools supporting line managers.  The role supports our schools across the Middle East region so some regional travel will be required which will be case load dependent. The successful individual will live in Dubai and must have a driving license and access to a car to move between UAE locations.

The company reserves the right to interview and appoint strong candidates before the official closing date, and therefore we would encourage candidates to apply early in the process.

Cognita is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people and expects the same from its employees. All new staff will be subject to detailed and enhanced pre-employment clearance, including identity checks, criminal background checks for all countries lived in, qualification checks, employment checks to include an exploration of any gaps in employment, and satisfactory reference checks for all employment in the last 10 years.