Director-Operations

Client of WhiteCrow Research; Dubai; On-site; AED 420,000 - 720,000; Full time

Job summary

Client of WhiteCrow Research seeks a Senior Infrastructure Project Leader to drive delivery of major roads, utilities, and master-development projects in Dubai. You will lead cross-functional teams, oversee budgets, and ensure Dubai regulatory compliance while embedding corporate culture strategies across the organization.

The role requires 12+ years in infrastructure delivery, including 5+ years in leadership, with strong UAE experience and stakeholder management expertise.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from a recognized university.
• Professional engineering registration or PMP/PRINCE2 preferred.
• Strong knowledge of infrastructure design and Dubai authority approval processes.
• Minimum 12 years of progressive experience in infrastructure project delivery, incl. 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Experience delivering large-scale roads, utilities, and master-development infrastructure projects.
• Substantial UAE experience preferred with knowledge of Dubai authorities and regulatory interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Lead execution and tracking of strategic initiatives across the organization.
• Oversee rollout and monitoring of corporate culture campaigns aligning with goals.
• Develop and implement annual strategy to embed corporate culture values.
• Drive employee engagement through flagship programs and initiatives.
• Plan and deliver leadership engagement sessions with coordinated logistics.
• Curate speakers and team-building activities to foster leadership effectiveness.
• Coordinate and deliver company-wide engagement initiatives with high participation.
• Report progress to senior leadership with timely data submission.
• Support strategic decision-making through proactive reporting and reviews.
• Monitor engagement metrics and adjust plans based on data insights.
• Lead annual budgeting and manage OPEX for the department.
• Establish monthly tracking and quarterly variance reporting for cost optimization.
• Ensure operational efficiency through process improvements and clear communication.
• Minimize escalations with proactive issue resolution.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Project controls

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering

Professional engineering registration

PM certification (PMP/PRINCE2)

Job description

Responsibilities

Lead the execution and tracking of key strategic initiatives and milestones across the organization ensuring alignment with long-term business objectives

Oversee the rollout and continuous monitoring of corporate culture campaigns ensuring relevance engagement and alignment with organizational goals

Develop and implement a comprehensive annual strategy to promote and embed corporate culture values across all levels of the organization

Drive employee engagement through flagship programs and initiatives achieving high levels of participation and satisfaction

Plan and deliver leadership engagement sessions ensuring seamless co-ordination of logistics impactful agendas and meaningful interactions

Curate relevant speakers team-building activities and structured discussions that foster strategic alignment collaboration and leadership effectiveness

Lead the coordination and delivery of company-wide engagement initiatives ensuring a minimum threshold of employee participation and satisfaction scores

Serve as the primary coordination point for reporting and performance updates across departments ensuring timely and accurate submission of progress reports and data to senior leadership

Collaborate with internal stakeholders to support strategic decision-making through proactive reporting performance reviews and executive forums

Monitor effectiveness through engagement surveys and adjust plans based on feedback and data-driven insights

Lead the annual budgeting process for relevant functions in collaboration with Finance Manage the OPEX budget for the department ensuring optimal utilization within approved parameters

Establish processes for monthly tracking quarterly variance reporting and cost optimization to support financial accountability and efficiency

Ensure high standards of operational efficiency through process improvements stakeholder management and clear internal communication

Minimize escalations by proactively addressing issues and maintaining strong internal coordination

Requirements

Bachelor s degree in Civil Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline from a recognized university

Professional engineering registration and or a recognized project management qualification such as PMP PRINCE2 or an equivalent certification is preferred

Strong knowledge of infrastructure design and construction standards contract administration project controls and Dubai authority approval processes

Minimum 12 years of progressive experience in infrastructure project delivery including at least 5 years in a senior project management or leadership capacity

Demonstrable experience delivering large-scale roads utilities and masterdevelopment infrastructure projects through design procurement construction commissioning and handover

Substantial UAE experience is preferred with practical knowledge of Dubai authorities utility providers regulatory requirements and stakeholder interfaces