About the role
Job Description
Role Overview
As People and Development Manager at Rixos Marina Abu Dhabi, you’ll shape how our people learn, grow and experience the brand from the inside.
You’ll work closely with People & Culture and hotel leaders to create learning that feels relevant, engaging and connected to the way we work — from onboarding and brand immersion to leadership development, service culture and career growth.
This is a hands-on role for someone who understands that great hospitality starts with great people, and that development should feel inspiring, practical and never one-size-fits-all.
What You’ll Do
Bring Learning to Life
* Own the hotel’s learning & development plan, connecting people priorities with the needs of the business.
* Create and facilitate engaging learning experiences across service, behavioral and leadership development.
* Work with leaders to identify development needs and turn them into practical, relevant solutions.
* Keep mandatory learning, training records and development activity on track.
Grow Our People
* Partner with leaders to identify talent and create meaningful opportunities for development and internal growth.
* Support leadership development, coaching, performance and succession planning.
* Help managers become stronger people leaders who give great feedback, develop their teams and recognize potential.
Stay Close to the Operation
* Be present in the hotel, understanding our teams, our guests and where development can make a real difference.
* Partner with operational teams to strengthen service, skills and the overall guest experience.
How Success Looks
* Onboarding: New joiners complete a consistent, engaging onboarding and brand immersion journey within their first weeks.
* Learning Delivery: The annual learning calendar is delivered against plan, with strong colleague participation and completion.
* Compliance: Mandatory learning remains on track, with completion rates monitored and gaps addressed promptly.
* Leadership Development: Managers and emerging leaders actively participate in development programms, coaching and targeted learning.
* Internal Growth: Talent and succession plans are actively maintained, supporting internal mobility and career progression.
* Departmental Capability: Department trainers are active and equipped to deliver consistent learning within their teams.
* Learning Impact: Training effectiveness is measured through feedback, operational observations and relevant people and guest experience indicators.
* Business Partnership: Learning priorities respond to real operational needs, with clear actions agreed and followed through with department leaders.
Qualifications
What You Bring
* Experience in People Development, Learning & Development or Talent Development, ideally within luxury or lifestyle hospitality.
* A confident and engaging facilitation style with the ability to connect with people at every level.
* Experience creating and delivering onboarding, learning and development programmes.
* Good understanding of hotel operations and a fast-paced hospitality environment.
* Creative thinking, curiosity and the confidence to try new approaches.
* Strong organisation and the ability to turn ideas into action.
* A collaborative, people-first mindset with a genuine passion for helping others grow.
* Most importantly, you know how to make learning feel human, relevant and worth showing up for.