Project Lead – Digital Transformation Contract

Job Title: Project Lead – Digital Transformation
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Engagement: Contractual
Duration: 12 Months (Extendable | Long-term on Marc Ellis Payroll)

Job Summary:

The Group Digital Office is the Group ExCo’s go-to team for shaping and delivering the bank’s digital-
transformation agenda. Within this context, the Project Lead – Digital Transformation defines the problems to
solve and what to build, translates high-level designs into tangible requirements, and supports on-ground
execution with business and delivery teams. The role may manage 1–2 project leads and/or directly run 3–4
workstreams concurrently, operating largely independently with limited support from the Practice Lead. It
requires strong problem solving, communication, journey/process design, requirements translation, and
program-delivery capability to achieve sizable impact on sales, profitability, CX, cost efficiency, and risk. The
Project Lead owns solution development through implementation and benefit realization across assigned
workstreams.

Key Responsibilities:

Identification of Opportunity Areas:
Conduct diagnostics (stakeholder interviews, analysis, shadowing, research). Identify and assess
transformation opportunities across domains (operations, risk, finance, CX, compliance). Collaborate with
business stakeholders to define use cases and outcomes. Translate needs into solution approaches (incl.
GenAI/NLP/RPA where relevant). Prepare synthesis decks to align on program direction.

Solution Design:
Facilitate design workshops to challenge “as-is” and aim for target-state processes. Work with
design/solution/data architects and delivery stakeholders to finalize designs compliant with bank standards.
Support upfront exceptions/alignment. Recommend solutions based on functional requirements and working
knowledge of digital technologies.

Requirements Gathering:
Run workshops/working groups to capture functional & technical requirements. Bridge business ↔ IT for
clarity/feasibility. Present proposals/updates in governance forums. Challenge sub-optimal processes and
drive optimization. Produce requirements documents and secure sign-offs. Ensure designs/FRDs/user stories
reflect requirements; socialize changes.

Timely and Within-Budget Delivery:
Build ambitious yet executable plans and align with delivery teams. Anticipate bottlenecks and manage
issues/risks. Create visibility/escalations at the right level to unblock. Negotiate requirements across
business/delivery. Maintain sufficient business/tech fluency to facilitate decisions and keep timelines.

Trusted Partner to Business:
Act as first point of contact for working/impacted teams on queries, change requests, new opportunities, and
red flags. Provide quick guidance or connect to the right stakeholders. Stay abreast of emerging technologies
and where they add value.

Domain Expertise within Digital:
Maintain business context and pain-points across assigned projects. Track related initiatives to avoid
duplication and highlight dependencies. Bring experience in process re-engineering and automation within
transformation environments.

Key Relationships & Decision Scope

• Collaborates with business users, IT delivery teams, and architects to define and implement digital solutions.
• Works with control stakeholders including Operational Risk, IT Risk, IT Security, Compliance, Legal, and Credit for approvals and sign-offs.
• Engages external vendors, consulting partners, and technology providers for solution design and delivery.
• Represents the Digital Office in project boards, working committees, and team huddles to report progress and resolve issues.
• Prioritizes transformation opportunities and defines problem statements aligned with business objectives.
• Leads solution design decisions within governance frameworks and escalates cross-domain trade-offs when required.
• Ensures timely resolution of delivery challenges and stakeholder alignment across all initiatives.
• Oversees approximately 10–15 transformation projects and engages around 30–40 stakeholders across business and control functions.

Education

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Business, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• Preferred Certifications: PMP / PRINCE2; Data Analytics or AI-related (e.g., Generative AI in Banking).

Experiences (Years & Type)

• 5+ years in top-tier management consulting, or
• 8–10 years in digital transformation / business projects / product teams in large organizations (techno-functional roles), or 10–15 years on the business side within financial services.

Knowledge & Skills

• Problem Solving: Led solution design and execution for ≥5 large/high-impact programs.
• Problem Structuring: Frame diagnostic and solution design approaches.
• Hypothesis Generation: Formulate and test hypotheses via data.
• Data Analysis: Gather and analyze data; identify proxies when needed.
• Synthesis: Derive concise, executive-level insights.
• Communication: 3–4 years creating VP/SVP-level presentations; clear verbal presence; storyline-based documents; influence up to CEO-2 level.
• Digital Transformation & Operations: Knowledge of GenAI, RPA/IPA/RDA, ML, Big Data, chatbots, NLP/NLG; ability to choose right-fit tech.
• Project Management: Independently led ≥3 large programs and supported ≥5 projects; expert in
planning, execution, impact orientation, and benefit tracking.

Behavioral Competencies

• Transformation mindset; fact-based influence.
• Strong stakeholder management and maturity.
• Self-driven ownership with impact focus.
• Continuous learner, resilient in fast-paced environments, and optimistic under pressure.