Assistant Manager Technology Innovation And Governance

Job description / Role

Company Overview

Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Groupu2019s entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organisation to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate.

By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration and integrity; Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day.

Overview of the Role

This role is pivotal in driving innovation across the Group Technology landscape, emphasizing AI, strategic co-innovation partnerships, and governance of Quarterly Business Reviews. The Assistant Manager of Technology Innovation & Governance leads initiatives fostering a culture of continuous improvement and ensures strategic alignment across technology partnerships. Success involves cultivating relationships with startups, organizing ideation sessions, managing pilot programs, and ensuring strategic delivery oversight with partners.

What You Will Do

• Identify innovation incubation through partner ecosystem.
• Cultivate relationships with startups and AI-focused partners to identify transformative solutions.
• Organize collaborative ideation sessions with strategic partners.
• Launch and manage pilot programs, hackathons, and proof-of-concept initiatives.
• Evaluate and prioritize emerging AI technologies aligned with business goals.
• Conduct internal workshops or enablement sessions to foster innovation.
• Engage employees in innovation programs like hackathons and ideation challenges.

• Represent the Strategic Partnerships team in governance forums and QBRs.
• Drive the preparation, execution, and follow-up of QBRs with strategic partners.
• Monitor KPIs and ensure timely resolution of issues raised during governance meetings.
• Ensure compliance with governance frameworks and reporting standards.
• Reduce escalations or delivery delays from strategic partners.
• Achieve high QBR completion rate and stakeholder satisfaction scores.

• Ensure seamless delivery and alignment with strategic objectives across partner engagements.
• Maintain strong relationships with strategic partners and optimize their performance.
• Onboard new partners based on engagements on strategic projects across GTDP.
• Regularly measure performance for all strategic partners with support from LOB Directors across GTDP.
• Align partner initiatives with Group Technology strategy.
• Activate or scale strategic partnerships.

Required Skills To Be Successful

• Technology innovation and strategic partnership management.
• AI-focused ideation and solution evaluation.
• Project management and governance of business reviews.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.

What Qualifies You For The Role

• Master's degree or higher, preferably in business administration or management field.
• Proven experience in technology innovation, AI, and governance roles.
• Strong stakeholder management and vendor negotiation skills.
• Experience in managing cross-functional teams and strategic partnerships.
• Excellent communication and analytical capabilities.
• Experience in dashboard design and development.
• Full proficiency with Microsoft Office PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.
• Strong analytical thinking, problem solving, resourcefulness, and time management capabilities.

Candidate Experience

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Before you click u201capplyu201d: Please read the job description carefully to ensure you can confidently demonstrate why this opportunity is right for you and take the time to put together a well-crafted and personalised CV to further boost your visibility. Our global Talent Acquisition team members are all assigned to specific businesses to ensure that we make the best matches between talent and opportunities. We not only consider the requisite compatibility of skills and behaviours, but also how candidates align with our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, and excellence.

As part of our candidate experience promise, we also want to make ourselves available to you throughout the application process. We make every effort to review and respond to every application.

About the Company

Established in the 1930's, the Al-Futtaim Group initially operated as a trading enterprise. Rapid development throughout the 1940's and 50's saw it establish itself regionally as an integrated commercial, industrial and services organisation, positioning itself one of the leading business houses in the lower Gulf region. Today, it operates collectively over 40 companies bearing the Al-Futtaim name, dominates many market segments in the UAE, and has expanded its sphere of operation to include Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Egypt.

The Group comprises a diverse range of strategically positioned operating subsidiaries and associate companies, structured to give the Al-Futtaim Group the flexibility and versatility to keep ahead of local competition while keeping pace with the ever-evolving global business scenario. The Groups continued investment in world-class systems technology is clear evidence of its commitment to maintain leading edge performance and service delivery.

The success of the Al-Futtaim Group can be attributed to a business approach that combines the ability to change with the traditional values of integrity, service and social responsibility that define its core business philosophy. This, linked with the Groups belief in decentralisation, gives the heads of the operating companies a high degree of functional autonomy and authority, providing the Group with essential flexibility, and individual employees a clearly defined work culture and sense of responsibility.