Senior Manager Strategy & PMO – Heritage

Job Description

Position: Strategy & PMO Senior Manager – Heritage

Reports to: Heritage

Sector: Heritage

Job Location: NEOM

The Role Purpose:

• The Strategy & PMO Senior Manager is instrumental in devising and driving the Heritage Department’s strategy, aligning it with NEOM’s vision, and ensuring its effective translation into operational plans and projects through robust project management methodologies.
• This role leads the integration of heritage considerations across NEOM by fostering collaboration with key stakeholders, including Regions and Sectors, ensuring a holistic approach to strategy and project implementation.
• As head of the Project Management Office (PMO), the Strategy & PMO Senior Manager establishes governance, tools, and practices for efficient project execution, while maintaining alignment with strategic objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs).
• By instilling a culture of excellence and innovation, the Strategy & PMO Senior Manager ensures dynamic alignment between strategy and project execution, contributing to NEOM Heritage’s goals and NEOM’s broader visio

Key Accountabilities & Activities:

1. Provide visionary leadership in understanding NEOM’s mission, vision, and aspirations, and articulate this understanding into the foundational framework for NEOM Heritage’s strategic and project management objectives.
2. Lead the development and refinement of NEOM Heritage’s strategic plan in collaboration with the Department Director, and design a portfolio of strategic initiatives and KPIs, ensuring alignment with NEOM’s ambitions. Provide executive oversight for their successful implementation through the PMO.
3. Champion and oversee heritage integration efforts across NEOM’s Regions, Sectors, and departments, employing project management best practices to ensure timely and efficient integration into broader organizational strategies.
4. Develop and institutionalize comprehensive Key Performance Indicators for NEOM Heritage, while ensuring alignment between strategic objectives and project management goals.
5. Lead the analysis of the internal environment and work in tandem with the PMO to identify opportunities for operational efficiencies, risk mitigation, and process improvements.
6. Direct external analyses and research to inform strategic planning and project / initiative selection, ensuring NEOM Heritage remains agile and responsive to NEOM overall and key stakeholders’ dynamics, needs, and opportunities.
7. Synthesize results from strategic and project analyses, leading executive-level discussions with internal and external stakeholders to establish priorities and align project portfolios with strategic goals.
8. Develop and implement executive-level KPI dashboards and project management tools to provide real-time insights and ensure data-driven decision-making across NEOM Heritage’s initiatives.
9. Develop, oversee, and manage the NEOM Heritage annual budget, ensuring robust financial governance, allocation efficiency, and adherence to budgetary controls; and align financial strategy with project portfolios and strategic objectives.
10. Establish a rigorous PMO reporting framework that encompasses progress reporting, risk management, and performance analytics. Develop sophisticated reporting tools that enable detailed and accurate project progress reporting.
11. Provide strategic oversight and governance for the PMO, ensuring robust execution of key projects, standardized project management methodologies, and quality assurance.
12. Evaluate annual performance of NEOM Heritage’s strategies and projects, identifying lessons learned, and incorporating these insights into continuous improvement efforts and future planning cycles.
13. Lead the PMO in the development and execution of RFPs for key initiatives and projects, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and optimization of resource allocation.
14. Develop executive-level performance reports encompassing both strategic outcomes and project performance, offering insights, deviations, and actionable recommendations for continuous improvement.
15. Foster a culture of excellence within the PMO by ensuring the team is well-equipped with the skills, tools, and resources needed to successfully execute projects and contribute to NEOM Heritage’s strategic goals.
16. Facilitate communication between strategy and project teams, ensuring that strategic objectives are translated into actionable project plans, and that project outcomes are evaluated in the context of strategic goals.

Education and Certifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in business management or a related field is required. A Master’s degree or MBA with a focus on Strategy, Project Management, or Cultural Heritage Management is highly preferred.
• Minimum of 15 years of experience in strategic planning and business management, with significant exposure to Cultural/Heritage strategy development, and at least 5 years in a senior managerial role overseeing Project Management Office (PMO) functions.
• Demonstrated expertise in developing and driving strategies, with a strong track record in leading execution through project management best practices.
• Substantial experience in managing and overseeing multiple complex, long-term projects (6 months or longer) simultaneously, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.
• Proficiency in developing, implementing, and optimizing diverse business processes, project management methodologies, and strategies to achieve organizational goals.
• Familiarity with compliance, with experience in implementing rules, interpreting regulations, and adhering to legal requirements within a heritage/cultural context.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and negotiation skills with an ability to foster collaboration and influence stakeholders across all levels of the organization.
• Agility and adaptability in fast-paced environments with shifting priorities, and the ability to steer strategy and projects through changing circumstances.
• Acute analytical and problem-solving abilities with a focus on data-driven decision making and the capacity to synthesize complex information from various sources.
• Expertise in crafting and delivering high-impact presentations, coupled with strong proficiency in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• A proactive and solutions-oriented mindset with a focus on efficiency, multitasking, and delivering results, along with an ability to inspire and lead teams through challenges.
• Knowledge of heritage/cultural industry trends and best practices, and the ability to integrate heritage considerations into broader organizational strategies