Program Head (Smart Infrastructure)

Position Objective

Lead and govern a large-scale, multi-phase national program encompassing complex infrastructure deployment, smart city technology integration, AI-enabled surveillance and operations, and public safety platforms across multiple sites and city zones, ensuring delivery on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end program plan, including scope definition, milestone planning, budget management, resource allocation, and delivery roadmap across all implementation phases.
• Establish and maintain robust program governance structures, reporting frameworks, escalation matrices, and decision-making protocols.
• Lead and coordinate cross-functional teams across planning, implementation, operations, and support functions.
• Monitor program progress against milestones, KPIs, and delivery targets, taking corrective action where required.
• Oversee full program budget, including cost control, financial forecasting, variance analysis, and CAPEX/OPEX tracking.
• Identify, assess, and manage program-level risks, issues, and dependencies with proactive mitigation strategies.
• Manage vendor and contractor performance against contractual obligations, SLAs, and quality standards across surveillance, smart city, and infrastructure workstreams.
• Engage credibly with technical architects, system integrators, and vendors on AI-enabled surveillance, ICCC operations, and smart city technology scope, quality, and compliance.
• Lead change management processes to ensure smooth adoption of new systems, technologies, and operational procedures.
• Develop and maintain executive-level dashboards, program status reports, and strategic briefings for senior leadership and stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, security, data governance, and operational requirements relevant to smart city and national infrastructure programs.
• Drive continuous process improvement by identifying efficiencies and implementing best practices throughout program delivery.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of project managers and specialists.
• Facilitate stakeholder engagement across government entities, technical teams, vendors, and senior leadership.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Technology, Business, or a related field. A master's degree is an advantage.
• 15+ years of experience in program or project management with a proven track record of delivering large-scale, multi-phase national or city-wide infrastructure or technology programs.
• Must have personally led or delivered at least one program with a total value of USD 100 million or above, with full accountability for budget, scope, and delivery outcomes.
• Experience managing programs involving smart city technologies, AI-enabled surveillance platforms, intelligent traffic management, IoT integration, or public safety systems is strongly preferred.
• Broad awareness of surveillance system concepts, including AI-based camera networks, face recognition, perimeter and intrusion detection, and ICCC operations, sufficient to govern delivery teams and assess program quality.
• Familiarity with network infrastructure concepts underpinning large-scale smart city deployments, including fibre optic backbones, VLANs, and enterprise switching environments.
• Proven ability to manage complex multi-vendor environments with strong accountability for delivery, quality, and commercial performance.
• Experience working in or with government, public sector, or regulated environments is a strong advantage.
• Experience in KSA or broader GCC infrastructure or smart city programs is a significant advantage.
• Strong leadership, communication, and team development skills.
• Fluent in English. Arabic proficiency is a must-have.

Certifications

• PMP - required.