Job Type

Full Time

Job Location

Dubai, UAE

Nationality

Any Nationality

Salary

Not Specified

Gender

Not Specified

Arabic Fluency

Not Specified

Job Function

HR, Recruitment & Training

Company Industry

Oil & Gas / Energy

Location: Jumeirah Lakes Towers Dubai Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Please note that applications are accepted exclusively through GulfTalent. Applications submitted by any other means will not be reviewed. The Company reserves the right to contact only shortlisted candidates.

About the Company

We are an emerging leader in the trade of base oils and petrochemical products, distributing them to markets in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. We specialize in physical trading and distribution of refined base oil and petrochemicals, providing tailored business solutions to our customers. Our expertise includes sourcing, processing, trading activities, financing services, and optimizing logistics operations and storage facilities.

Job Summary

We are looking for a highly specialized HR and Corporate Manager to build our trading desks in Dubai essentially from scratch. This is not a support role sitting behind an established organization — it is a hands-on, individual-contributor mandate for someone who can independently source, assess, and close senior physical trading talent in the oil & gas and petrochemical space, then stand up the corporate and contractual framework around them. You will operate without a team beneath you: recruitment, contracting, and HR administration will run through you directly until the desks you build are self-sufficient. This role is suited to an HR/talent professional who has genuinely operated inside a trading company, understands how a physical trading book, a desk, and a P&L actually work, and can speak credibly with traders, brokers, and industry counterparties as a peer rather than an outsider.

Key Responsibilities

Building Trading Desks from Scratch

• Independently plan and build new trading and commercial desks (physical trading, brokerage-facing, and supporting commercial functions) within aggressive timelines, without relying on an internal recruitment team.

• Define desk structure, seniority mix, and reporting lines in partnership with senior management and Heads of Trading, based on trading strategy and target markets.

• Own the full lifecycle from headhunting through offer, contracting, and onboarding — accountable for time-to-hire and quality of hire on every desk built.

• Act as the first point of contact for new hires during the desk's early life, effectively functioning as their HR business partner until the desk matures.

Specialized Sourcing & Headhunting — Oil & Gas / Commodities

• Directly headhunt physical traders, cross-traders, brokers, and desk heads across middle distillates, base oils, petrochemicals, and related products, using direct market knowledge rather than generic sourcing channels.

• Maintain a live map of the oil & gas and commodities trading talent market: who is where, who is in-market, who is passively open, and who is unreachable — and keep this current.

• Assess candidates for genuine trading and commercial competence — book management, risk appetite, market fluency, counterparty relationships — not only for HR/cultural fit.

• Build and manage relationships with specialist commodities recruitment firms and brokers as a secondary channel, while keeping direct headhunting as the primary route for senior hires.

Contracts, Documentation & Rate Negotiation

• Draft and negotiate employment contracts, consultancy/cooperation agreements, and freelance arrangements tailored to trading roles, including PnL-linked and performance-based compensation structures.

• Lead rate and package negotiations directly with candidates, balancing market benchmarks, desk economics, and retention risk.

• Prepare and manage all supporting HR and corporate documentation: offer letters, employment terms, NDAs, non-compete/non-solicit clauses, and onboarding packs suited to a trading environment.

• Ensure contractual structures are aligned with UAE labour law and free zone requirements (e.g. DMCC, DIFC), coordinating with legal counsel where needed.

Corporate & Compliance Structure Management

• Oversee the corporate governance framework of the UAE entity and coordinate with group entities across other jurisdictions.

• Manage compliance with UAE labour law and free zone regulations, including visa, work permit, and Emiratisation requirements where applicable.

• Support internal compliance processes, including KYC/onboarding documentation and coordination with Risk and Legal on regulatory matters relevant to new hires and desks.

• Maintain corporate records and personnel documentation, and act as the primary point of contact for corporate administration matters tied to team build-out.

HR Procedures Management

• Develop and maintain HR policies, employee handbook, and standard operating procedures fit for a fast-scaling trading environment.

• Oversee payroll coordination, benefits administration, and WPS compliance for newly built desks.

• Handle employee relations matters and performance management as desks transition from build-out to steady state.

• • Report directly to senior management on hiring progress, desk build-out status, and workforce metrics.

