Description

Project Manager, UAE Based

We are searching for an experienced Project Manager, UAE Based at our United Arab Emirates (UAE) facility.

About Palladium

Palladium is part of the Global Infrastructure Solutions Inc. (GISI) Consulting group, a privately held family of companies dedicated to delivering sustainable infrastructure and development solutionsworldwide. GISI brings together leading firms in engineering, construction, environmental services, and consulting, enabling Palladium to offer clients integrated, end-to-end capabilities across sectors.

Purpose of Position

The Project Manageris a pivotal leadership role within Palladium's Management Strategy Consultingpractice. Working alongside clients and cross-functional Palladium teams, theProject Manager frames goals and deliverables for each engagement, drives strategicchange within complex organisational environments, and is directly accountablefor the quality, timeliness, and commercial success of project delivery.

The Project Managerdesigns, implements, and monitors performance frameworks including balancedscorecards and KPI architectures to ensure measurable outcomes are embedded inevery engagement. They integrate findings across working teams to maximiseclient impact while remaining on time and on budget.

The Project Manageralso plays a critical talent development role, crafting meaningful growthopportunities for junior consultants, and building Palladium's clientrelationships and business development capabilities within the broader UAE andregional market.

Key Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of the strategyconsulting project manager:

1. Performance Management & KPI Development

• Design and implement structured performance management frameworks tailored to each client engagement, anchored in recognised methodologies such as the Kaplan/Norton Balanced Scorecard approach.
• Develop comprehensive KPI architectures that align organisational strategy with operational execution, ensuring that performance indicators are SMART, measurable, and actionable.
• Lead the facilitation of KPI workshops with client leadership to co-develop outcome-based metrics across financial, operational, customer, and organisational perspectives.
• Establish performance baseline assessments and conduct gap analyses to identify strategic priorities and inform data-driven decision-making.
• Monitor and report on KPI performance throughout the engagement, providing clients with clear dashboards, trend analysis, and actionable recommendations.
• Embed a culture of performance accountability within client organisations through structured performance review cadences, reporting templates, and escalation protocols.
• Advise clients on the selection and implementation of performance management systems and tools appropriate to their maturity and organisational capacity.

2. Project Delivery & Operations

• Oversee all aspects of project delivery, day-to-day operations, and decision-making, ensuring adherence to scope, schedule, budget, and quality standards.
• Develop and maintain detailed project plans, risk registers, and issue logs, proactively identifying and mitigating delivery risks.
• Support the team and client to identify, mobilise, and develop the technical expertise required to deliver innovative, evidence-based solutions within the public sector.
• Maintain rigorous financial oversight of project budgets, tracking actuals versus forecast and providing timely variance analysis to leadership.

3. Knowledge & Market Intelligence

• Stay current with local and international trends in management strategy, performance management, and public sector reform, and translate these insights into applied recommendations for UAE clients.
• Contribute to Palladium's internal knowledge management by documenting methodologies, lessons learned, and sector insights from each engagement.

Reporting requirements

• Attend all weekly team meetings and other meetings as required by the Project Director or client.
• Provide regular structured project status updates to the Project Director, including progress against milestones, KPI performance, budget tracking, and key risks.
• Contribute to and maintain personal development goals in collaboration with the line manager, with regular activity updates against agreed targets.
• Prepare and present executive-level performance dashboards and strategy updates for client leadership on a cadence agreed at engagement initiation.

Relationships

• Primary reporting line to the Project Director, with close collaboration across the wider Consulting team.
• On active client projects, works closely with the designated Project Director throughout the engagement duration.
• Serves as the central liaison between the client, Palladium's senior leadership, vendors, and all project team members.
• Builds and maintains strategic relationships with client executives, government stakeholders, and relevant public sector entities across the UAE.

Authority levels

• Approval authority for all client deliverables prior to submission or presentation.
• Budget approval authority within the parameters established for each engagement.
• Decision-making authority on day-to-day project operations, resource allocation, and team assignments

Minimum education and experience required

• Strong relevant business experience, preferably in management strategy consulting, programme management, or an equivalent multi-client consulting environment.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing performance management frameworks, including balanced scorecards, KPI development, and performance reporting systems.
• Experience with the Kaplan/Norton Balanced Scorecard methodology is highly desirable; familiarity with other performance management frameworks (OKRs, EFQM, etc.) is advantageous.
• Proven track record leading multi-disciplinary teams in the delivery of complex consulting engagements, ideally within the public sector or government advisory context.
• Balanced skills across problem-solving, strategic concept development, project management, stakeholder facilitation, and executive communication.

Key Skills and Competencies

Core Consulting Skills
Performance &Leadership Skills

• Outstanding facilitation and executive presentation skills
• Lateral and critical thinking; structured problem-solving
• Results-driven, persistent, and persuasive communicator
• Self-starter with strong entrepreneurial spirit
• Proficiency in written and spoken English; Arabic is a must
• Willingnessto travel as required

• KPI design, performance benchmarking, and scorecard development
• Strategy-to-execution alignment and performance monitoring
• Data interpretation, dashboard development, and insight generation
• Team leadership, coaching, and junior talent development
• Budget management and commercial awareness
• Stakeholder management and executive-level communication

Our company provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.