Head of Planning | Real Estate | Contracting

Job description / Role

Overview of the role

The Head of Planning and Controls leads the department across multiple projects, ensuring alignment with AFC's delivery timelines and budget targets. The role operates within defined corporate, financial, and HSE frameworks while navigating local regulations and market dynamics. Key priorities include maintaining 95% adherence to approved time and cost controls, achieving full compliance in planning audits, driving a 10% annual improvement in delivery efficiency, sustaining 90%+ resource utilization, and supporting long-term business growth targets.

What you will do

• Lead and manage the planning team to align with business needs and operational goals
• Motivate, retain, and develop staff through appraisals, PDRs, and training initiatives
• Ensure alignment with workforce availability, market trading conditions, and contractual terms
• Maintain strong relationships and coordination with senior planning staff and business unit leadership
• Analyse tender documents and review tender, master, and contract programmes prior to submission and sign-off
• Conduct regular audits and reviews of planning processes within the business unit
• Maintain comprehensive audit trails of as-built project information throughout project lifecycles
• Ensure project programmes meet contractual time control and reporting requirements
• Review and assess labour resources, plant usage, and construction methodologies
• Evaluate and recommend preliminaries, construction logistics, and working methods
• Identify construction complexities, risks, and opportunities; support resolution of project challenges
• Prepare and deliver project presentations and participate in stakeholder interviews
• Advise on entitlement submissions and claim preparations
• Develop and implement business plans supporting AFC's 3-5-year strategic direction
• Drive operational delivery and growth across multiple projects and functions
• Set business and functional objectives in line with parameters set by the Managing Director
• Build and sustain client and sector relationships to support long-term business development
• Determine business priorities and make impactful decisions across the unit
• Take full accountability for directing large-scale, complex operations and business functions
• Contribute to and execute the wider business group strategy as part of the SMT
• Lead talent management and support implementation of people strategy for the business group
• Uphold and enforce health, safety, quality, and environmental policies and standards
• Ensure adherence to best practice installation methods to enhance safety and compliance

Required Skills to be successful

• Possess a minimum of 15 years of managerial and technical experience working with leading main contractors
• Demonstrated success in strategically leading a major contract, business unit, region, or professional function
• Proven experience in complex negotiations within multi-agency and multi-stakeholder environments
• Skilled in engaging proactively and effectively with a board of directors

What equips you for the role

• Strong understanding of infrastructure, construction, enterprise, innovation, and business growth dynamics
• In-depth knowledge of local legislation, economic strategy, and programme development
• Well-versed in stakeholder management, with clear insight into key partners' interests and priorities
• Advanced expertise in planning principles, development processes, budgeting, and financial management
• Proven capability in personnel management, including supervision, training, and performance evaluation
• Chartered member of a recognized professional body, holding honours-level qualifications
• Experienced in adopting and integrating emerging technologies, including AI, into operations and planning functions

About Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate

The real estate development and operations arm of Al-Futtaim, Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate is responsible for a multi-billion-dollar portfolio across MENA. With high-quality residential, business, retail, tourism, educational, and healthcare developments, the master developer caters to the diverse needs of cities and communities in the region. From origination, conception, development, sales, procurement, and construction of mega-projects to the leasing, operation, and management of these projects after completion, Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate (AFGRE) has been developing and managing owned landbanks, unlocking the economic potential of the region and contributing to future development for more than 40 years.

Our focus is to enable and invest in meaningful relationships to make our properties the best places to live and work, build additional products and services, and enable partnerships to create true value for our customers throughout their entire experience with us.

AFGRE is responsible for master planning of all projects in its portfolio, including two large-scale mixed-use destinations: Dubai Festival City and Cairo Festival City.

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.