Strategy & Project Management Office Manager

Seazen Group; Kuwait; On-site; KWD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in Kuwait seeks an SPMO Manager to drive strategy execution and project management across multiple GCC markets. In this role, you will oversee a multidisciplinary team, ensuring that strategic initiatives such as digital transformation and process optimization are delivered on time and within budget. Ideal candidates will have extensive experience in PMO leadership and strategic planning, coupled with a solid understanding of financial management and governance.

Qualifications

• 10–15 years in enterprise PMO or strategy-execution roles.
• PMP and/or PgMP certification required.
• Experience steering initiatives across GCC countries.

Responsibilities

• Translate long-term vision into an executable roadmap.
• Maintain project-management framework and oversee CAPEX/OPEX.
• Engage with key stakeholders to secure buy-in for initiatives.

Skills

Strategic and Analytical Thinking

Leadership and Team Development

Financial & Commercial Acumen

Influencing & Stakeholder Management

Digital Fluency

Education

Bachelor’s in Business Administration

MBA or MSc Project Management

Tools

Power BI

Advanced Excel

MS Project

Job description

The SPMO Manager is the Group’s central steward of strategy-execution. Reporting to the DCEO /

Chief Strategy & Information Officer, the role converts the Group’s long-term vision into a prioritized,

funded, and well-governed project portfolio; enforces a group-wide project-management framework;

tracks benefits realization and performance KPIs; and provides timely, insight-driven

recommendations that keep executives, departments, and country teams on course. By leading a

multidisciplinary SPMO team and collaborating closely with Finance, Information Capital, Operations,

and other divisions, the SPMO Manager ensures every initiative—digital-transformation, brand roll-

out, process excellence, or cost-optimization—lands on time, on budget, and with measurable

business impact across all six GCC markets.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Planning and Alignment

• Partner with CSIO and Executive leadership to translate long-term vision into an executable

road-map, cascading OKRs/KPIs and maintaining a single source of truth for targets.

• Facilitate annual and mid-year strategy cycles, leading environmental scans (PESTLE, competitor,

trend), executive workshops, and update the strategic roadmap and plans accordingly.

• Chair quarterly strategy review meetings with executives, consolidating progress reports,

highlighting variances, and recommending corrective actions.

Enterprise Project Portfolio Management & Benefits Realization

• Maintain the Group-wide project-management framework (stage-gates, templates, governance

standards) in alignment with PMI/Agile best practice.

• Run portfolio-prioritization workshops, score initiatives on effort, impact, risk, and strategic fit,

and present funding recommendations to the Executive Committee.

• Oversee the master schedule, resource-capacity plan, and alignment to baseline budgets for all

transformation and growth projects.

• Monitor project-portfolio CAPEX/OPEX in partnership with FP&A, tracking spend versus

approved budgets, flagging forecast variances early, and providing actionable insights to the

CSIO and Finance leadership for timely corrective decisions.

• Maintain value registers for each initiative; compare planned vs. realized revenue uplift, cost

optimization, and NPV, ensuring benefit-realization reviews are completed

Performance Management & Business Insights

• Oversee Balanced-Scorecard and OKR execution across the Group, validating KPI data integrity

and alignment with strategic targets.

• Lead the monthly Senior Management Review (SMR) meeting by presenting consolidated Group

performance dashboards, spotlighting variances and strategic risks, and securing clear

corrective-action owners, deadlines, follow-up checkpoints, and log actions in the portfolio

register.

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• Direct the Strategy & Performance Management team to deliver automated Power BI

dashboards and concise executive packs, and reconcile project benefits with Finance and

Operations.

Governance, Risk and Change Management

• Enforce project- and business-governance standards, maintain the strategic-risk register, lead

quarterly portfolio-risk workshops, and embed mitigation plans in project charters.

• Monitor compliance with Delegation of Authority, audit actions, and regulatory requirements

across all projects.

• Integrate Prosci/ADKAR change-management plans into every program (developed by project

teams, approved by SPMO), track user-adoption KPIs, and feed lessons learned to the PM

framework.

Operational Excellence and Process Governance

• Guide the Process Specialist and relevant stakeholders in mapping, optimizing, and documenting

key cross-functional processes; apply Lean/Six-Sigma techniques to minimize waste, improve

cycle time, and strengthen controls.

• Ensure version-controlled policies, procedures, and authority matrices are integrated with the

Quality Management System and embedded in ERP workflows.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as liaison between executives and senior management to align priorities, resolve resource

conflicts, and sustain clear communication.

• Engage with key stakeholders, including executives and project leaders, to understand project

needs, gather feedback, and secure buy-in for major initiatives.

• Coordinate ERP, data-warehouse, analytics, and other technology initiatives with the

Information Capital team, synchronizing milestones, resources, and budgets.

Team Leadership and Capability Building

• Prepare and control the SPMO Department budget; negotiate and manage contracts and

statements of work with related vendors and consultants.

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team within the SPMO, building capabilities in

project management, strategic planning, and performance management.

• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, providing professional-

development pathways that empower team members.

Skills

• PMO & Transformation Leadership: Minimum 10–15 years in enterprise PMO,

strategy-execution, or transformation roles, including 3+ years heading a

departmental or Company PMO. Proven delivery of high-value, cross-functional

program in hospitality, F&B, retail, consumer services, or similarly complex,

consumer-focused multi-unit organizations.

• Strategic Planning and Execution: Hands-on experience leading annual strategy

cycles, PESTLE/Competitive scans, and KPI/OKRs cascades.

• Benefits, Budget & Performance Oversight – Demonstrated ability to manage

portfolio CAPEX/OPEX tracking, benefits realization (revenue uplift, cost

optimization, NPV), and executive-level performance reporting.

• Governance, Risk & Change Management: Proven success embedding

governance frameworks, maintaining strategic-risk registers, and integrating

Prosci/ADKAR (or equivalent) change-management plans into programs.

• Regional Exposure: Experience steering initiatives across multiple countries—

ideally within the GCC—navigating diverse regulatory, cultural, and labor

contexts.

Qualifications

&

Certifications

• Education: Bachelor’s in Business Administration, Engineering, IT, or related field

(MBA, MSc Project Management or equivalent preferred).

• Project & Portfolio Credentials: PMP and/or PgMP (required); PRINCE2

Practitioner, PfMP, or MoP (portfolio management) desirable.

• Agile / Lean: Certified Scrum Master, SAFe, or Lean Six Sigma Green/Black Belt

advantageous.

• Change & Performance – Prosci/ADKAR, Balanced-Scorecard Professional, or

similar certificates valued.

Personal Skill

• Strategic and Analytical Thinking: Ability to think strategically, apply data-driven

analysis, and translate complex data into actionable business insights.

• Leadership and Team Development: Strong leadership skills to mentor and guide

team members, fostering collaboration and professional growth.

• Financial & Commercial Acumen: Understands business-case economics,

CAPEX/OPEX control, and vendor/SOW negotiation.

• Influencing & Stakeholder Management: Communicates with credibility at

Board/C-suite level and brokers alignment across divisions and countries.

• Adaptable and Collaborative: Flexible and capable of thriving in a fast-paced,

dynamic environment, with strong interpersonal skills to work effectively across

departments.

• Governance Discipline: Upholds risk, compliance, and delegation-of-authority

standards with rigor and diplomacy.

• Organizational and Time-Management Skills: Exceptional ability to manage

time, prioritize tasks, and oversee multiple projects simultaneously.

• Digital Fluency: proficient in Power BI, Advanced Excel, MS Project/Project for

the Web, and PPM dashboards.