Project Manager - Warehouse Development (Ref: 197840)

Forsyth Barnes Consultancy; Dubai; On-site; AED 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Forsyth Barnes Consultancy in Dubai is seeking a Senior Project Manager to lead warehouse development for pharmaceutical operations, from definition through commissioning. You will align stakeholders, manage scope, and ensure compliant, ready-to-operate facilities.

Candidates should have a proven track record in regulated environments, strong planning and risk management skills, and a hands-on approach to delivering complex projects on time and within budget.

Qualifications

• Experience managing warehouse, logistics, facilities, industrial, construction, or operational development projects.
• Background in pharmaceutical manufacturing, life sciences, regulated production, or similar compliant environments.
• Strong planning, cost control, risk management, change control, procurement coordination, and governance skills.
• Ability to lead cross-disciplinary teams including vendors, contractors, and internal stakeholders.
• Understanding of warehouse layouts, storage solutions, material flows, and related infrastructure.
• Experience with commissioning, validation, qualification, handover, or operational readiness is advantageous.
• Clear written and verbal communication; capable of challenging assumptions and driving timely decisions.
• Strong analytical judgement, organization, accountability, and problem solving.

Responsibilities

• Shape project scopes, objectives, delivery strategies, schedules, budgets, and governance for warehouse development programmes.
• Lead multidisciplinary activities covering design, construction, fit-out, systems integration, validation support, commissioning, and operational readiness.
• Coordinate internal functions, consultants, contractors, suppliers, and site stakeholders to maintain alignment.
• Translate storage, material-flow, production-support, and compliance requirements into defined project deliverables.
• Maintain integrated project plans and monitor milestones, dependencies, resource requirements, expenditures, risks, and change requests.
• Provide concise progress reporting and escalate decisions affecting safety, quality, schedule, cost, or continuity.
• Ensure project documentation, approvals, handover records, and closeout activities are complete and controlled.
• Support commissioning, qualification, training, and readiness activities so warehouse areas can transition effectively into use.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Budgeting & cost control

Regulatory/compliance awareness

Cross-functional leadership

Scheduling & planning

Quality assurance awareness

Job description

About Us

Pharmaceutical manufacturing depends on warehouse environments that protect materials, support traceability, and keep production supplied without interruption. In Dubai, our client is developing the facilities, systems, and operational infrastructure required to strengthen storage and distribution capability within a regulated manufacturing setting. The work connects physical development with quality, compliance, capacity planning, and dependable day‑to‑day performance.

Job Description

The Project Manager will direct warehouse development initiatives from early definition through commissioning, handover, and closeout. This role will establish delivery plans, align technical and operational stakeholders, control scope, and convert business requirements into safe, compliant, and usable warehouse outcomes. Success will be measured by disciplined execution, transparent reporting, effective risk control, and facilities that are ready to support pharmaceutical operations. The position requires a decisive delivery leader who can balance programme priorities with quality standards, regulatory expectations, budget constraints, and the practical needs of warehouse users.

Key Responsibilities

• Shape project scopes, objectives, delivery strategies, schedules, budgets, and governance arrangements for warehouse development programmes.
• Lead multidisciplinary activities covering design, construction, fit‑out, systems integration, validation support, commissioning, and operational readiness.
• Coordinate internal functions, consultants, contractors, suppliers, and site stakeholders to maintain alignment throughout delivery.
• Translate storage, material‑flow, production‑support, and compliance requirements into defined project deliverables.
• Maintain integrated project plans and monitor milestones, dependencies, resource requirements, expenditure, risks, issues, and change requests.
• Provide concise progress reporting and escalates decisions that may affect safety, quality, schedule, cost, or operational continuity.
• Ensure project documentation, approvals, handover records, and closeout activities are complete and controlled.
• Support commissioning, qualification, training, and readiness activities so warehouse areas can transition effectively into use.

Requirements

• Demonstrated experience managing warehouse, logistics, facilities, industrial, construction, or operational development projects.
• Background in pharmaceutical manufacturing, life sciences, regulated production, or another environment with demanding quality and compliance controls.
• Strong command of project planning, cost control, risk management, change control, procurement coordination, and stakeholder governance.
• Ability to lead projects involving multiple disciplines, vendors, contractors, and competing operational priorities.
• Practical understanding of warehouse layouts, storage solutions, material flows, facility services, or related infrastructure would be valuable.
• Experience supporting commissioning, validation, qualification, handover, or operational readiness is advantageous.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the confidence to challenge assumptions and drive timely decisions.
• Strong analytical judgement, organisation, accountability, and problem‑solving capability.

Benefits

• Ownership of high‑impact warehouse development projects supporting pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity and reliability.
• Direct exposure to facility development, operational readiness, quality expectations, and cross‑functional delivery in a regulated environment.
• Opportunity to influence storage capability, material movement, and the infrastructure that enables dependable production.
• A senior‑level platform to broaden expertise across project governance, technical delivery, commissioning, and stakeholder management.
• Professional growth through involvement in complex programmes with visible operational outcomes.
• A Dubai‑based role within an industry where disciplined project execution contributes directly to product quality and supply continuity.

Other

The position is based in Dubai and will require a hands‑on approach to coordinating activity across project, site, engineering, quality, supply chain, and operational teams. Candidates should be comfortable working through ambiguity, maintaining control of detailed delivery information, and keeping projects moving in a regulated manufacturing context.

Relevant experience from industrial facilities, distribution infrastructure, logistics operations, or other controlled environments may be considered where it demonstrates strong project ownership and transferable delivery expertise.