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Head of Planning Jobs in Dubai, UAE
Overview of the role
The Head of Planning and Controls leads the department across multiple projects, ensuring alignment with AFC’s delivery timelines and budget targets. The role operates within defined corporate, financial, and HSE frameworks while navigating local regulations and market dynamics. Key priorities include maintaining 95% adherence to approved time and cost controls, achieving full compliance in planning audits, driving a 10% annual improvement in delivery efficiency, sustaining 90%+ resource utilization, and supporting long-term business growth targets.
What you will do
- Lead and manage the planning team to align with business needs and operational goals
- Motivate, retain, and develop staff through appraisals, PDRs, and training initiatives
- Ensure alignment with workforce availability, market trading conditions, and contractual terms
- Maintain strong relationships and coordination with senior planning staff and business unit leadership
- Analyse tender documents and review tender/master/contract programmes prior to submission and sign-off
- Conduct regular audits and reviews of planning processes within the business unit
- Maintain comprehensive audit trails of as-built project information throughout project lifecycles
- Ensure project programmes meet contractual time control and reporting requirements
- Review and assess labour resources, plant usage, and construction methodologies
- Evaluate and recommend preliminaries, construction logistics, and working methods
- Identify construction complexities, risks, and opportunities; support resolution of project challenges
- Prepare and deliver project presentations and participate in stakeholder interviews
- Advise on entitlement submissions and claim preparations
- Develop and implement business plans supporting AFC’s 3–5-year strategic direction
- Drive operational delivery and growth across multiple projects and functions
- Set business and functional objectives in line with parameters set by the Managing Director
- Build and sustain client and sector relationships to support long-term business development
- Determine business priorities and make impactful decisions across the unit
- Take full accountability for directing large-scale, complex operations and business functions
- Contribute to and execute the wider business group strategy as part of the SMT
- Lead talent management and support implementation of people strategy for the business group
- Uphold and enforce health, safety, quality, and environmental policies and standards
- Ensure adherence to best practice installation methods to enhance safety and compliance
Required Skills to be successful
- Possess a minimum of 15 years of managerial and/or technical experience working leading main contractors.
- Demonstrated success in strategically leading a major contract, business unit, region, or professional function
- Proven experience in complex negotiations within multi-agency and multi-stakeholder environments
- Skilled in engaging proactively and effectively with a board of directors
What equips you for the role
- Strong understanding of infrastructure, construction, enterprise, innovation, and business growth dynamics
- In-depth knowledge of local legislation, economic strategy, and programme development
- Well-versed in stakeholder management, with clear insight into key partners’ interests and priorities
- Advanced expertise in planning principles, development processes, budgeting, and financial management
- Proven capability in personnel management, including supervision, training, and performance evaluation
- Chartered member of a recognized professional body, holding honours-level qualifications
- Experienced in adopting and integrating emerging technologies, including AI, into operations and planning functions.
