Executive Head- Organizational Planning and Business Excellence (UAE Nationals Only)

Confidential; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential government entity in Abu Dhabi seeks a senior leader to drive corporate strategic planning, organisational performance, and business excellence. The role collaborates with senior leadership to align strategic direction with operational performance, ensuring governance across planning and improvement initiatives.

The successful candidate will strengthen performance management, KPIs, and benchmarking, guiding multiple divisions toward excellence while aligning with Abu Dhabi

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive professional experience in corporate strategic planning, organisational performance, or related areas.
• Senior management/director level experience, preferably with exposure to executive leadership.
• Experience in government, semi-government, or large complex organisations is highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of strategic planning, performance management, organisational effectiveness, and business excellence frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead development, implementation, and review of the corporate strategic planning framework.
• Translate government priorities into strategic objectives, KPIs, and performance targets.
• Oversee corporate performance management frameworks and monitoring of performance.
• Provide strategic insights to senior leadership based on performance and KPIs.
• Lead planning activities including strategic plans, annual business plans, and governance processes.
• Establish frameworks for business excellence, organisational effectiveness, and continuous improvement.
• Drive initiatives to improve efficiency, service delivery, and organisational performance.
• Develop methodologies for performance measurement, dashboards, and reporting.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication

Presentation skills

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration related field

Master’s degree or professional qualification advantageous

Job description

About the Role

The role will be responsible for driving corporate strategic planning, organisational performance, business excellence, and continuous improvement initiatives, ensuring alignment between the organisation’s strategic direction, institutional priorities, and operational performance.

This is a confidential senior leadership opportunity within a government entity in Abu Dhabi. The successful candidate will work closely with senior leadership and key stakeholders to strengthen organisational effectiveness, performance management, strategic planning, and business excellence frameworks.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous review of the organisation’s corporate strategic planning framework.
• Translate organisational strategy and government priorities into clear strategic objectives, initiatives, KPIs, and performance targets.
• Oversee the development and monitoring of corporate performance management frameworks, ensuring effective tracking of strategic and organisational performance.
• Provide strategic insights and recommendations to senior leadership based on organisational performance, trends, and key performance indicators.
• Lead organisational planning activities, including strategic plans, annual business plans, performance objectives, and related governance processes.
• Establish and enhance frameworks for business excellence, organisational effectiveness, and continuous improvement.
• Drive initiatives aimed at improving organisational efficiency, service delivery, processes, and overall institutional performance.
• Oversee the development and implementation of performance measurement methodologies, dashboards, reporting mechanisms, and management reviews.
• Ensure alignment between strategic objectives, organisational structures, functional priorities, and resource requirements.
• Lead benchmarking and best-practice initiatives to identify opportunities for organisational improvement and excellence.
• Work collaboratively with executive leadership and divisions across the organisation to ensure effective implementation of strategic priorities.
• Establish effective governance mechanisms for monitoring strategic initiatives, organisational performance, and improvement programmes.
• Provide regular strategic performance reports, insights, and recommendations to executive management.
• Lead and develop the Organisational Planning and Business Excellence team, fostering a culture of accountability, performance, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Support the organisation in aligning its strategic and performance management practices with relevant Abu Dhabi Government requirements and frameworks.

Key Areas of Expertise

• Corporate Strategic Planning
• Corporate Performance Management
• Organisational Planning
• Business Excellence
• Organisational Effectiveness
• Strategic Performance & KPIs
• Continuous Improvement
• Governance & Performance Reporting
• Strategic Initiatives
• Change & Transformation
• Government Performance Frameworks
• Benchmarking & Best Practices

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Strategic Management, Management, Economics, Public Administration, or a related discipline.
• A Master’s degree or relevant professional qualification would be an advantage.
• 15+ years of progressive professional experience, with significant experience in corporate strategic planning, organisational performance, business excellence, organisational development, or related areas.
• Previous experience within a government, semi-government, or large complex organisation is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience working at a senior management/director level, preferably with exposure to executive leadership.
• Strong understanding of strategic planning, performance management, organisational effectiveness, and business excellence frameworks.
• Experience developing and implementing corporate strategies, KPIs, performance frameworks, and strategic initiatives.
• Strong stakeholder management experience, particularly with senior executives and cross-functional teams.
• Strong analytical, strategic thinking, communication, and presentation skills.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Thinking & Planning
• Corporate Performance Management
• Organisational Leadership
• Business Excellence
• Stakeholder Management
• Executive Communication
• Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills
• Change Management
• Continuous Improvement
• Decision-Making
• Team Leadership