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