Executive Director - Projects

Job Purpose To provide strategic leadership and oversight for the organization’s project portfolio, ensuring projects are effectively planned, executed, and delivered in line with business objectives, approved budgets, timelines, quality standards, and governance requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction and leadership across all assigned projects and project portfolios.
• Oversee the full project lifecycle from planning and design through execution, completion, and handover.
• Establish project priorities, delivery strategies, governance frameworks, and performance standards.
• Ensure projects are delivered within approved budgets, timelines, scope, and quality requirements.
• Monitor overall project performance, identifying key risks, delays, commercial issues, and dependencies and ensuring appropriate mitigation measures are implemented.
• Provide executive-level oversight of project budgets, forecasts, cash flow, procurement, contracts, and commercial performance.
• Lead and oversee Project Directors, Project Managers, consultants, contractors, and other project delivery teams.
• Ensure effective coordination between internal departments, consultants, contractors, authorities, and other key stakeholders.
• Review and approve major project plans, schedules, design milestones, procurement strategies, variations, and change requests within delegated authority.
• Ensure compliance with contractual obligations, regulatory requirements, health and safety standards, and organizational policies.
• Provide regular project performance reports and strategic recommendations to senior leadership and relevant stakeholders.
• Resolve major project escalations and facilitate timely executive-level decisions to maintain delivery progress.
• Drive continuous improvement in project management processes, governance, controls, and delivery methodologies.
• Support business planning and feasibility assessments for new projects and development opportunities.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, government authorities, strategic partners, consultants, and contractors.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, Architecture, or a related discipline.
• Master’s degree or MBA would be an advantage.
• Professional project management certification such as PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent would be preferred.
• Significant senior leadership experience managing large-scale and complex projects, preferably within development, construction, real estate, infrastructure, or a related sector.
• Proven experience managing multiple projects and multidisciplinary project teams.
• Strong commercial, contractual, financial, and risk management experience.
• Demonstrated experience engaging with senior executives, clients, consultants, contractors, and government stakeholders.

Key Competencies

Strategic Leadership

• Project & Portfolio Management
• Commercial Acumen
• Financial Management
• Risk Management
• Contract Management
• Stakeholder Management
• Decision Making
• Negotiation
• Team Leadership
• Governance & Compliance
• Problem Solving