Head Of Program
Job Description
A high-growth tech business in Abu Dhabi is hiring a Head of Program to take ownership of complex, cross-functional delivery across product, engineering, commercial and operations. This is a senior leadership role for someone who can bring structure, pace, and clarity—without killing agility.
You’re a senior program leader who brings order, pace, and accountability to complex tech delivery. You’ve led multi-stream programmes that cut across product, engineering, data, security and commercial teams, and you’re comfortable operating at exec level shaping priorities, making trade-offs clear, and keeping stakeholders aligned when pressure is high.
You don’t just “manage projects”; you build the system that makes delivery predictable. You set the cadence, tighten governance, and run clean reporting—RAID, dependencies, decision logs, milestones—without turning the business into a bureaucracy. You spot risk early, escalate fast, and unblock teams with a calm, direct style that people trust.
You’re equally strong in strategy and execution: translating business goals into roadmaps, sequencing work realistically, and driving outcomes that can be measured. You understand resourcing, capacity, and delivery metrics, and you can challenge scope creep while protecting what matters most. You’ve likely worked in agile or hybrid environments and you’re pragmatic—using the right approach for the context rather than forcing a framework.
Above all, you’re a leader. You can coach programme/project managers, influence without authority, and create clarity in ambiguity. If you’ve delivered in the UAE/GCC or in regulated environments, that’s a plus—but the core is proven ownership of complex tech programmes and a track record of getting the right things shipped.
Responsibilities Duties:
- Own the end-to-end program portfolio (multiple workstreams, dependencies, timelines, risks)
- Build and run the operating cadence: governance, steering, reporting, decision logs, RAID
- Align stakeholders across Product, Engineering, Data, Security, Finance and Commercial
- Translate strategy into executable roadmaps with measurable outcomes
- Drive delivery discipline: scope control, prioritisation, resource planning, delivery metrics
- Identify blockers early, escalate fast, and keep teams focused on outcomes
- Lead and develop Program/Project Managers (and influence without authority where needed)
- Improve delivery processes, tooling, and ways of working (Agile/Hybrid)
What we’re looking for
- Proven leadership in Program Management within a tech environment (platform, product, digital, data, or enterprise tech)
- Strong experience running multi-stream programs with senior stakeholder management
- Comfortable in ambiguity: you can create structure, not just follow it
- Commercial mindset: understands ROI, trade-offs, and delivery impact
- Excellent communication—clear, direct, and calm under pressure
- Experience with Agile delivery (and the pragmatism to use what works)
Nice to have
- Experience in UAE / GCC delivery environments
- Exposure to regulated environments (security, compliance, government, critical infrastructure)
- Certifications (PMP / PgMP / SAFe / PRINCE2) helpful but not essential
Package
- Salary: AED 80,000 per month
- Location: Abu Dhabi (hybrid/onsite depending on business needs)
- Seniority: Leadership / Head of function level