Initiative Manager - Digital Transformation

Aldar Education; Abu Dhabi Emirate; On-site; AED 201,000 - 290,000; Full time

Job summary

Aldar Education is seeking an Initiative Manager - Digital Transformation in Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates to coordinate cross-functional initiatives across technology and business teams. The role focuses on turning strategic priorities into deliverable programs and ensuring alignment with organizational goals.

The ideal candidate will have 3-5 years of programme experience, strong English communication, and a certification in project or change management.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience managing projects or strategic initiatives.
• Exposure to digital transformation or organizational change environments.
• Professional certification in project/program/change management expected.

Responsibilities

• Lead digital, technology and cross-functional initiatives from planning through completion.
• Translate objectives into structured initiative plans with scope, timelines and dependencies.
• Maintain delivery ownership across departments and external stakeholders.
• Track schedules and intervene when milestones are at risk.
• Maintain risk and issue registers and coordinate mitigations.
• Prepare concise status reports for senior stakeholders.

Skills

Digital transformation

Initiative management

Program management

Project management

Cross-functional delivery

Stakeholder management

Education

PM Certification

Tools

Project collaboration tools

Job description

Job Snapshot

Role: Initiative Manager - Digital Transformation

Location: Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates

Industry: Education Management

Function: Program Management

Experience: 3-5 years

Job Type: Full-time

Job Overview

Initiative Manager - Digital Transformation in Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates is an Education Management opportunity focused on delivering digital, technology and cross-functional initiatives across a growing education organization.

Aldar Education is hiring an experienced initiative management professional to coordinate strategic workstreams, manage delivery risks and dependencies, oversee continuous system improvements and provide leadership with clear visibility of progress against organizational priorities.

Job Details

Country: United Arab Emirates

City: Abu Dhabi Emirate

Industry: Education Management

Function: Program Management

Salary: 18000-26000 (Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the job city; please confirm the final offer with the employer.)

Gender: Any

Candidate Nationality: Any

Job Type: Full-time

Role Context

The Initiative Manager turns strategic priorities into coordinated programs of work that can be delivered across technology, business and operational teams. The position owns the structure surrounding each initiative - defining scope, sequencing activities, establishing milestones and keeping stakeholders accountable for agreed outcomes.

Beyond individual projects, the role supports a disciplined approach to organizational transformation. By maintaining visibility across risks, dependencies, change requests and business-as-usual development resources, the Initiative Manager helps Aldar Education introduce digital improvements without losing alignment between strategic objectives and day-to-day execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead digital, technology and cross-functional initiatives from initial planning through implementation and completion.
• Translate approved objectives into structured initiative plans covering scope, timelines, milestones and dependencies.
• Maintain clear delivery ownership across participating departments and external stakeholders.
• Coordinate cross-functional workstreams and ensure teams understand responsibilities, priorities and expected outcomes.
• Track implementation against agreed schedules and intervene when milestones or deliverables are at risk.
• Identify operational, technical and organizational dependencies that could affect successful delivery.
• Maintain risk and issue registers and coordinate appropriate mitigation or resolution actions.
• Evaluate change requests and assess their potential impact on scope, timelines, resources and expected outcomes.
• Escalate significant delivery concerns to leadership with clear information on impact and required decisions.
• Ensure initiatives remain aligned with organizational strategy and approved governance frameworks.
• Prepare concise status reports, dashboards and milestone updates for senior stakeholders.
• Facilitate planning sessions, workshops, reviews and decision-making meetings involving multiple business functions.
• Maintain effective communication between technology teams, business stakeholders and external partners.
• Manage the backlog and implementation priorities for business-as-usual development resources.
• Coordinate continuous system enhancements while balancing available development capacity and business requirements.
• Follow up on actions and decisions to ensure commitments progress within agreed timeframes.
• Support governance reviews with accurate documentation on delivery status, risks and outstanding decisions.
• Identify inefficient processes and recommend improvements to initiative delivery approaches.
• Promote stronger planning, accountability and collaboration across interconnected workstreams.
• Capture lessons from completed initiatives and apply relevant improvements to future delivery.

Ideal Profile

The position suits a professional with 3-5 years of experience managing projects, strategic initiatives or cross-functional workstreams. Exposure to digital transformation, technology implementation or organizational change environments is particularly relevant. Professional certification in project management, program management or change management is expected. Previous experience within education or another service-oriented sector will be advantageous. Candidates should be comfortable operating at two levels: understanding strategic objectives while maintaining close control over daily execution. This includes managing schedules, dependencies, risks, action items and competing stakeholder requirements without losing sight of the intended business outcome. Strong written and spoken English is required, together with the ability to prepare management-level updates and communicate complex delivery issues clearly. The role also requires cultural sensitivity and confidence when influencing stakeholders across different organizational levels. A hands-on problem-solving approach is important. The successful candidate will be expected to follow through on commitments, organize multiple concurrent priorities and make sound decisions when delivery conditions change.

Skills Set

• Digital transformation
• Initiative management
• Program management
• Project management
• Cross-functional delivery
• Strategic initiative planning
• Project lifecycle management
• Scope management
• Milestone planning
• Dependency management
• Risk management
• Issue management
• Change management
• Stakeholder management
• Governance frameworks
• Status reporting
• Management dashboards
• Delivery tracking
• Backlog management
• BAU development planning
• System enhancement coordination
• Resource prioritization
• Process improvement
• Workshop facilitation
• Strategic alignment
• Project collaboration tools
• Planning and tracking systems
• Executive reporting
• Decision support
• Technology implementation

Why Join Us

Education organizations are increasingly investing in digital platforms, connected operations and data-driven processes, creating sustained demand for professionals who can manage transformation across both technology and business teams. This Abu Dhabi role offers the opportunity to influence how strategic initiatives move from planning into measurable operational outcomes across a large education network. Aldar Education 's continued development also creates exposure to varied stakeholders, systems and improvement programs rather than a single isolated project. The position offers a strong foundation for progression into senior program management, digital transformation, strategic delivery and broader organizational change leadership.

About the Company

Aldar Education is a major UAE education provider operating and managing a growing network of schools and academies. Established in 2007, the organization now serves more than 38000 students through approximately 5000 educators representing over 100 nationalities, delivering learning pathways from nursery through K12 while supporting the UAE 's development of a sustainable, knowledge-based economy.