Program Director - Infrastructure Portfolio

Parsons; Dubai; On-site; AED 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Parsons Corporation in Dubai is seeking a Program Director to lead a high-profile infrastructure portfolio for a government client. You will direct strategic planning, governance, and multidisciplinary delivery while ensuring safety, quality, schedule, cost, and risk performance.

This senior role requires 20+ years in infrastructure or program management, with proven ability to manage complex stakeholder groups and drive portfolio growth in the UAE.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field.
• Minimum 20 years of progressive leadership experience in infrastructure, engineering, construction, project management, or program management.
• Proven experience leading large, complex projects for government or public-sector clients.
• Strong commercial/financial capability including forecasting, margin management, contracts, change control, risk management.
• Experience in the Middle East or UAE is valuable.
• Advanced degree or recognized qualification in program management preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic planning, governance, and performance management across a major infrastructure portfolio.
• Serve as Parsons’ senior representative with the government client and maintain executive relationships.
• Provide direction to multidisciplinary project, engineering, construction, and commercial teams.
• Oversee safety, quality, schedule, cost, risk, and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Establish governance mechanisms ensuring accountability across multiple projects.
• Identify risks and delivery constraints requiring senior intervention.
• Provide escalation and decision support to leadership and client representatives.
• Ensure adequate resources and expertise are allocated across the portfolio.
• Maintain forecasting accuracy, contract management, and change control.
• Review financial performance and take corrective action where needed.
• Lead contract and commercial discussions on risk, scope changes, and client expectations.
• Strengthen risk management and ensure mitigation of program risks.
• Work with controls teams to report cost, schedule, and forecast performance.
• Ensure safety and quality throughout design and construction delivery.
• Oversee interfaces across multidisciplinary programs and align teams on priorities.
• Support recovery planning when workstreams underperform.
• Improve governance and standardize practices across the portfolio.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, delivery quality, and stakeholder confidence.
• Develop collaboration between client teams, consultants, contractors, partners, and Parsons functions.
• Support strategic positioning and expand Parsons’ role within the client portfolio.
• Provide input on business development, market strategy, and long-term planning.
• Communicate portfolio status, risks, and recommendations to executives.

Skills

Program management

Leadership

Governance

Stakeholder management

Strategic planning

Risk management

Cost control

Contract management

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field

Job description

Program Director - Infrastructure Portfolio Job Snapshot

Role: Program Director - Infrastructure Portfolio

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Industry: Civil Engineering

Function: Program Management

Experience: Minimum 20 years of progressive leadership experience in infrastructure, construction, engineering, project management, or program management

Job Type: Full-time Position Overview

Program Director - Infrastructure Portfolio in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is a Civil Engineering leadership opportunity focused on directing a major portfolio of complex infrastructure projects for a government client. Parsons Corporation is hiring an accomplished senior program leader to oversee strategic planning, governance, commercial performance, multidisciplinary delivery, stakeholder management, and portfolio growth while maintaining strong standards across safety, quality, schedule, cost, and risk.

