Overview
Head of Sector Workforce Development Jobs in Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates at Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi)
Title: Head of Sector Workforce Development
Company: Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi)
Location: Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates
We are currently looking for a Head of Sector Workforce Development to support a key initiative within the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) on a 12-month freelance contract.
DCT Abu Dhabi is the government entity responsible for driving the sustainable growth of Abu Dhabi’s culture, tourism and creative industries, playing a central role in positioning the emirate as a global hub.
This role owns the talent-development pillar of a high-impact sector activation program. The successful candidate will design and build the complete talent pathway, from school-level exposure and vocational training through higher education and employment, while establishing the institutional partnerships required to ensure the sector has a sustainable supply of skilled talent.
Key Responsibilities
Pathway Strategy and Design
- Map current and future sector talent demand, including required roles, volumes, and skill profiles.
- Design the end-to-end talent pathway, including school-level awareness and skills programs, vocational and bootcamp routes, university degrees and specializations, graduate placement, and mid-career conversion.
- Define clear entry, progression, and exit points at each stage of the talent pathway.
- Prioritize interventions based on impact, determining where to build new programs, upgrade existing programs, or introduce proven international curricula and certifications.
Opportunity Identification and Program Development
- Continuously scan the domestic and regional education landscape for partnership and program opportunities, including new degrees, dual-certification models, scholarships, incubation links, and industry academies.
- Structure new program concepts into robust business cases, covering the target cohort, delivery partner, funding model, and expected placement outcomes.
Institutional Partnerships – National and Regional
- Build and own senior relationships with schools and education authorities, universities and vocational institutions, private academies and bootcamps, and international education brands.
- Extend the partnership network regionally and internationally to pool talent and create mobility routes into the UAE ecosystem.
- Engage industry stakeholders as demand-side partners.
- Secure internship and apprenticeship commitments, curriculum input, hiring pipelines, and in-kind contributions such as tools, mentors, and residencies.
Partnership Contracting and Execution
- Lead the negotiation and structuring of partnership agreements in coordination with legal and procurement teams.
- Own contract execution end-to-end, including delivery milestones, partner performance management, issue escalation, renegotiation, and renewal or exit decisions.
- Establish governance structures for each partnership, including steering cadences, reporting requirements, and quality assurance for delivered programs.
Performance and Reporting
- Define, own, and report the talent-pillar KPI framework.
- Build the data pipeline required to track cohort progression from enrollment through to employment.
- Report progress to sector leadership and government stakeholders.
- Manage the talent-pillar budget.
Candidate Requirements
Must Have
- Demonstrated experience building partnerships end-to-end, including identifying opportunities, sourcing partners, negotiating and contracting agreements, and managing delivery against measurable outcomes.
- Strong commercial and contract-management skills.
- Experience owning budgets, partnership agreements, and KPI accountability.
- Fluency in English.
Strongly Preferred
- Experience within the GCC or MENA education and talent-development landscape, supported by relationships with regional institutions.
- Arabic-language ability is an asset.
Contract Duration
12-month freelance contract
Location
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Interested candidates are welcome to apply or share their CV for consideration.
