HR Policy Manager

Role Overview

HR Policy Manager at Etihad Airways, based globally across our operating locations. You will own the design, governance, and compliance of HR policy across our global operation, working at the intersection of employment law, HR strategy, and business change.

Company Overview

Etihad Airways is the UAE's national airline, shaping the future of global aviation. From our hub in Abu Dhabi, we connect people across continents and cultures. We are executing our "Journey 2030" ambition to double our fleet, expand our network, and grow our people for a new era of excellence.

Role Purpose

To design, govern, and maintain HR policies, contract templates, and frameworks that support our global workforce across multiple jurisdictions. You will build structures that hold up under complex employment law requirements, drive compliance as regulations shift, and lead the change management needed to embed new ways of working across all markets in which we operate.

Key Responsibilities

Policy Design & Drafting

• Design, draft, and maintain HR policies, contract templates, and employee handbook content across multiple countries.
• Work closely with Legal on amendments to policy and contract documentation.
• Govern our policy and template library end-to-end, ensuring version control, consistency, and rollout across all countries we operate in.

Compliance & Legal Governance

• Stay abreast of employment law requirements market by market and ensure policy stays compliant as regulations shift.
• Monitor and evaluate ongoing policy effectiveness to maintain regulatory alignment across jurisdictions.

Stakeholder Partnership & Change Management

• Partner with Payroll, HR Business Partners, Legal, and the business on change management for the implementation of changes.
• Deliver HR briefings to support the rollout of new policies and ways of working.
• Gather employee and stakeholder feedback on policy changes and implementation.

Analysis & Continuous Improvement

• Track policy effectiveness and analyse HR data to assess business impact.
• Recommend improvements to enhance engagement and operational efficiency based on available data, emerging workplace trends, and best practice in the market.
• Quantify the cost and business impact of policy or process change.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in law, Human Resources, or a related discipline.
• 5–8+ years' experience in employment law, HR policy, or benefits and working conditions from either a legal or senior HR background.
• At least 3 years' experience within a large, multinational organization with complex matrix reporting.
• Strong drafting and writing skills in policies, contracts, and employee-facing documentation.
• Aviation industry experience is an advantage, but we are open to all industry backgrounds.

Skills & Competencies

• Highly analytical; comfortable quantifying the cost and business impact of policy or process change.
• Proactive, low-instruction-needed mindset; you spot problems and drive solutions without being asked.
• Comfortable using AI tools to support drafting, without losing your own critical thinking and judgment.
• Experience with HRIS platforms (SAP SuccessFactors or similar) is a plus.

Additional Information

• This role is open to two kinds of background: an employment lawyer looking to move into a hands-on advisory position, or an HR professional with strong policy, drafting, and analytical experience.