Senior Program Manager (Emiratisation)

About This Role

There are roles that move projects forward, and then there are roles that move a country forward.

We’re supporting an Emiratisation project for a leading technology company in Abu Dhabi, building advanced solutions in a mission-critical environment. This is a Senior Program Manager position for a United Arab Emirates local (UAEN) who wants to lead from the front: bringing clarity to complex initiatives, aligning brilliant teams, and helping deliver products that contribute to the United Arab Emirates’ ambition to lead the world in innovation, security, and responsible technology.

If you take pride in ownership, you communicate with purpose, and you know how to turn moving parts into momentum, this one is worth a serious look.

You’ll lead high-impact programs across engineering, product, and design, keeping delivery on track from early discovery through to release. You’ll be the person who makes the plan real: shaping timelines, managing dependencies, removing blockers, and ensuring stakeholders have confidence in what’s happening, what’s next, and what needs a decision.

This sits within a Defense-focused custom solutions function, so you’ll be working on initiatives where trust, quality, and execution discipline genuinely matter.

• Leading complex programs across multiple teams, turning strategy into a deliverable plan and a predictable cadence
• Owning delivery: scope, milestones, critical path, risks, dependencies, and release readiness
• Creating alignment across technical and non-technical stakeholders with clear updates, crisp reporting, and calm leadership
• Running the core operating rhythm: planning sessions, stand-ups, retrospectives, OKR planning, workshops
• Spotting issues early (the “looks fine but isn’t fine” projects) and stepping in with practical solutions before they become escalations
• Improving how teams work: building repeatable ways of delivering that scale as the organisation grows
• Supporting strong backlog and requirements practices so teams build the right thing, the right way, at the right time

This is for a Program Manager who is confident operating in a fast-moving environment, enjoys bringing order to complexity, and can work comfortably with technical teams without needing to be the deepest engineer in the room.

You’ll do well here if you’re someone who:

• Leads with ownership and pride in outcomes
• Communicates clearly, even when the situation is messy
• Protects delivery by managing dependencies and decisions early
• Brings structure without bureaucracy
• Can work across engineering, product, and design with credibility and empathy

Experience we’re looking for

• 10+ years’ experience in Program Management (or Technical Program Management) in technology environments
• Strong delivery track record across complex, cross-functional programs
• Confident working with engineers and product teams, and able to ask the right questions to uncover risk and trade-offs
• Comfortable in evolving environments where processes are built, tested, and improved continuously
• Familiarity with AI product concepts is useful (LLMs, evaluation, context, etc.), but the core is strong program leadership

Location / eligibility

• Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (onsite)
• Emiratisation project (Locals / Nationals)

The UAE is building something bigger than products: it’s building capability, resilience, and global leadership in advanced technology. This role is a chance to be part of that story in a practical, high-impact way leading teams, delivering outcomes, and doing work you can genuinely be proud of.