Senior Project Manager

alkalma Wellbeing Centers; Dubai; On-site; AED 300,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

alkalma Wellbeing Centers is seeking a Senior Project Manager to own end-to-end delivery of strategic initiatives across our UAE healthcare network. You will lead multi-workstream programmes spanning clinical operations, facilities, technology, finance, and regulatory compliance, reporting to the Director of PMO.

You will shape the PMO, drive governance, manage vendors, mentor teams, and partner with executive sponsors. 8+ years in PM, PMP/PRINCE2, and UAE healthcare experience are required.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of project management experience, including complex, multi-workstream programmes.
• PMP or PRINCE2 Practitioner or equivalent certification required.
• Experience in UAE/GCC healthcare with DHA/DOH regulatory familiarity.
• Excellent written and spoken English; strong PMO tools and documentation.
• Bachelor's degree; Master-level qualification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead initiation of complex strategic projects with executive sponsors.
• Translate strategy into objectives, roadmaps and measurable outcomes.
• Develop comprehensive plans: workstreams, milestones, budgets, governance.
• Drive execution across concurrent projects and coordinate cross-functional teams.
• Manage resources, changes, risks, and supplier performance.
• Mentor junior staff and contribute to PMO governance and templates.

Skills

Project Management

Leadership

Stakeholder management

English proficiency

Documentation standards

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Master's degree preferred (MBA/MHA/MPH/MSc Project Management)

Job description

Job Description

This is a senior, high-impact opportunity for an experienced project management professional to own the end-to-end delivery of complex, strategic initiatives across alkalma's growing healthcare network.

As Senior Project Manager, you will be a cornerstone of alkalma's PMO — leading multiple concurrent projects or multi-workstream programmes that span clinical operations, facilities, technology, finance, and regulatory compliance. You will work directly with executive sponsors, clinical leaders, and external partners, bringing rigour, credibility, and discipline to some of the organisation's most consequential work.

Reporting to the Director of PMO, you will also play a role in shaping the PMO itself — role-modelling the methodologies, tools, and behaviours that alkalma needs as its project function matures.

What You Will Do

Project Initiation & Planning

• Lead initiation of complex, strategic projects — working with executive sponsors to define scope, objectives, success criteria, assumptions, constraints, and dependencies.
• Translate strategic intent into clear objectives, measurable outcomes, and practical delivery roadmaps.
• Develop comprehensive project plans covering workstreams, milestones, tasks, resource requirements, timelines, and budget — aligned with alkalma's PMO methodology and governance standards.
• Design and agree proportionate governance for each project, including steering committee composition, reporting cadence, escalation paths, and decision rights.

Project Execution & Delivery

• Drive execution across multiple concurrent projects or multi-workstream programmes — coordinating workstream leads, managing cross-functional dependencies, resolving conflicts, and keeping delivery on plan.
• Lead project team meetings and working sessions with clear agendas, structured discussion, accurate minutes, and tracked action items.
• Manage project resources — coordinating allocation of staff, budget, technology, and external support; escalating resource conflicts to the Director of PMO.
• Monitor and control project scope — assessing all change requests for impact on timeline, budget, and quality, and processing changes through the agreed change control process.
• Manage external vendors, contractors, and technology partners — holding them to agreed deliverables, timelines, and contract terms; resolving performance and commercial issues.

Risk, Issue & Stakeholder Management

• Identify, assess, and document project risks and issues at initiation; maintain and actively manage the risk register throughout the project lifecycle.
• Develop and implement risk response plans; elevate risks with significant impact or probability to the Director of PMO and executive sponsors.
• Manage stakeholder communications — producing regular status reports, project dashboards, and steering committee packs appropriate to audience and seniority.
• Manage sensitive project communications with clinicians, executive leadership, and external regulators with professionalism and care.

PMO & Governance Contribution

• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of alkalma's PMO methodology, tools, templates, and governance frameworks.
• Support the Director of PMO in portfolio-level reporting — including project status, resource utilisation, budget performance, and risk summary.
• Mentor and support junior project team members; role-model professional project management disciplines across the organisation.

Essential

What We're Looking For

• 8+ years of project management experience, including at least 5 years leading complex, multi-workstream projects or programmes independently.
• PMP (Project Management Professional), PRINCE2 Practitioner, or equivalent certification — required.
• Demonstrated track record of delivering high-stakes projects on time, within scope, and within budget in complex organisational environments.
• Experience in a UAE or GCC healthcare setting — familiarity with DHA/DOH regulatory frameworks, clinical governance, and the operational realities of a regulated healthcare environment.
• Strong stakeholder management skills — able to earn credibility with clinicians and executives alike, and manage sensitive communications with professionalism.
• Excellent written and spoken English; professional command of project management tools and documentation standards.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field; Master's-level qualification (MBA, MHA, MPH, MSc Project Management, or equivalent) preferred.

Valued

• Experience working in, or helping to build, a formal PMO function.
• Change management certification (e.g. Prosci) or demonstrable experience managing organisational change alongside project delivery.
• Lean / Six Sigma, Agile, or other complementary methodology certification.
• Arabic language proficiency — a significant advantage across alkalma's clinical and operational network.
• Experience with technology and digital health implementations in a healthcare context.

Why alkalma

alkalma offers an exceptional environment for a project management professional who wants their work to matter. The projects you will deliver — new centres, clinical programmes, technology platforms, compliance frameworks — are not incremental. They are the foundations of a healthcare organisation built to have genuine impact on mental health in the UAE.

What You Can Expect

• A senior mandate with real authority — reporting to the Director of PMO, working alongside the CEO, COO, and clinical leadership.
• A broad project portfolio spanning clinical, operational, technology, regulatory, and growth workstreams — no two projects alike.
• The opportunity to shape alkalma's PMO function as it matures, leaving a lasting mark on how the organisation plans and delivers.
• A multidisciplinary team of clinicians, executives, and operational leaders who are committed to excellence and appreciate structured project discipline.
• A fast-growing organisation with a compelling mission and regional ambition.