Project Director

Ethara; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 350,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

Ethara seeks an exceptionally experienced Project Director to lead the end-to-end planning and delivery of a major international government summit in Abu Dhabi. You will drive governance, manage budgets, and coordinate multi-stakeholder teams across Programme, Protocol and Operations.

The role requires 20+ years of high-profile event delivery, direct engagement with ministers and VIPs, and the ability to operate under tight deadlines in complex governmental environments.

Qualifications

• Minimum 20 years' experience in major international events, summits or complex programme delivery.
• Significant experience operating at Project Director, Programme Director or Event Director level.
• Demonstrable experience personally leading the delivery of COP, UN, G20, World Government Summit, ministerial forums or comparable large-scale international government events.
• Proven experience working directly with government ministries, senior public-sector stakeholders and international organisations.
• Demonstrable experience managing Ministers, Heads of Delegation, VIPs and VVIPs.
• Strong expertise in project governance, programme management, risk management and contingency planning.
• Proven leadership of large, multidisciplinary and multi-workstream teams.
• Strong commercial management experience, including oversight of significant project budgets, procurement and change control.
• Extensive live-event delivery and operational command experience.
• Strong stakeholder-management, communication, negotiation and decision-making capabilities.
• Ability to operate effectively in complex, high-pressure environments requiring discretion, judgement and senior-level stakeholder engagement.
• UAE, GCC or Abu Dhabi experience is highly advantageous.
• Must be available immediately or at very short notice.

Responsibilities

• Lead the overall project governance, planning and end-to-end delivery of the summit.
• Act as the senior interface with clients, government entities and key institutional stakeholders.
• Lead and integrate multiple workstreams, including Programme, Creative, Marketing & Communications, Operations, Production, Protocol and Hospitality.
• Manage the Master Project Programme, critical milestones, dependencies, approvals and delivery priorities.
• Lead a large multidisciplinary project team and senior workstream directors.
• Maintain oversight of project budgets, commercial performance, procurement and change control.
• Manage complex government, ministerial and international stakeholder requirements.
• Oversee VIP/VVIP protocol, international delegations and high-level summit operations.
• Lead project risk, contingency and crisis-management planning.
• Oversee venue readiness, operational planning and Event Control / Command and Control.
• Ensure effective coordination across internal teams, government stakeholders, venues, suppliers and specialist delivery partners.
• Maintain rigorous project reporting, governance and escalation processes.
• Provide senior leadership, direction and decision-making throughout planning and live delivery.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Governance

Job description

We are looking for an exceptionally experienced Project Director to lead the end-to-end planning and delivery of a major, high-profile international government summit in Abu Dhabi.

This is a senior project leadership role requiring extensive experience in delivering complex international government summits and programmes. The successful candidate will assume overall project leadership and accountability, leading multiple workstreams and working closely with government stakeholders, international organisations, senior officials, Ministers, VIP/VVIP delegations and specialist delivery partners.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Lead the overall project governance, planning and end-to-end delivery of the summit.
• Act as the senior interface with clients, government entities and key institutional stakeholders.
• Lead and integrate multiple workstreams, including Programme, Creative, Marketing & Communications, Operations, Production, Protocol and Hospitality.
• Manage the Master Project Programme, critical milestones, dependencies, approvals and delivery priorities.
• Lead a large multidisciplinary project team and senior workstream directors.
• Maintain oversight of project budgets, commercial performance, procurement and change control.
• Manage complex government, ministerial and international stakeholder requirements.
• Oversee VIP/VVIP protocol, international delegations and high-level summit operations.
• Lead project risk, contingency and crisis-management planning.
• Oversee venue readiness, operational planning and Event Control / Command and Control.
• Ensure effective coordination across internal teams, government stakeholders, venues, suppliers and specialist delivery partners.
• Maintain rigorous project reporting, governance and escalation processes.
• Provide senior leadership, direction and decision-making throughout planning and live delivery.

Job Specifications:

• Minimum 20 years' experience in major international events, summits or complex programme delivery.
• Significant experience operating at Project Director, Programme Director or Event Director level.
• Demonstrable experience personally leading the delivery of COP, UN, G20, World Government Summit, ministerial forums or comparable large-scale international government events.
• Proven experience working directly with government ministries, senior public-sector stakeholders and international organisations.
• Demonstrable experience managing Ministers, Heads of Delegation, VIPs and VVIPs.
• Strong expertise in project governance, programme management, risk management and contingency planning.
• Proven leadership of large, multidisciplinary and multi-workstream teams.
• Strong commercial management experience, including oversight of significant project budgets, procurement and change control.
• Extensive live-event delivery and operational command experience.
• Strong stakeholder-management, communication, negotiation and decision-making capabilities.
• Ability to operate effectively in complex, high-pressure environments requiring discretion, judgement and senior-level stakeholder engagement.
• UAE, GCC or Abu Dhabi experience is highly advantageous.
• Must be available immediately or at very short notice.