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Director of Learning & Development

Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas · Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi · On-siteFull-TimePosted Sep 5, 2026

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Job description

Job Description We are seeking an exceptional Director of Learning & Development to redefine how people learn, grow and perform in a luxury hospitality environment.

This is not a traditional training role.

We are looking for a creative culture-builder, strategic thinker and experience designer who understands that learning is more than classrooms and compliance. You will be responsible for shaping a high-performance, people-centric culture while elevating service excellence to luxury standards.

The ideal candidate combines a passion for people development with a strong commercial mindset, using data, innovation and engaging learning experiences to drive measurable business outcomes.

If you are energetic, unconventional, fun, inspiring and capable of turning learning into a competitive advantage, we would love to hear from you.

Learning Strategy & Business Impact

  • Develop and execute a comprehensive Learning & Development strategy aligned with business objectives, guest experience goals, and employer branding initiatives.
  • Leverage learning analytics, operational KPIs, engagement metrics, guest satisfaction scores and brand standards to identify capability gaps and performance opportunities.
  • Establish clear ROI measures for development initiatives and communicate business impact to senior leadership.

Culture & Engagement

  • Act as a champion of organizational culture, values and colleague experience.
  • Design innovative initiatives that strengthen engagement, inclusivity, belonging, recognition and wellbeing.
  • Lead culture transformation programs that create meaningful and memorable colleague experiences.
  • Foster a learning culture where curiosity, continuous improvement and innovation thrive.

Service Excellence & Luxury Standards

  • Lead the property's journey toward Forbes Travel Guide excellence.
  • Design, implement and continuously enhance luxury service training programs.
  • Conduct service observations, coaching sessions, guest journey reviews and culture audits.
  • Partner closely with operational leaders to elevate service delivery and emotional intelligence across all departments.

Leadership Development

  • Create and deliver development pathways for leaders at all levels.
  • Drive succession planning, talent acceleration, mentoring, coaching and career growth initiatives.
  • Build internal talent pipelines and support future leadership readiness.

Innovation & Learning Experience Design

  • Move beyond traditional classroom training by introducing-
  • Micro-learning
  • Gamification
  • Interactive workshops
  • Digital learning platforms
  • Experiential learning
  • Peer-to-peer learning
  • AI-assisted learning solutions
  • Continuously explore modern learning trends and innovative ways to engage colleagues.

Data & Performance Analytics

  • Use workforce analytics and business intelligence to identify patterns and opportunities.
  • Build dashboards measuring-
  • Learning effectiveness
  • Training completion
  • Internal promotion rates
  • Retention
  • Engagement
  • Guest satisfaction impact
  • Forbes performance trends
  • Present actionable insights to the leadership team.

Talent Development & Employer Brand

  • Champion career development initiatives that position the hotel as an colleague of choice.
  • Partner with operational teams to attract, develop and retain top talent.
  • Support graduate programs, internships, management trainees and high-potential development initiatives.

Skills Preferred Background

  • Minimum three years of Learning & Development leadership experience within luxury hospitality
  • Experience in Forbes Five-Star, luxury resort, ultra-luxury hotel, or luxury lifestyle brands.
  • Strong exposure to multicultural and diverse work environments.
  • Experience leading culture enhancement, engagement and transformation projects.
  • Experience managing learning technologies and digital learning platforms.

Success in This Role Looks Like

  • Learning is viewed as a strategic business driver, not a training function.
  • Colleagues feel engaged, inspired and continuously developed.
  • Successful with Forbes Travel Guide 5-star certification.
  • Internal talent pipelines strengthen.
  • Leadership capability increases.
  • Guest satisfaction and service excellence reach new levels.
  • The hotel becomes recognized as a destination for outstanding talent and workplace culture.

Join Us

If you're ready to shape the future of learning, build an award-winning culture and create unforgettable experiences for both colleagues and guests, we invite you to be part of our journey.

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