Senior Project Director – Major Projects Delivery (Dubai)

Jones Lang LaSalle IP, Inc; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 550,000 - 850,000; Full time

Job summary

Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) in Dubai seeks a Project Director to own delivery of major projects within the PDS portfolio. You will lead the Project Management team, set governance, oversee costs, quality and safety, and act as the trusted advisor to the client’s executive team.

You will mentor project managers, coordinate staffing, and ensure compliant procurement and contract management, aligning with JLL standards and regional market practices.

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture or a related discipline.
• 18 to 25 years’ experience in construction and project management, including at least 8 years leading large-scale projects or programmes as Project Director, Senior Project Manager or equivalent.
• Minimum 5 years’ PMC or consultancy experience in the UAE, with strong knowledge of local authorities, contracting practice and market conditions.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing multi-disciplinary project teams.
• Strong knowledge of FIDIC and equivalent contract forms, including claims, variations and EOT.
• Proficiency in MS Office and project reporting tools, and working knowledge of Primavera P6 outputs and CDE platforms.
• Excellent leadership, negotiation and communication skills, with executive-level credibility.

Responsibilities

• Act as the senior PDS contact for client executives on assigned projects, and hold accountability for client satisfaction and delivery performance.
• Build long-term client relationships, identify follow-on work and support account strategy with business development and the PDS leadership team.
• Represent JLL in senior client, authority and stakeholder forums, and manage escalations.
• Set and maintain the delivery governance for each project, including project execution plans, reporting lines, decision rights and communication protocols.
• Assure that Project Managers apply JLL PDS standards, processes and quality procedures consistently.
• Review project health regularly, intervene early on projects off track, and report status to PDS leadership.
• Lead, coach and develop Project Managers and Associate Project Managers, and set clear objectives and performance expectations.
• Resource projects to match their complexity and phase, and work with PDS leadership on staffing, recruitment and succession.
• Build a culture of accountability, safety and technical rigour.
• Own the review of master programmes, critical path risk and recovery strategies, supported by the Senior Planner.
• Oversee budget control, forecasting, variations, claims and extension of time positions with the Cost Manager and contract specialists.
• Protect the client’s contractual position through timely decisions, robust records and sound commercial judgement.
• Oversee the development of fee proposals, scope definitions and appointment terms for PDS services, in line with JLL commercial and contractual review processes.
• Assure that design development meets the client’s brief, budget and programme, and govern design change and value engineering.
• Direct procurement strategy, tender evaluation and contract award, and monitor long-lead and supply chain risk.
• Assure that quality, inspection, testing, commissioning and handover regimes are implemented and that works comply with approved designs, specifications and authority requirements.
• Set the expectation of a strong safety culture, and review HSE performance, incidents and corrective actions.
• Maintain project and portfolio risk registers, lead risk reviews and elevate significant exposure with clear recommendations.

Skills

Leadership

Negotiation

Communication

MS Office

Primavera P6

CDE platforms

Education

Engineering / Construction Management / Architecture degree

Tools

Primavera P6

MS Office

CDE platforms

Job description

Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) in Dubai seeks a Project Director to own delivery of major projects within the PDS portfolio. You will lead the Project Management team, set governance, oversee costs, quality and safety, and act as the trusted advisor to the client’s executive team.

You will mentor project managers, coordinate staffing, and ensure compliant procurement and contract management, aligning with JLL standards and regional market practices.