Senior Manager - Governance & Employee Experience

At Publicis Groupe, we believe our people are our greatest asset. As part of our continued evolution across the Middle East region, we are looking for a Senior Manager – Governance \& Employee Experience to drive best-in-class governance, compliance, employee relations, and policy management practices across our markets.

This role will act as a strategic advisor to the business, partnering closely with Talent, Legal, Operations, and leadership teams to ensure all employee practices, policies, and governance frameworks are compliant, consistent, and aligned with both local labour regulations and Groupe global standards.

The ideal candidate combines strong employment law expertise with operational excellence, risk management capability, and a passion for creating a transparent and compliant employee experience across a complex multi-market environment.

Key Responsibilities

Advisory \& Risk Management

• Act as a trusted advisor to the Head of Talent Transformation and business leadership on employment law and employee relations matters across the ME\&T region.
• Provide strategic guidance on matters including hiring practices, terminations, disciplinary actions, discrimination, whistleblowing, investigations, and workplace disputes.
• Assess and mitigate legal and operational risks related to employee relations, policies, and organizational practices.
• Successfully manage and resolve complex compliance issues, disputes, and sensitive employee matters across multiple jurisdictions.
• Partner closely with internal stakeholders to ensure proactive risk identification and governance alignment across all Talent practices

Policy Development \& Compliance

• Lead the development, review, implementation, and continuous improvement of employment policies, governance frameworks, and The Oracle, ensuring alignment with local legislation and Janus global standards.
• Ensure all employment contracts and employee documentation comply with Groupe governance standards, labour law requirements, and internal policies.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments across ME\&T markets and provide timely recommendations and updates to leadership teams.
• Drive consistency in policy implementation and employee governance practices across all operating markets.
• Support the ongoing enhancement of governance processes to improve operational efficiency, transparency, and compliance.

Litigation \& Dispute Resolution

• Manage employment-related disputes, investigations, and litigation matters across the region.
• Oversee external legal counsel, including strategy development, risk assessment, and resolution management.
• Represent the Groupe’s interests in sensitive or high-risk employee matters where required.
• Ensure appropriate documentation, governance controls, and escalation processes are in place for all employee relations cases.

Governance, Audit \& Quality Assurance

• Implement and maintain robust governance and quality assurance frameworks across Talent practices.
• Conduct regular audits and assessments to evaluate compliance effectiveness and identify areas for continuous improvement.
• Drive governance excellence by ensuring policies, procedures, and operational controls are consistently applied across markets.
• Establish clear communication channels and governance forums to promote transparency, accountability, and employee feedback.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Legal, Finance, Operations, and business verticals to ensure adherence to organizational policies and procedures.

Qualifications \& Experience

• Bachelor’s degree
• 8–10+ years of experience in employee relations, governance, employment law, compliance, or HR risk management within a multinational environment.
• Strong understanding of employment laws and labour regulations across the Middle East region
• Proven experience handling complex employee relations matters, disputes, investigations, and compliance cases.
• Experience partnering closely with Legal teams and managing external counsel.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to operate effectively across senior leadership teams.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to manage highly confidential and sensitive matters with professionalism and discretion.
• Experience within a matrixed, multinational, or agency environment is highly advantageous.