Head of Programme & Portfolio Management

Black Pearl Consult; Dubai; On-site; AED 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Black Pearl Consult in Dubai seeks a Head of Programme & Portfolio Management to lead the PMO, govern diverse projects, and align delivery with strategic priorities.

You will establish governance, ensure portfolio visibility, manage resource planning, and provide reliable executive reporting while developing project management capability across the portfolio; occasional travel to project sites and partner offices will be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, or PM.
• Extensive experience in project or programme management with PMO leadership.
• PMP, PgMP or equivalent qualification preferred.
• Postgraduate qualification in Management advantageous.
• Consulting or advisory firm experience with diverse client engagements.
• Proven PMO governance, controls, resource planning, and reporting.
• Strong portfolio prioritisation, delivery assurance, and benefits tracking.
• Ability to analyse complex project information and present recommendations.
• Strong stakeholder management and constructive delivery challenge.
• Willingness to travel to project sites.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the PMO strategy, structure, and governance.
• Establish project management standards, stages, and escalation.
• Support prioritisation and resource planning against objectives.
• Oversee consolidated reporting on scope, schedules, costs, risks.
• Review delivery performance and coordinate corrective actions.
• Ensure executive decision papers include options and business impact.
• Coordinate governance committee reviews and actions.
• Strengthen risk, issue, dependency, change control processes.
• Facilitate issue resolution across departments.
• Lead PMO team development and capability building.
• Improve practices and reporting through lessons learned.
• Travel to project sites and partner offices as needed.

Skills

Leadership

PMO governance

Stakeholder management

Change management

Executive reporting

Resource planning

Portfolio management

Risk management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Engineering/PM

PMP or PgMP

Postgraduate qualification in Management

Job description

Head of Programme & Portfolio Management

Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Posted on 10/14/2026

Black Pearl Consult is looking for a Head of Programme & Portfolio Managementprofessional in the UAE. This opportunity is ideal for an experienced leader with a consulting or advisory background and a proven track record in overseeing diverse projects, strengthening programme governance, and establishing effective PMO functions.

You will lead the PMO function and establish a consistent approach to managing and monitoring projects and programmes. Your focus will be on governance, portfolio visibility, resource planning, and reliable executive reporting.

Working closely with senior leadership and project owners, you will help align projects with organisational priorities, highlight delivery concerns, and strengthen accountability across the portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

Develop and maintain the PMO strategy, structure, policies, and governance framework.

Establish project management standards, approval stages, responsibilities, and escalation procedures.

Support project prioritisation and resource planning against business objectives and available capacity.

Oversee consolidated reporting on scope, schedules, costs, risks, and dependencies.

Review delivery performance, challenge deviations, and coordinate corrective actions with project owners.

Ensure executive decision papers contain clear options, recommendations, and business impacts.

Coordinate governance committee reviews and track decisions and follow-up actions.

Strengthen risk, issue, dependency, and change control processes.

Facilitate the resolution of issues involving multiple departments.

Ensure project information and governance records are accurate, complete, and consistent.

Oversee resource demand and capacity reporting to identify delivery constraints.

Support benefits tracking, project closure, and transition to business ownership.

Lead and develop the PMO team through coaching, performance management, and capability building.

Improve project management practices, tools, and reporting through lessons learned.

Requirements

Qualifications and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Project Management, or a related discipline.

Extensive experience in project or programme management, including leadership of a PMO or comparable function.

PMP, PgMP, or an equivalent professional qualification is preferred.

A postgraduate qualification in Management or a related field is advantageous.

Consulting or advisory firm experience is preferred, with exposure to diverse client engagements and project portfolios.

Demonstrated experience establishing or improving PMO governance, project controls, resource planning, and executive reporting.

Strong understanding of portfolio prioritisation, delivery assurance, change management, and benefits tracking.

Ability to analyse complex project information and present clear recommendations to senior leadership.

Strong stakeholder management skills and confidence challenging delivery concerns constructively.

Proven experience leading teams and developing project management capability.

Willingness to undertake occasional travel to project sites and partner offices.