Her Excellency Hessa Tahlak has held prominent positions in different government, semi-private, and non-profit organizations. Her roles have varied from strategic planning to research, marketing, development, and community service. She is currently an assistant undersecretary of social development at the ministry of community development and chief innovation officer. She founded a volunteerism axis within the ministry and has been instrumental in execution of projects pertaining to The Year of Giving which include 13 projects, policies, and laws. She a member of the board of directors of the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children, and the Emirates Gender Balance Council.

In her previous role as a consultant to the ministry of community development, she manages projects, had oversight of the communications department, and coordinated policies and initiatives from different sectors within the ministry related to the elderly, families, and people with disabilities. Prior to joining the ministry of community development H. E. Hessa Tahlak was director of corporate development, research, and projects at Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) for 10 years.

After graduation, she joined the department of civil aviation, Dubai Airport in 2002 as a marketing and business development coordinator. A few years later she joined Dubai Quality Group as a quality advisor, project leader and senior jury member of Emirates Business Women Award (EBWA). She then joined Nakheel as a senior executive in the commercial department where she handled marketing for development projects. At the end of 2007, Hessa moved to Dubai Women Establishment.

One of her key achievements during her tenure at DWE was the initiation of the Women Leadership Exchange Program - WLEP, the first exchange program of its kind to be developed within a government organization in the country. It focused on leadership, networking, benchmarking and sustainability. Another of her achievements was developing content for three main conferences in Dubai related to Women - the Arab Women Leadership Forum - Women in Boards; Arab Women Leadership Forum - Towards Competitiveness; and the last global women forum conducted in Dubai in February 2016. She has also managed local and international relations for the organization and represented DWE at many events, speaking at several local and international conferences.

Hessa has been recognized by the Dubai Government Excellence Awards within the Government Employee Category. She is a graduate of the ‘Elite’ leadership program initiated by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Leadership Program in Dubai, and a certified career coach at Hamdan Bin Mohammed Students Personal Development Program. She was elected chairperson of the Board of Women for Sustainable Growth Network based in Sweden for two successive cycles. In 2018 Hessa received the Arab Woman of the Year Award.

She holds a BA in marketing and management from the American University of Sharjah, UAE.