Nabat, a UAE-based climate-tech startup using advanced technology to protect and restore natural ecosystems at scale, is hiring a Human Resources Manager to serve as its Venture HR Lead in Abu Dhabi. This is a hands-on, senior individual contributor role owning end-to-end people operations — from compliance, PRO, and payroll to talent acquisition, performance management, and employee relations — across a fast-paced, mission-driven organization already planting millions of mangroves across the UAE.
About Nabat — Climate-Tech for Ecosystem Restoration
Mission: Protecting and restoring natural ecosystems with precision and scale using GIS, AI, and robotics
Technology: Ecosystem management software, precision aerial seeding drones, AI & ecological models, restoration services
Current Impact: Already used to plant millions of mangroves across the UAE
Future Vision: Building a platform to serve coastal, marine, and arid ecosystems around the world
Team Structure: Lean venture environment — this HR Manager role owns HR end-to-end as a senior individual contributor
Why This HR Manager Role at Nabat Is a Rare Opportunity
Mission-Driven Work: Build the people function behind a company directly fighting climate change, deforestation, and biodiversity loss
Full HR Ownership: Own every HR domain — recruitment, PRO, payroll, ER, L&D, compensation, and HRIS — with real decision-making authority
Startup Pace & Impact: Operate at the speed and scale of a climate-tech venture, shaping HR processes from the ground up
UAE Regulatory Expertise: Deepen your mastery of UAE labour law, PRO processes, and Emiratization compliance in a high-trust senior role
Position Overview
The Human Resources Manager at Nabat operates as the company’s Venture HR Lead — a hands-on, senior individual contributor responsible for building and running every HR function across the organization. From defining hiring plans and leading interviews, to owning PRO and government liaison, approving payroll, managing employee relations, and setting compensation and learning strategy, this role requires someone who can operate independently across the full HR spectrum without a large supporting team. You will work directly with leadership, manage outsourced HR and payroll providers, and ensure Nabat remains fully compliant with UAE labour law and Emiratization requirements — all while supporting a fast-growing climate-tech mission with real-world environmental impact.
Why This Role Matters: As HR Manager at Nabat, you are not managing a department — you are building the entire people function from the ground up for a company restoring ecosystems at scale. Every policy you write, every PRO case you resolve, every hire you approve directly shapes the team that’s planting millions of mangroves and fighting climate change across the UAE and beyond. For an experienced HR professional who wants true end-to-end ownership, direct leadership access, and a mission worth showing up for every day, this is one of the most meaningful HR roles available in Abu Dhabi today.
Key Responsibilities
Talent Acquisition
- Define hiring plans, role scope, job descriptions, candidate criteria, and role prioritization in close collaboration with hiring managers
- Approve sourcing strategy, shortlist direction, offer and package terms, and final candidate selection across all open roles
- Lead interviews and decision-making with hiring managers, while owning agency selection for niche and specialist hiring needs
- Screen CVs, schedule interviews and assessments, manage candidate communications, and maintain recruitment trackers, SLAs, and hiring reports
PRO & Government Liaison
- Approve visa and immigration priorities, manage quota usage, and oversee org-wide Emiratization compliance
- Escalate and resolve critical regulatory, governmental, and compliance cases, reviewing compliance status and upcoming document expiries
- Coordinate with employees for required documentation such as Emirates ID, and manage access for outsourcing providers on ICP systems
- Oversee availability and provision of funds required for PRO and governmental processes
Payroll & Compliance
- Approve the payroll calendar, cut-off dates, inputs, exceptions, off-cycle items, and final payroll sign-off each cycle
- Own sensitive payroll decisions including final settlements, End of Service Benefits (EOSB), and policy interpretation
- Review payroll exceptions, transfer failures, and statutory issues, coordinating with the Finance Lead to ensure monthly payroll funding
HR Operations, Onboarding & Offboarding
- Approve employee leave requests, HR policies, standard templates, and documentation exceptions, deciding on non-standard cases requiring leadership input
- Set onboarding and offboarding standards with cross-functional handoffs across IT, Facilities, Payroll, and Line Managers
- Conduct new joiner orientations, own offer letters and employment contracts, and manage approved compensation terms
Compensation, Employee Relations & Performance
- Set compensation standards, organizational grading and levelling, benefits design, salary structure, and the annual HR budget
- Own employee relations case strategy — including grievance, disciplinary decisions, and conflict-resolution outcomes — interpreting policy and labour-law positions
- Set performance cycle policy, timelines, calibration process, and approve salary review and bonus principles
Learning, Executive Hiring & HRIS
- Set learning priorities, mandatory training requirements, annual calendar, and budget, owning the leadership development agenda
- Define executive mandates, lead executive search and negotiations, and manage executive appointment and exit decisions with board alignment
- Approve governance and access rules for HR systems, reviewing data quality, headcount reporting, and overall HR control issues
Qualifications & Requirements
Experience Requirements
- 7–10 years of progressive HR experience, ideally gained within a startup, venture, or lean-team environment
- Strong working knowledge of UAE labour law, PRO processes, and Emiratization compliance requirements
- Proven ability to operate independently across the full HR spectrum without the support of a large HR team
- Experience managing outsourced HR and payroll providers, holding them accountable to clearly defined SLAs
Core Competencies
- Commercially minded — able to balance people-first thinking with genuine business pragmatism in a fast-moving venture environment
- Excellent judgment on sensitive employee matters, handled consistently with discretion and professionalism
- Strong communicator who can engage credibly and confidently with leadership, employees, and government bodies alike
- Comfortable owning decisions across talent acquisition, compensation, employee relations, compliance, and HR systems simultaneously
About Nabat
Nabat is a UAE-based climate-tech startup operating at the intersection of ecological and environmental sciences, GIS, AI, and robotics. The company’s comprehensive solution — combining ecosystem management software, precision aerial seeding drones, AI and ecological models, and restoration services — is already being used to plant millions of mangroves across the UAE, with ambitions to serve coastal, marine, and arid ecosystems globally. For HR professionals seeking purpose alongside professional growth, Nabat offers a rare combination: genuine climate impact, startup-speed ownership, and a mission that goes far beyond typical corporate HR work.
Career Impact: Joining Nabat as HR Manager means building the people foundation of a company solving one of the world’s most urgent challenges — climate change and ecosystem loss — directly from Abu Dhabi.
Who Should Apply?
- Senior HR Generalists: With 7–10 years of UAE HR experience ready to own the full people function in a lean startup environment
- Venture HR Leads: Who have built HR from the ground up in startup or scale-up environments with limited support teams
- PRO & Compliance Specialists: With deep UAE labour law and Emiratization expertise looking for a senior, high-trust HR role
- Mission-Driven HR Professionals: Excited to support a climate-tech company directly tackling deforestation, land erosion, and biodiversity loss
- HR Business Partners: Ready to step up into a senior individual contributor role spanning payroll, ER, compensation, and executive hiring
Recently opened JOBS 👇🏻
HR Specialist Jobs Dubai 2026
Human Resources Coordinator Jobs Abu Dhabi 2026
Human Resources Assistant Jobs Indiana 2026
