Senior Manager, Government Relations & Permits

Khazna Data Centers; Abu Dhabi Emirate; On-site; AED 420,000 - 640,000; Full time

Job summary

Khazna Data Centers seeks a Senior Manager – Government Relations and Permits to lead regulatory approvals and permitting across projects in the UAE. You will oversee relationships with government authorities, ensure compliance, and guide project teams on regulatory strategies to delivery milestones.

You will advise senior leadership on regulatory developments, manage risks, and drive governance frameworks for permitting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Law, Engineering or related field.
• Minimum 12 years of progressive experience in government relations, permitting or regulatory affairs in the UAE.
• Proven ability to manage complex regulatory projects and engage UAE authorities.

Responsibilities

• Lead government relations and permitting activities across projects.
• Build strategic relationships with government authorities, municipalities, and regulatory bodies.
• Act as senior point of contact for government and regulatory matters.
• Represent Khazna Data Centers at government meetings, regulatory forums, and stakeholder engagements.
• Oversee the end-to-end permitting and regulatory approvals process.
• Ensure timely issuance, renewal, and maintenance of permits, licenses, NOCs, and other regulatory approvals.
• Develop permitting strategies aligned with project milestones and delivery schedules.
• Monitor regulatory dependencies, identify potential delays, and drive timely resolution of approval issues.
• Advise senior leadership on regulatory requirements, developments, risks, and potential business impacts.
• Establish effective governance frameworks for permitting, including ownership, accountability, escalation, and risk management.
• Ensure project activities remain compliant with applicable government and regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate with Engineering, Development, Operations, Legal, Commercial, Finance, contractors, and consultants on regulatory requirements.
• Provide executive reporting on permitting progress, regulatory risks, critical dependencies, and escalations.
• Drive continuous improvement and standardization of government relations and permitting processes across projects.
• Provide guidance, training, and knowledge sharing to junior team members and promote functional best practices.

Skills

Regulatory affairs

Stakeholder management

Governance and compliance

Strategic advisory

Project management

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Law, Engineering

Job description

Khazna Data Centers seeks a Senior Manager – Government Relations and Permits to lead regulatory approvals and permitting across projects in the UAE. You will oversee relationships with government authorities, ensure compliance, and guide project teams on regulatory strategies to delivery milestones.

You will advise senior leadership on regulatory developments, manage risks, and drive governance frameworks for permitting.