Director – Project Management

About This Role

Role Purpose

A senior leadership role responsible for overseeing portfolio-level project planning, cost control, risk management, and performance reporting across large-scale real estate or construction developments. The role ensures delivery certainty, governance integrity, and executive-level visibility across multiple projects and delivery verticals.

Key Responsibilities

Portfolio Planning & Schedule Management

• Lead baseline schedule development and tracking across assigned projects, ensuring milestone integrity throughout the project lifecycle.
• Monitor contractual milestones, handover targets, and key delivery commitments, escalating deviations where required.
• Identify schedule risks early and coordinate recovery strategies with project teams and senior leadership.
• Establish and embed consistent planning standards, tools, and methodologies across project controls functions.

Cost Control & Financial Performance

• Oversee project cost control, forecasting, and budget management across the portfolio.
• Manage variation and claims processes, ensuring timely assessment, documentation, and resolution in coordination with commercial teams.
• Analyse cost performance trends and provide actionable recommendations.
• Prepare executive-level financial reports aligned with approved investment metrics (e.g., EAC, NPV, IRR, ROI).

Risk & Change Management

• Lead risk identification, assessment, and mitigation planning across all project phases.
• Implement structured change management processes to control scope, cost, and schedule variations.
• Maintain portfolio risk registers with clear ownership, tracking, and escalation mechanisms.
• Assess emerging portfolio risks and present recommendations to senior management.

Performance Reporting & Stakeholder Engagement

• Produce high-quality, decision-ready performance reports for executive and external stakeholder audiences.
• Ensure consistent, accurate, and timely reporting across all projects.
• Support stakeholder alignment on progress, changes, and priorities at portfolio level.

Team Leadership & Capability Development

• Lead and develop senior project controls and project management professionals.
• Drive consistency of tools, outputs, and governance practices across teams.
• Translate portfolio governance frameworks into effective operational execution.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of standards, systems, and methodologies.

Experience & Qualifications

Experience

• 14+ years in project management or project controls within real estate or construction environments.
• 6+ years in a senior leadership role managing large, multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong understanding of regional (Middle East / UAE) regulatory and reporting requirements.

Technical & Interpersonal Skills

• Portfolio-level project governance and controls
• Cost control, forecasting, and investment performance analysis
• Risk and change management
• Executive-level communication and reporting
• Strong leadership, influence, and stakeholder management capabilities

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in engineering, Project Management, or a related discipline
• Professional certification (e.g., PMP or equivalent) preferred