Director - Project Delivery

Client of WhiteCrow Research; Dubai; On-site; AED 700,000 - 1,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Client of WhiteCrow Research in the United Arab Emirates seeks a Senior Project Director to define, develop and lead the company-wide project management strategy, aligning delivery with strategic goals and budget discipline.

You will escalate risks, optimize costs, govern change, and guide cross-functional teams across engineering, real estate development, and procurement to ensure timely, high-quality outcomes.

Qualifications

• Project delivery experience in large-scale, complex developments; 8+ years in a senior leadership role.
• Bachelor or Master degree in Civil/Architectural Engineering or related discipline.
• Total career experience 15–20+ years with 8+ years in leadership/project lead roles.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the company-wide project management strategy to support strategic goals.
• Escalate and resolve resource constraints, delivery challenges, and project risks at an executive level.
• Oversee project budgets, monitor costs vs budgets, drive cost optimization and financial reporting.
• Govern change control, communicating schedule and budget impacts to stakeholders.
• Collaborate with Procurement, Contracts, and sector heads to align delivery with organizational objectives.

Job description

Responsibilities

Define develop and lead the company-wide project management strategy ensuring all assigned project delivery activities support and advance the organizations strategic plan and business goals Lead as an ultimate escalation point for resource constraints delivery challenges and project risks providing executive-level support to resolve critical issues and maintain delivery momentum Oversee and ensure rigorous management of project budgets including monitoring actual costs versus budgets approving financial reports and driving cost optimization to safeguard financial performance Lead the governance of project change requests ensuring timely communication of schedule and budget impacts Drive proactive risk identification assessment and mitigation across all projects to minimize business disruption Provide oversight and strategic direction on contractor mitigation plans procurement strategies resource allocation and acceleration programs to ensure projects meet agreed timelines and quality standards Collaborate closely with the Procurement and Contracts Department to ensure all necessary requirements are identified and addressed promptly facilitating informed and efficient decision-making Cultivate and sustain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders including senior clients and commercial teams enhancing collaboration and addressing escalations effectively Collaborate with sector heads technical teams and commercial functions to align project execution with broader organizational objectives ensuring seamless integration and delivery of complex technical assignments Champion the implementation of standardized compliant project management processes and quality controls across all projects Ensure adherence to statutory regulatory and company standards including safety and engineering norms Guide the development and dissemination of critical project documentation training materials and user manuals to enable effective project handover and operational readiness Oversee the consolidation and analysis of project data and performance reports to inform executive decision-making and continuous improvement initiatives Establish clear roles responsibilities and authority levels across the project team ensuring all members have a shared understanding of their accountabilities and reporting relationships to drive effective collaboration and execution Delegate tasks and decision-making authority appropriately across the team promoting ownership and accountability while maintaining oversight to ensure alignment with project objectives and organizational standards Lead critical strategic initiatives by coordinating cross-functional teams and managing regulatory compliance and stakeholder engagement to ensure alignment with organizational goals Stay up to date with industry trends emerging technologies and global best practices in project management and real estate development Apply relevant insights and develop opportunities to enhance delivery methods ensure competitiveness and drive innovation across projects

Must have

project delivery experience managing large-scale, complex developments, including 8+ years in a senior leadership role. Bachelors or Masters degree in Civil Engineering, Architectural Engineering, or a related discipline. Experience in managing the full project lifecycle - from initiation and planning through execution, monitoring, handover, and close- out. Min of 15 20+ years experience, including 8+ years of experience in a senior leadership/project lead role - managing large-scale/ multi-disciplinary projects and teams. 5+ years of experience with a developer - preferable. Understanding of industry-specific delivery standards and technologies, statutory, regulatory, and quality compliance requirements relevant to project delivery. Familiar with UAE Building Codes, Environmental regulations, and Dubai construction laws