Head of Program Management Delivery

ROLE SUMMARY

The Head of Program Management Delivery is a strategic leadership role responsible for delivering and overseeing the successful execution of selected programs and strategic projects across the organization and providing governance and oversight of divisional project portfolios. The role requires understanding and alignment of key business goals, driving delivery excellence and coaching and development of a high-performing team of program / project managers. The ideal candidate is an experienced leader with deep expertise in program governance, stakeholder management, cross-functional team leadership and delivery of complex, multi-stream initiatives to deliver strategic outcomes.

MAJOR AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Strategic Leadership

• Define and drive the overall program and project management strategy aligned with business objectives from the 5-year capital planning and approved annual budget.
• Play key role in organizational project portfolio planning of between AED 15-20 billion and prioritisation based on data-driven evaluation criteria, program segmentation, resource requirements (skills and numbers), change management and transformation efforts.
• Support the development of organizational change management practices and tools and embed across the organisation.
• Experience in oversight/managing more than 20 projects concurrently with interdependencies and an ability to proactively resolve issues.

Program Delivery and Oversight

• Lead the planning, execution and delivery of complex strategic programs and initiatives with capex budgets of up to 3-5 billion dirhams across several years involving multiple internal departments and external stakeholder groups.
• Work closely with program managers to resolve issues and handle escalations
• Responsible for preparation and running monthly portfolio governance reviews with CXOs covering up 50 projects, identifying heat spots and potential budget/time overruns, manage change control, dependencies, resource availability and 3rd party performance.
• Monitor and manage program scope, risks, budgets, resources, timelines, KPIs and outcomes and ensure lessons learned are documented and leveraged for future programs / projects.
• Ensure projects are closed, including Business User and Finance for budget return and business benefits tracking and realization.
• Establish standardized frameworks, tools and best practices for program and project management and ensure the project portfolio management governance handbook is current.

Team Leadership

• Build, mentor and lead a high-performing team of program and project managers and provide input and support to the Centre of Excellence to raise the organisation’s level of project management.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Provide guidance and oversight on complex projects and resolve cross-team issues.

Governance & Reporting

• Provide support to ensure that business cases are developed to quality and governance standards.
• Implement and manage a practical, robust program governance framework which includes lead and lag indicators and ensure programs have solution-focused action plans.
• Provide regular updates and reporting to senior leadership and key stakeholders on program financials, scope, status, risks and outcomes.
• Translate program data into actionable insights for senior leadership, highlighting risks related to time and cost and recommending actions to support successful delivery.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, contractual and regulatory requirements and industry standards.
• Ensure compliance with internal policies, regulatory requirements and industry standards.

Stakeholder Management

• Engage with key internal and external stakeholders, including executive level internally, partners and vendors, service providers, government departments and concessionaire contractors to align expectations and responsibilities, manage dependencies and ensure successful delivery.
• Experience in creating and presenting reports/packs and providing information in concise & clear manner (verbally and written) for senior management up to and including executive level
• Act as an escalation point for program-level issues, changes and decisions.

QUALIFICATIONS/ EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Engineering, Computer Science or related field (Master’s preferred).
• Industry certifications such as PMP, PgMP, PRINCE2 or SAFe / Agile.
• 10+ years of experience in program/project management, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Proven track record of managing enterprise-level programs with cross-functional teams.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, multi-task and deliver within tight deadlines
• Willing to learn, collaborate, go the extra-mile and demonstrate a high level of integrity with the ability to handle highly confidential information appropriately.

SKILLS

• Exceptional leadership, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills including influencing and management of program/project managers from other divisions and external stakeholders
• Strong understanding of Agile, Waterfall and hybrid delivery methodologies.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Applications; PowerPoint, Excel, etc
• Expertise in project management tools (e.g. MS Project, Jira, Sensei IQ, Monday.com or equivalents).
• Ability to manage competing priorities and drive results in a fast-paced environment.
• Strategic thinker with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.