Regional Human Resources Director -Banking/Insurance/Financial services

Reporting Line:
Reports to: Regional CEO / Group Chief Human Resources Officer
Direct reports: Country HR Heads / HR Business Partners / COE leads (Talent, Compensation & Benefits, L&D, Employee Relations
Role Purpose:
Lead the regional people strategy for the bank/financial services group, ensuring HR practices directly support growth, profitability, and risk management across all countries in scope.lhh+3
Align HR policies, structures, and workforce plans with business strategy, regulatory requirements, and group governance frameworks
Key Responsibilities – Strategy & Governance:
Develop and execute regional HR strategy aligned with banking/insurance/financial services business objectives.
Standardise HR policies, processes, and employee lifecycle frameworks across countries while respecting local labour laws and regulations
Ensure full compliance with labour legislation, central bank and financial regulator requirements (e.g. fit-and-proper, conduct, whistleblowing, outsourcing) in all jurisdictions
Own HR risk, audit, and compliance agenda; remediate findings and drive robust controls, documentation, and reporting.
Key Responsibilities – Talent & Workforce Planning:
Oversee regional workforce planning, headcount approval, and organisation design for branches, back-office, and corporate functions.
Lead talent acquisition strategy for critical roles (C-suite, risk, treasury, technology, compliance, actuarial, sales) and ensure robust succession pipelines.business.linkedin+3
Sponsor employer branding, graduate and leadership programmes targeted at BFSI talent markets.
Monitor key HR metrics (time-to-fill, attrition, internal mobility, diversity, engagement scores) and take corrective
Key Responsibilities – Compensation, Benefits & Performance:
Design and govern regional compensation and benefits frameworks, including variable pay, bonus pools, sales incentives, and long‑term incentive plans.
Ensure pay practices are competitive, equitable, and compliant with regulatory constraints (e.g. remuneration codes, clawback/deferral
Oversee performance management framework, ratings calibration, and linkage to succession, promotions, and reward.fidelitybanknc+2
Partner with Finance on HR budget, cost optimisation, and workforce productivity analytics.kellerexecutivesearch+2
Key Responsibilities – Culture, Conduct & Employee Relations:
Shape and reinforce a strong conduct, ethics, and customer‑centric culture across all entities.lhh+2
Oversee employee relations, complex investigations, grievance handling, and disciplinary processes, ensuring fair and consistent outcomes.
Engage with unions, staff councils, and employee representatives where applicable to maintain constructive relationships.fidelitybanknc+1
Drive engagement initiatives, recognition programmes, and well‑being interventions tailored to BFSI roles (front‑office, operations, contact centres)
Key Responsibilities – Digital HR, Analytics & Transformation:
Sponsor HRIS and digital HR transformation across the region (e.g. core HR, ATS, LMS, performance, payroll integration)
Use HR analytics to generate insights on attrition, productivity, risk hotspots, and leadership bench strength.aihr+2
Lead change management for reorganisations, mergers, acquisitions, and cross‑border integration projects
Experience & Qualifications:
12–18 years progressive HR experience, including at least 5 years in senior leadership within banking, insurance, or financial services
Demonstrated track record managing multi‑country HR operations (ideally GCC / MENA or other regional clusters).
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
Professional HR qualification (CIPD Level 7, SHRM‑SCP, or equivalent) strongly preferred.
Deep knowledge of labour laws, banking/insurance regulatory environment, and HR compliance frameworks.
Core Competencies & Skills:
Strategic HR leadership, regional stakeholder management, and executive influencing.
Strong business acumen in retail/wholesale banking, insurance, and broader financial services.
Expertise in workforce planning, talent management, and succession for regulated roles
High proficiency in HR analytics, budgeting, and cost optimisation
Strong communication, negotiation, and conflict‑resolution skills; ability to operate in multicultural environments.
High ethical standards, discretion, and integrity when handling confidential information and sensitive cases
Typical KPIs:
Regulated roles vacancy coverage and succession readiness
Time‑to-fill, quality of hire, and internal mobility ratio
Voluntary attrition, regretted losses, and engagement scores by segment.
HR audit findings, compliance breaches, and remediation timeliness
HR cost-to-income ratio and productivity per FTE

Work arrangement
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