Senior PMO Lead

Expertise Recruitment; Kuwait; On-site; KWD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent consulting firm in Kuwait is seeking a Senior PMO Lead to manage a large-scale digital transformation initiative. The role demands a focus on governance, delivery across stakeholders, and compliance with local laws. Ideal candidates bring 7–10+ years of PMO leadership experience and a strong grasp of the local context. This position offers significant challenges and impact, along with the opportunity to work with diverse teams in a national initiative.

Qualifications

• Significant PMO leadership experience.
• Proven track record on large digital transformation programs.
• Deep understanding of local institutions and regulations.

Responsibilities

• Establish PMO governance, processes, and standards.
• Orchestrate delivery of program modules across stakeholders.
• Oversee business requirements and change control.

Skills

Project/program delivery experience

PMO leadership

Requirements management

Agile/hybrid delivery

Communication skills

Vendor management

Education

7–10+ years in project/program delivery

Tools

MS Project/Smartsheet

Jira/ADO

Confluence

Job description

SUMMARY

Our client, a leading organization delivering a large‑scale national digital transformation initiative, is seeking a Senior PMO Lead to oversee and drive the successful execution of this high‑impact program. The role involves establishing and managing the PMO, ensuring effective governance, coordination, and delivery across multiple stakeholders and workstreams.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE

• Stand up and run the PMO: establish PMO governance, processes, and standards (charter, RACI, stage gates, templates). Build and lead a high‑performing PMO team (planning, reporting, risk, quality, finance). Create the Integrated Master Plan & Schedule across all workstreams and vendors.
• Drive delivery at scale: orchestrate delivery of multiple program modules with diverse stakeholders and partners. Maintain a single source of truth for scope, milestones, dependencies, and critical path. Run cadence: stand‑ups, sprint reviews, release planning, cross‑agency steering committees.
• Own requirements & quality: oversee business requirements (BRD), user stories, and traceability to benefits. Manage change control; protect scope while enabling safe, value‑adding change. Lead readiness and go‑live checklists; coordinate UAT and release governance.
• Engage stakeholders & navigate the local context: map and manage stakeholders across ministries, provincial authorities, regulators, education bodies, and community organisations. Ensure compliance with local laws/regulations: data protection, procurement, accessibility, and inclusion mandates. Translate policy goals into executable delivery plans and measurable outcomes.
• Vendor, budget & performance management: coordinate systems integrators, digital product teams, data providers, and delivery partners. Track budgets, forecasts, and benefits; manage commercial obligations and SLAs. Publish executive dashboards with schedule, financials, risks/issues, benefits, and adoption.
• Risk, compliance & security: maintain RAID logs; run scenario planning and dependency burn‑down. Ensure adherence to security and privacy standards (e.g., secure development practices, role‑based access, auditability) and local regulatory requirements.
• Build local capacity & sustain impact: coach client PMs and analysts; transfer methods, templates, and tools. Plan and execute handover to steady‑state operations with clear KPIs and playbooks.

REQUIREMENTS

• 7–10+ years in project/program delivery with significant PMO leadership experience.
• Proven implementation track record in public sector or top‑tier consulting, ideally on large digital transformation programs or national systems.
• Deep understanding of the local environment: institutions, cultural dynamics, policy cycles, stakeholder landscapes, and regulatory frameworks.
• Expertise in requirements management (BRD/FRD), agile/hybrid delivery, and product life cycle—from discovery to scaled rollout.
• Mastery of PMO tools: e.g., MS Project/Smartsheet, Jira/ADO, Confluence, risk & financial trackers, and data‑driven reporting.
• Vendor and contract management experience across multi‑supplier environments.
• Excellent communication and executive presence; able to influence at ministerial/CXO level.
• Commitment to inclusion, accessibility, and citizen‑centred design.

NICE TO HAVE

• Experience with national systems integration, payments, CRM/Case Management, or data platforms.
• Familiarity with interoperability/open standards, API management, and cloud platforms.
• Certifications: PMP/PRINCE2, MSP, Agile (Scrum/SAFe), ITIL, or equivalent.
• Bilingual/multilingual proficiency relevant to the local context.