Abed Syed

Talent Acquisition Management @ alfanar

About

Senior HR & Talent Acquisition Leader with 12+ years of experience delivering high-impact recruitment strategies across EPC, power, renewable energy, infrastructure, and engineering sectors.Currently driving large-scale hiring at Alfanar Projects, I have successfully closed 12,000+ (throughout the entire carrier) positions including 270 out of 275 required (Yr 2025 alone) technical engineering/staff roles across HVDC, 380kV substations, transmission lines, and giga-projects such as NEOM, Red Sea, and SEVEN.My expertise lies in:• End-to-end talent acquisition (technical, executive, and mass hiring)• Global recruitment campaigns across Middle East, Asia, and Europe• Recruitment process optimization (37% cost reduction, 57-day cycle time)• Employer branding and LinkedIn-driven sourcing strategiesI bring a data-driven and strategic approach, leveraging SAP SuccessFactors, LinkedIn Recruiter, and KPI dashboards to optimize hiring performance and business outcomes.Known for building strong stakeholder partnerships, I align hiring strategies with business goals while ensuring speed, quality, and compliance.Open to leadership roles in Talent Acquisition, HR Strategy, and Workforce Planning across large-scale and transformation-driven organizations.

Country

United Kingdom

City

London Area

Industry

Human Resources

Skill

Giga Project Recruitment, High-Volume Hiring, Workforce Mobilization, Mass Recruitment, Global Hiring, Stakeholder Management, Recruitment Analytics, SAP SuccessFactors, Employer Branding, Saudization / Nitaqat, EPC Recruitment, Technical Recruitment, Recruitment Analytics & KPIs, Workforce Planning, SAP Successfactor, Career Development, Technology Recruitment, Digital Marketing, HR Software, Compensation & Benefits

Experience

Talent Acquisition Lead

alfanar

2009-12 - Present · 16 yrs 10 mos

Quick Note: - Successfully delivered 12,000+ hires across technical, non-technical, and mass recruitment categories over the course of tenure. - Efficiently achieved a closure of 270 out of 275 critical engineering and staff positions during 2025 across major HVDC, 380kV substation, and transmission infrastructure projects, demonstrating exceptional delivery capability in high-demand power sector recruitment. - Led recruitment for major giga projects including NEOM, Red Sea, SEVEN, and Jizan. - Reduced cost-per-hire by 37% and accelerated hiring cycle from 90 to 57 days. - Improved offer acceptance and confirmation ratio by 27% through strategic candidate engagement. - Spearheaded global recruitment campaigns across 7+ countries, ensuring diverse talent pipelines. - Achieved 100% direct hiring model (zero agency dependency) for staff roles, leveraging LinkedIn Recruiter and internal sourcing strategies. - Increased sourcing efficiency by 100% via direct channels, strengthening employer branding and talent pipelines.

Sr. Specialist Talent Acquisition & Administration

Tele Atlas

2006-6 - 2009-11 · 3 yrs 6 mos

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Managed full recruitment lifecycle during rapid regional expansion. Built structured candidate databases and hiring trackers, improving reporting accuracy. Supported leadership hiring and client-facing recruitment projects. Strengthened internal recruitment processes to support business growth.

TA Team Leader — ICTS (UK)

ICTS UK & IRELAND

2001-7 - 2006-5 · 4 yrs 11 mos

London, United Kingdom

Delivered 180–360° recruitment consultancy for UK clients. Recruited mid-senior to senior profiles across security and services sectors. Led candidate sourcing, interviews, negotiations, and client relationship management. Developed weekly pipeline and performance reports for leadership.