Associate Director - D Sell Portfolio Management

Job Purpose Lead portfolio-wide programme planning, governance and performance management across the D-Sell development portfolio. Establish and maintain integrated portfolio plans, monitor delivery performance, risks and dependencies, ensure compliance with Compass Gateway governance, and provide executive reporting that enables timely decision-making and successful delivery of Aldar's development pipeline. Job Responsibilities Portfolio Planning & Performance - Develop and maintain integrated portfolio programmes across all D-Sell projects. - Monitor critical milestones, dependencies, programme health, schedule performance and delivery KPIs across the portfolio. - Drive planning consistency across all D-Sell Pods. - Produce executive portfolio dashboards and performance reports. - Identify strategic delivery risks, escalate issues and recommend mitigation actions. Governance & Portfolio Assurance - Review Gateway submissions for planning completeness and programme readiness. - Ensure compliance with Development Management planning standards, governance requirements and reporting obligations. - Coordinate executive governance forums, portfolio reviews and reporting cycles. - Provide independent oversight of portfolio planning quality and delivery readiness. Stakeholder Alignment & Continuous Improvement - Coordinate planning activities across Design, Delivery, Procurement, Commercial and Finance. - Facilitate cross-functional alignment on programme priorities, sequencing and critical dependencies. - Drive continuous improvement of portfolio planning processes, methodologies and governance. - Champion digital planning tools, AI-enabled reporting and the adoption of portfolio management best practices. Leadership & Capability Development - Lead and develop the portfolio planning function and team capability. - Foster a high-performance, collaborative and continuous improvement culture. - Build organisational capability by embedding lessons learned and standard planning practices. Key Measures of Success - 95% of portfolio reports delivered on time - Portfolio schedule variance maintained within agreed tolerance - 95% Gateway planning compliance - Reduction in cross-project planning conflicts - Executive stakeholder satisfaction Working Conditions Office-based (Abu Dhabi HQ), with periodic site visits. Experience, Skills & Qualifications Years of Experience - 14+ years in programme, portfolio or project controls within real estate development or major infrastructure - Minimum 6 years leading portfolio planning Technical Skills - Programme management - Primavera P6 / MS Project - Portfolio reporting - Risk management - Power BI / Oracle / AI-enabled reporting tools Interpersonal Skills - Strategic thinker with a highly structured approach to work - Excellent communicator, capable of building and nurturing partnerships across key stakeholders to build collective spirit towards shared development objectives Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction or Project Management - Master's degree preferred - PMP or equivalent certification preferred