Overview
Portfolio Director Jobs in Dubai, United Arab Emirates at UpNext UAE
Title: Portfolio Director
Company: UpNext UAE
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
About the Role
We are seeking an experienced Portfolio Director to lead a diverse portfolio of large-scale architecture, engineering, and multidisciplinary design projects across the UAE and wider GCC region. This leadership role is responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of multiple projects while driving commercial performance, operational excellence, client satisfaction, and strategic growth.
The successful candidate will work closely with executive leadership, studio directors, project directors, and discipline leads to oversee project performance from inception through completion. This role requires a commercially minded leader with extensive experience managing complex, high-value developments across sectors including mixed-use, hospitality, residential, commercial, healthcare, education, and master planning.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide executive oversight across a portfolio of multidisciplinary projects, ensuring successful delivery in line with quality, schedule, and budget objectives.
- Lead Project Directors and senior project teams to deliver exceptional client outcomes.
- Drive portfolio financial performance, including revenue, profitability, forecasting, resource planning, and risk management.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with developers, government entities, consultants, and strategic partners.
- Identify commercial opportunities and support business development, proposal preparation, and client presentations.
- Monitor project health through regular reviews, ensuring proactive mitigation of commercial, contractual, operational, and technical risks.
- Ensure projects comply with company quality standards, contractual obligations, and applicable local regulations.
- Collaborate with Architecture, Engineering, Interior Design, Master Planning, and Project Management teams to promote integrated project delivery.
- Support recruitment, mentoring, succession planning, and professional development of senior project leaders.
- Champion best practices in project governance, operational efficiency, digital delivery, and continuous improvement.
- Report portfolio performance to executive leadership using key performance indicators and strategic dashboards.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, or a related discipline.
- Master's degree or professional qualifications are advantageous.
- 15+ years of experience within an architecture, engineering, or multidisciplinary consultancy.
- Proven experience leading multiple concurrent projects with significant commercial value.
- Strong understanding of project delivery across the full design lifecycle.
- Demonstrated experience managing multidisciplinary teams across architecture, engineering, and specialist disciplines.
- Excellent commercial acumen with experience overseeing project profitability, contracts, and financial performance.
- Strong leadership, stakeholder management, negotiation, and communication skills.
- Experience delivering projects across the UAE and GCC, with knowledge of regional authorities, regulations, and approval processes.
- Ability to develop trusted relationships with executive-level clients and key industry stakeholders.
