Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

HR & Culture Lead (HCL001)

 Job Description:

Foreground is supporting the Saudi expansion of a global events agency with the appointment of a people-first, structure-minded, and culture-building HR & Culture Lead, based in Riyadh. This role will be the heartbeat of the agencys people function in the Kingdom, driving recruitment, compliance, performance, and a values-aligned team culture from day one.

This is not a traditional administrative HR role. Its a strategic people-building mandate, focused on enabling creativity, collaboration, and localized excellence in a fast-moving, high-performance agency environment.

Key Responsibilities

  • Build and lead the local HR function from the ground up, including recruitment, onboarding, contracts, labor law compliance, and performance reviews.
  • Shape the agencys internal culture, values, and employee engagement programs in line with global standards and local dynamics.
  • Oversee talent acquisition for freelance and full-time roles, working closely with production, creative, and operations leads.
  • Manage payroll, benefits, and PRO processes in line with Saudi labor regulations and internal governance.
  • Advise leadership on organizational design, team wellbeing, and talent retention strategies in a demanding creative services environment.

Ideal Profile

  • 8+ years in HR or people operations roles within the creative, media, events, or agency sectors.
  • Familiarity with Saudi labor law, HR systems, and visa/employment regulation.
  • Bilingual fluency (Arabic and English) essential.
  • Passionate about people, culture, and enabling performance through environment and process.
  Required Skills:

Compliance Dynamics Collaboration Operations Recruitment Creativity Employee Engagement Arabic Onboarding Reviews Payroll Regulations Design English Leadership