Senior Program Manager – Dubai Future Academy (UAE National)

Life At Dubai Future Foundation

Senior Program Manager – Dubai Future Academy

Senior Program Manager – Dubai Future Academy

Program Strategy & Portfolio Planning

• Lead the end-to-end design, planning, and delivery of academy programs aligned with Dubai Future Academy priorities and Dubai Future Foundation's future-focused mandate.
• Translate strategic objectives into clear program scopes, workplans, milestones, budgets, resource plans, and governance rhythms.
• Build and maintain integrated program plans across internal teams, external partners, faculty, venues, communications, and operations.
• Anticipate dependencies, risks, and decisions early, escalating with clear recommendations and practical mitigation options.

Stakeholder, Partner & Faculty Leadership

• Lead day-to-day engagement with education providers, subject matter experts, speakers, senior stakeholders, and cross-functional Dubai Future Foundation teams.
• Shape partner briefs, session requirements, faculty onboarding, and delivery expectations so every contributor understands the program purpose and audience.
• Facilitate planning meetings, executive updates, and decision forums, ensuring actions, owners, and deadlines are clearly captured and closed.
• Build trusted relationships that support collaboration, responsiveness, and high-quality delivery across the program lifecycle.

Program Delivery, Governance & Risk Management

• Own delivery readiness across program phases, including participant selection, curriculum sequencing, session logistics, operations, technology, and on-ground execution.
• Lead delivery teams during live programs, resolving issues calmly, making timely decisions, and protecting the participant and stakeholder experience.
• Maintain governance discipline through status reporting, risk registers, issue logs, change control, and post-program close-out.

Participant Experience & Executive Communications

• Oversee participant communications, joining instructions, agendas, briefing notes, reminders, and follow-ups, ensuring messages are accurate, polished, and timely.
• Position: Senior Program Manager – Dubai Future Academy Dubai Future Foundation
• Manage participant selection and onboarding processes in coordination with internal stakeholders, partners, and senior reviewers where required.
• Use feedback, attendance, engagement, and operational insights to improve participant experience before, during, and after each program.
• Prepare clear written updates, talking points, summaries, and briefing materials for academy leadership and senior stakeholders.
• Ensure sensitive information, participant data, and stakeholder communications are handled with discretion and appropriate confidentiality.

Data, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Define program success measures and ensure relevant data is captured consistently across attendance, satisfaction, learning outcomes, stakeholder feedback, and delivery quality.
• Lead end-of-program reporting, synthesizing insights, lessons learned, risks, achievements, and recommended improvements for leadership review.
• Convert feedback and performance data into practical improvements to program design, partner management, delivery processes, and future academy offerings.
• Lead the re-design and reconceptualisation of programmes year-on-year, seeking to not only update content but also evolve the delivery formats, focus areas and objectives.
• Why is this role important?
• This role makes a visible impact by turning Dubai Future Academy priorities into high-quality learning programs that build capability, strengthen future readiness, and connect leaders with world-class expertise.
• The Senior Program Manager protects program quality by bringing structure to complex work, aligning stakeholders, managing risks, and ensuring delivery decisions are made with clarity and pace.
• This role is important to strengthening the Academy's reputation, scaling its impact, and reinforcing Dubai Future Foundation's position as a regional and international thought leader in future-focused capability building.
• What does the Dubai Future Foundation offer?
• We will offer you a unique opportunity to support learning journeys that build leadership capability and future skills.
• You will work closely with an experienced academy team, engage with senior stakeholders, and support delivery alongside world-class partners.
• You will build practical skills in program delivery, coordination, communications, and reporting, with the chance to learn across multiple initiatives and grow your confidence through hands-on experience.
• Who We're Looking for?
• You have a bachelor's degree in education, learning and development, project management, or a related field; a master's degree or relevant professional certification is an additional asset.
• You have 8+ years of experience in program management, executive education, capability building, consulting, government programs, innovation programs, or strategic initiatives.
• You have proven experience leading complex multi-stakeholder capacity building programs end to end, from concept and planning through delivery, reporting, and continuous improvement.
• You are confident managing senior stakeholders, government entities, universities, training providers, consultants, speakers, and cross-functional delivery teams.
• You have excellent written and spoken English communication skills. Fluency in written and spoken Arabic is an additional asset.
• You can translate strategic priorities into practical plans, milestones, governance mechanisms, budgets, and delivery decisions.
• You are confident with Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, and comfortable using collaboration, reporting, and project management tools.
• You bring strong judgment, attention to detail, and discretion when managing sensitive information, competing priorities, and shifting timelines.
• You are a clear communicator and facilitator who can lead meetings, brief speakers, prepare senior-level updates, and represent the Academy professionally.
• You are proactive, curious, collaborative, and future-oriented, with the ability to motivate teams and deliver high-quality learning experiences.