Strategic Planning Manager

Miral Destinations; Abu Dhabi Emirate; On-site; AED 350,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

Miral Destinations is seeking a Head of Strategic Projects and Transformation to lead corporate strategy formulation and enterprise transformation. You will shape long-term priorities through benchmarking, market intelligence, long-range forecasting and scenario modelling, and evaluate new business opportunities.

You will drive a robust PMO for cross-functional transformation, deliver change management, executive reporting, and strategic communications to the SLT/Board.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent in a related field with leadership exposure.

Responsibilities

• Lead formulation of the company’s long-term strategies, incorporating internal and external stakeholder input.
• Analyse market trends, competitive landscapes, and internal performance to define strategic priorities and enablers.
• Defines strategic priorities, value pools, enablers and sequencing.
• Support the creation of sales and marketing strategies for destinations and attractions.
• Scans trends/competitors/adjacencies and best practices and embeds this in key docs and analysis for stakeholders.
• Convert insights into strategic options and exec-ready thought pieces.
• Deliver long-range forecasting, strategic modelling and builds demand/revenue/economics models; run scenario analyses.
• Produce feasibility and valuation models for new business opportunities and partnerships.
• Lead opportunity screening and commercial due diligence.
• Develop investment cases for SLT/Board decisions.
• Act as transformation PMO for governance, cadence, tooling.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic thinking

Executive reporting

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

Problem solving

Education

Master’s degree in business administration, Strategy, Tourism Management, or related field

Experience presenting to C-suite and Board-level audiences

Proven track record in project management, strategic planning, insights, or data-driven strategy roles

Financial management including budgeting and P&L oversight

Strategy frameworks and destination development best practices

Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in management consulting or tourism management

At least 5 years in a leadership role involving cross-functional project delivery

Tools

Power BI

Tableau

Canva

Advanced Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

The Head of Strategic Projects and Transformation leads corporate strategy formulation and enterprise transformation. The role is responsible for shaping long term priorities through benchmarking and market intelligence, conducts long range forecasting and scenario modelling, evaluates new business opportunities, and acts as a robust PMO to deliver cross functional transformation with clear outcomes, risk management and change adoption.

• Lead the formulation of the company’s long-term strategies, incorporating internal and external stakeholder input
• Analyse market trends, competitive landscapes, and internal performance to define strategic priorities and enablers
• Defines strategic priorities, value pools, enablers and sequencing
• Support the creation of sales and marketing strategies for destinations and attractions
• Scans trends/competitors/adjacencies and best practices and ensures this is embedded in key documentation and analysis as well as shared with key stakeholders
• Convert insights into strategic options and exec ready thought pieces
• Delivers long range forecasting, strategic modelling and builds demand/revenue/economics models; runs scenario/sensitivity analysis
• Produce feasibility and valuation models for new business opportunities and partnerships
• Lead opportunity screening, concept shaping and commercial due diligence
• Develop investment cases (assumptions, returns, risks) for SLT/Board decisions

Transformation PMO (Portfolio and Projects)

• Act as the transformation PMO responsible for governance, cadence, tooling
• Develop project charters, plans, timelines, budgets; define workstreams, RACI and interdependencies
• Assign tasks; coordinate multi stakeholder (internal & external) teams
• Track progress; maintain RAID logs; communicate status/issues to management
• Identify/manage project risks & issues; change control
• Facilitate/lead major change initiatives

Change Management & Communication

• Develop and deliver change plans, stakeholder maps, engagement and adoption plans; change narratives and comms
• Lessons learned and capability building to sustain outcomes
• Ensure all stakeholders are engaged in development/execution of change plans

Executive Reporting and Strategic Communication

• Prepare strategic reports, executive presentations, and organization updates
• Support preparation of Board presentations, ensuring clear strategic narratives and data driven insights
• Translate analytical outputs into compelling stories and recommendations

Organizational Alignment and Stakeholder Engagement

• Communicate strategy across the organization and drive alignment around shared targets
• Facilitate strategic discussions, workshops, and reviews
• Act as a central coordinator/implementor for transformation and stratgic projects

Education and Qualifications

• Master’s degree in business administration, Strategy, Tourism Management, or a related field
• Proven track record in project management, strategic planning, insights, or data-driven strategy roles
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with experience preparing strategic documents and presenting to C-suite and Board-level audiences
• Proficiency in business intelligence tools and storytelling platforms (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, Canva) or advanced Excel and PowerPoints for executive reporting.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in management consulting or tourism management
• At least 5 years in a leadership role involving cross-functional project delivery and stakeholder alignment
• Strong commercial acumen, with confidence in managing budgets and evaluating investment opportunities
• Ability to lead, coach, and motivate a high-performing cross departmental teams, including setting objectives and providing feedback
• Strategy frameworks and destination development best practices
• Financial management, including budgeting and P&L oversight
• Project management principles and structured delivery tools
• Executive-level communication and presentation skills
• Cross-functional collaboration and leadership
• Data-driven decision-making, scenario planning, and structured problem-solving.
• Ability to navigate complex environments with multiple competing priorities.
• Designing and delivering C-suite and board-level strategic narratives.
• Exposure to the GCC market or other emerging markets.
• Strong relationship-building skills across internal and external stakeholders.
• Change management and organizational development methodologies.
• Executive-level communication and presentation skills
• Cross-functional collaboration and leadership
• Data-driven decision-making, scenario planning, and structured problem-solving.
• Ability to navigate complex environments with multiple competing priorities.
• Designing and delivering C-suite and board-level strategic narratives.
• Project Management Certification (e.g., PMP, Prince2, or equivalent), with a strong foundation in structured planning methodologies.
• Exposure to the GCC market or other emerging markets.
• Strong relationship-building skills across internal and external stakeholders.
• Change management and organizational development methodologies.