Senior Manager - Business Excellence | Real Estate | AFRE

Al-Futtaim; Dubai; On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the UAE is seeking a Senior Manager for Transformation & Business Excellence. This role focuses on implementing governance frameworks and enhancing business processes across the real estate sector, requiring solid experience in transformation and risk management. The ideal candidate will lead strategic initiatives that foster efficiency and organizational resilience.

Qualifications

• 12 years in transformation, process excellence, or governance roles.
• Experience in real estate development & construction environments preferred.
• Proficiency in digital tools for reporting, tracking, and automation.

Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end process design and documentation across all real estate functions.
• Drive implementation of transformation strategies in collaboration with business leaders.
• Embed continuous improvement principles in day-to-day operations.

Skills

Governance and risk management expertise

Analytical and process mapping capabilities

Change management and stakeholder engagement

Strong program execution and cross-functional leadership

Proficiency in digital tools for reporting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business administration

Professional certifications in governance

Job description

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group’s entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organization to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate.

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration and integrity; Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day

Overview of the role :

To lead the implementation of transformation initiatives, governance frameworks, and business excellence practices across the full real estate value chain—from inception to asset management. The role ensures policy, process, and delegation of authority (DOA) frameworks are designed and embedded to drive efficiency, control, and strategic alignment. It plays a key role in integrating operational improvements, change initiatives, and digital enablers that elevate organizational performance and resilience.

This role operates under the Transformation & Business Excellence function and reports directly to the Executive Director – Transformation & Business Excellence. The Senior Manager works closely with all business units—Development, Design, Commercial, Delivery, and Asset Management—to lead the implementation of policies, processes, and governance initiatives.

What you will do :

Policies, Processes and DOA (Design and Implementation)

• Oversee end-to-end process design and documentation across all real estate functions
• Lead the rollout of the AFRE value chain from planning to asset management
• Design and implement organization-wide policies (financial and non-financial)
• Establish a comprehensive Delegation of Authority (DOA) framework with clear approval protocols
• Ensure all frameworks are aligned with legal and regulatory standards
• Periodically review and update policies, processes, and DOA for effectiveness and risk mitigation
• Leverage technology to automate, monitor, and control compliance with governance frameworks

Transformation and change Management – Implementatio

• Drive implementation of transformation strategies in collaboration with business leaders
• Identify performance improvement opportunities through system and process analysis
• Lead change management programs to support adoption of new policies and workflows
• Implement digital tools and dashboards for performance tracking and governance
• Serve as a transformation partner to business units and enable capability-building
• Coordinate and support smooth rollout of strategic improvement initiatives

Business Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Embed continuous improvement principles in day-to-day operations
• Introduce best practices in process optimization, customer experience, and operational excellence
• Ensure proper documentation and archiving of governance materials and revisions
• Work with internal assurance teams (Audit, Risk, Compliance) to ensure alignment and governance health checks
• Develop templates, playbooks, and roadmaps to guide consistent execution

Required skills to be successful :

Job-specific Skills / Complexity :

• Governance and risk management expertise
• Strong program execution and cross-functional leadership
• Analytical and process mapping capabilities
• Change management and stakeholder engagement skills
• Proficiency in using digital tools and systems for reporting, tracking, and automation

What Equips you for the role :

Qualifications :

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, or relevant discipline
• Professional certifications in governance, change management, or process excellence are a plus (e.g., Lean Six Sigma, PROSCI, PMP)

Experience :

• 12 years in transformation, process excellence, or governance roles
• Experience in real estate development & construction environments is highly preferred
• Proven track record of implementing cross-functional transformation initiative

The real estate development and operations arm of Al-Futtaim, Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate is responsible for a multi-billion-dollar portfolio across MENA. With high-quality residential, business, retail, tourism, educational and healthcare developments, the master developer caters to the diverse needs of cities and communities in the region. From origination, conception, development, sales, procurement and construction of mega-projects and the leasing, operation and management of these projects after completion, Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate (AFGRE) has been developing and managing owned landbanks, unlocking the economic potential of the region and contributing to future development for more than 40 years.

Our focus is to enable and invest in meaningful relationships to make our properties the best places to live and work, build additional products and services and enable partnerships to create true value to our customers throughout their entire experience with us.

AFGRE is responsible for master planning of all projects in its portfolio, including two large scale mixed use destinations : Dubai Festival City and Cairo Festival City.