Associate Director- MENA Immigration Leader

 The opportunity

The role of the MENA Immigration Leader is to lead and manage the entire MENA Immigration Team and to be responsible for a sustainable model to support and deliver our strategic objectives. This role will be pivotal in managing and overseeing our immigration strategies and processes for talent acquisition and mobility across the MENA region. The ideal candidate will ensure compliance with local immigration laws while enhancing the employee experience for our international talent and be responsible for strategic direction aligned to the MENA vision. You will be the escalation point for sensitive immigration issues and troubleshooting complex cases as well as ensuring continuous improvement to enable efficiencies and exceptional levels of service. It is imperative to build relationships with key stakeholders both internally and externally, to enable the success of the function.

Your key responsibilities

As the MENA Immigration Leader, you will be responsible for the following: 

• Driving the team’s strategic agenda aligned to our business vision
• Leading a diverse team physically and remotely across multiple locations
• Collaborate with HR and recruitment teams to develop and implement effective immigration processes for talent acquisition and mobility
• Continual review of efficiencies, performance improvement and KPIs to enable business strategy
• Managing Regional stakeholders to enable business requirements; supporting the team to connect with respective stakeholders
• Ensure that all teams provide excellent client service enabling the employee lifecycle and promoting teaming across the Region to enable a successful infrastructure.
• Monitor and analyze changes in immigration laws and regulations, ensuring timely communication and adaptation of policies.
• Build and maintain relationships with government authorities and immigration agencies to facilitate smooth processes for talent mobility.
• Manage Regional communications to navigate the dynamic immigration landscape

Skills and attributes for success

• Arabic speaking and strong English languages skills
• Strong leadership, teaming and management skills
• Build and maintain strong relationships internally and externally
• Ability to constantly prioritise and re-prioritise in a very fast paced environment
• Strength of character to enable compliance and protect the firm’s interests and minimise risk
• Planning and proactively managing the workload across the Region; urgent work to be prioritised, deadlines are met and work is technically accurate, clear, concise and error free
• Collaborate with other Talent Leaders to enable delivery across the employee lifecycle

To qualify for the role you must have

• At least 7 years of previous experience in a similar leadership role
• Strong technical knowledge of the Immigrations landscape in KSA and the UAE; experience and knowledge across the GCC would be preferable
• Proven track record of managing complex immigration cases and providing strategic advice.
• Labour law understanding and awareness of mainland and free zone approach
• Strong communication skills – written and verbal
• Confidentiality and Integrity, as this role requires dealing with employees’ personal documentation and upholding EY’s values, brand and reputation
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Law, Business Administration, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.

Ideally, you’ll also have

• Be agile
• Experience of leading teams remotely
• Experience of working with offshore teams
• Ability to work under pressure
• Sensitivity and confidentiality with dealing with personal or legal matters

What we look for

We are looking for an experienced immigration leader who has experience in leading a successful  immigration team remotely across a dynamic Region. You will be an expert in the immigration field for both mainland and free zone entities and support EY in other legal matters. If you have the above mentioned skills and background, this is the role for you

What we offer

We offer a competitive compensation package where you’ll be rewarded based on performance and recognized for the value you bring to our business. Plus, we offer: 

• Continuous learning: You’ll develop the mindset and skills to navigate whatever comes next.
• Success as defined by you: We’ll provide the tools and flexibility, so you can make a meaningful impact, your way.
• Transformative leadership: We’ll give you the insights, coaching and confidence to be the leader the world needs.
• Diverse and inclusive culture: You’ll be embraced for who you are and empowered to use your voice to help others find theirs.

If you can demonstrate that you meet the criteria above, please contact us as soon as possible. 

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