Job Details

Country: United Arab Emirates

City: Dubai

Industry: Civil Engineering

Function: Program Management

Salary: 60000-85000 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 Program Director will provide executive-level leadership across a high-profile infrastructure portfolio serving a key government client in the UAE. The role carries responsibility for aligning multiple projects with strategic objectives while ensuring delivery teams remain focused on commercial performance, technical quality, client expectations, and measurable program outcomes. As the senior client-facing representative, the Program Director will build trusted relationships with government stakeholders, delivery partners, and Parsons leadership. The position requires the ability to move between portfolio-level strategy and detailed delivery issues, providing clear direction when risks, contractual matters, resource constraints, or performance challenges require intervention. The role also has a strong growth dimension. By improving delivery confidence, identifying opportunities for additional services, and strengthening client relationships, the Program Director will help support long-term portfolio expansion and Parsons ’ strategic position in the UAE infrastructure market.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead strategic planning, governance, and performance management across a major infrastructure project portfolio.
• Act as Parsons ’ senior representative for the government client and maintain trusted relationships with executive stakeholders.
• Provide clear direction to multidisciplinary project, engineering, construction, commercial, and project controls teams.
• Oversee performance across safety, quality, scope, schedule, cost, risk, commercial outcomes, and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Establish effective governance mechanisms that maintain accountability across multiple projects and delivery teams.
• Review portfolio performance and identify emerging risks, dependencies, or delivery constraints requiring senior intervention.
• Provide timely escalation and decision support to Parsons leadership and client representatives.
• Ensure appropriate resources, leadership capability, and technical expertise are assigned across the portfolio.
• Maintain strong commercial discipline through accurate forecasting, margin monitoring, contract management, and change control.
• Review financial performance and ensure corrective action is taken where project or portfolio results move away from plan.
• Lead contract and commercial discussions involving risk allocation, scope changes, claims, and client expectations.
• Strengthen risk management processes and ensure material program risks are identified, owned, and actively mitigated.
• Work with project controls teams to maintain reliable reporting on cost, schedule, progress, and forecast performance.
• Ensure safety and quality requirements remain embedded throughout design and construction delivery.
• Oversee design management and construction interfaces across complex multidisciplinary programs.
• Align project teams around common priorities and resolve conflicts between competing delivery requirements.
• Support recovery planning when individual projects or workstreams experience performance difficulties.
• Improve program governance and standardize effective management practices across the portfolio.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, delivery quality, and stakeholder confidence.
• Develop strong collaboration between client teams, consultants, contractors, partners, and internal Parsons functions.
• Support strategic positioning and identify opportunities to expand Parsons ’ role within the client portfolio.
• Provide senior leadership input into business development, market strategy, and long-term client planning.
• Communicate portfolio status, risks, commercial position, and strategic recommendations clearly to executive audiences.
• Promote visible leadership, accountability, collaboration, safety, and high-quality delivery across all teams.

Ideal Profile

Candidates should hold a bachelor ’s degree in engineering, construction management, project management, business, or a related discipline. A minimum of 20 years of progressive leadership experience is required across infrastructure, engineering, construction, project management, or program management environments. The position requires proven experience leading large and complex projects, programs, or portfolios for government or public‑sector clients. Strong commercial and financial capability is essential, including experience with forecasting, margin management, contracts, change control, risk management, and operational performance. Candidates should have demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary teams across complex stakeholder environments and be comfortable influencing senior clients, government representatives, delivery partners, and internal executives. A strong understanding of project controls, governance, safety, quality, design management, and construction delivery is required. Experience working in the Middle East or with UAE government entities is highly valuable. An advanced degree, professional certification, or recognized program or project management qualification is preferred. Candidates with experience recovering underperforming programs, strengthening governance, aligning complex stakeholder groups, or expanding strategic client relationships will be particularly well suited to the role.

Skills Set

Program Management Infrastructure program leadership Portfolio management Government client management Executive stakeholder management Strategic planning Program governance Project controls Commercial management Financial management Forecasting Margin management Contract management Change control Risk management Construction delivery Design management Safety management Quality management Multidisciplinary leadership Stakeholder alignment Executive reporting Program recovery Project performance management Cost control Schedule management Resource planning Client relationship management Business development Portfolio expansion Strategic positioning Operational leadership Public‑sector programs Infrastructure delivery Decision support Leadership communication

Why Join Us

This role offers the opportunity to lead a major Civil Engineering portfolio serving a high‑profile government client in one of the region ’s most active infrastructure markets. The position combines executive client engagement, commercial leadership, program governance, multidisciplinary delivery, and strategic growth in a single senior mandate. Dubai and the wider UAE continue to invest heavily in transport, utilities, urban development, and major infrastructure programs. For an experienced program leader, this creates a strong platform to influence complex projects at portfolio scale while building long‑term relationships with government stakeholders and shaping future opportunities. The role also provides significant exposure to executive decision‑making, commercial strategy, large‑team leadership, and portfolio transformation, supporting further progression into regional program leadership, executive operations, or senior infrastructure management.

About the Company

Parsons Corporation delivers engineering, infrastructure, technology, and program management solutions for complex projects around the world. In the Middle East, Parsons supports major government and public‑sector programs across transportation, urban development, utilities, and infrastructure, combining technical expertise with program leadership and long‑term client partnerships.