Job Type

Full Time

Job Location

Dubai, UAE

Nationality

Any Nationality

Salary

Not Specified

Gender

Not Specified

Arabic Fluency

Not Specified

Job Function

HR, Recruitment & Training

Company Industry

Oil & Gas / Energy

Location: Jumeirah Lakes Towers Dubai Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Please note that applications are accepted exclusively through GulfTalent. Applications submitted by any other means will not be reviewed. The Company reserves the right to contact only shortlisted candidates.

About the Company

We are an emerging leader in the trade of base oils and petrochemical products, distributing them to markets in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. We specialize in physical trading and distribution of refined base oil and petrochemicals, providing tailored business solutions to our customers. Our expertise includes sourcing, processing, trading activities, financing services, and optimizing logistics operations and storage facilities.

Job Summary

We are looking for a highly specialized HR and Corporate Manager to build our trading desks in Dubai essentially from scratch. This is not a support role sitting behind an established organization — it is a hands-on, individual-contributor mandate for someone who can independently source, assess, and close senior physical trading talent in the oil & gas and petrochemical space, then stand up the corporate and contractual framework around them. You will operate without a team beneath you: recruitment, contracting, and HR administration will run through you directly until the desks you build are self-sufficient. This role is suited to an HR/talent professional who has genuinely operated inside a trading company, understands how a physical trading book, a desk, and a P&L actually work, and can speak credibly with traders, brokers, and industry counterparties as a peer rather than an outsider.

Key Responsibilities

Building Trading Desks from Scratch

• Independently plan and build new trading and commercial desks (physical trading, brokerage-facing, and supporting commercial functions) within aggressive timelines, without relying on an internal recruitment team.

• Define desk structure, seniority mix, and reporting lines in partnership with senior management and Heads of Trading, based on trading strategy and target markets.

• Own the full lifecycle from headhunting through offer, contracting, and onboarding — accountable for time-to-hire and quality of hire on every desk built.

• Act as the first point of contact for new hires during the desk's early life, effectively functioning as their HR business partner until the desk matures.

Specialized Sourcing & Headhunting — Oil & Gas / Commodities

• Directly headhunt physical traders, cross-traders, brokers, and desk heads across middle distillates, base oils, petrochemicals, and related products, using direct market knowledge rather than generic sourcing channels.

• Maintain a live map of the oil & gas and commodities trading talent market: who is where, who is in-market, who is passively open, and who is unreachable — and keep this current.

• Assess candidates for genuine trading and commercial competence — book management, risk appetite, market fluency, counterparty relationships — not only for HR/cultural fit.

• Build and manage relationships with specialist commodities recruitment firms and brokers as a secondary channel, while keeping direct headhunting as the primary route for senior hires.

Contracts, Documentation & Rate Negotiation

• Draft and negotiate employment contracts, consultancy/cooperation agreements, and freelance arrangements tailored to trading roles, including PnL-linked and performance-based compensation structures.

• Lead rate and package negotiations directly with candidates, balancing market benchmarks, desk economics, and retention risk.

• Prepare and manage all supporting HR and corporate documentation: offer letters, employment terms, NDAs, non-compete/non-solicit clauses, and onboarding packs suited to a trading environment.

• Ensure contractual structures are aligned with UAE labour law and free zone requirements (e.g. DMCC, DIFC), coordinating with legal counsel where needed.

Corporate & Compliance Structure Management

• Oversee the corporate governance framework of the UAE entity and coordinate with group entities across other jurisdictions.

• Manage compliance with UAE labour law and free zone regulations, including visa, work permit, and Emiratisation requirements where applicable.

• Support internal compliance processes, including KYC/onboarding documentation and coordination with Risk and Legal on regulatory matters relevant to new hires and desks.

• Maintain corporate records and personnel documentation, and act as the primary point of contact for corporate administration matters tied to team build-out.

HR Procedures Management

• Develop and maintain HR policies, employee handbook, and standard operating procedures fit for a fast-scaling trading environment.

• Oversee payroll coordination, benefits administration, and WPS compliance for newly built desks.

• Handle employee relations matters and performance management as desks transition from build-out to steady state.

• • Report directly to senior management on hiring progress, desk build-out status, and workforce metrics.