Senior IT Project Manager, Capital Projects & Transactions

About the role

Cognita, a global independent education group with 90 schools in 21 countries, is looking for a Senior IT Project Manager based in Dubai to report to the Head of IT Project Management. The role ensures technology is ready when a new school opens, a campus expands or a site's ownership changes. It covers capital projects (new builds, expansions and refurbishments) and corporate transactions (acquisitions, divestments and separations), working with Development & Property, Corporate Development, the Technology Centres of Excellence, schools and delivery partners. It is a coordination and delivery role, not a hands-on technical one.

Key responsibilities

• Coordinate technology delivery for greenfield and brownfield builds, expansions and refurbishments, from scoping through installation, testing and handover
• Work with developers, designers, construction partners and school stakeholders to define requirements, costs, dependencies and milestones early
• Coordinate applications, infrastructure, network, wireless, connectivity, security and end-user technology, and agree scope and responsibility with contractors
• Plan the implementation of core business systems (admissions and CRM, website, parent portal, payments, student information, finance and HR)
• Provide cost estimates, benchmarks and value-engineering input for capital and ongoing run costs
• Support acquisitions by giving technology input to due diligence and coordinating post-acquisition integration of systems, data, identity, connectivity and security
• Plan technology separation for divestments and day-one and exit-day readiness
• Translate needs into requirements and acceptance criteria, coordinate design reviews, procurement, installation, configuration and testing
• Move new, expanded or acquired sites into operational support with IT Service Management and the Technology CoEs, including hypercare and service desk onboarding
• Maintain governance, project plans, budgets, KPIs, change control and reporting, and manage suppliers and consultants including tender evaluation and contracts

Required profile

• Experience delivering technology workstreams in capital projects such as school builds, expansions or refurbishments, or campus expansion programmes
• Experience supporting technology due diligence, integration or separation for acquisitions and divestments, including with Corporate Development teams
• Experience managing multiple technology disciplines and third-party delivery partners in multi-site or operationally complex environments
• Ability to undertake frequent international travel and meet the entry requirements of the supported locations

Required skills

• A recognised project management qualification such as PRINCE2, PMP or AgilePM, plus a relevant professional qualification
• Project leadership, planning, governance, commercial control and risk management
• Stakeholder management, communication and influencing across IT, property, construction and business teams
• Managing multiple interdependent workstreams, suppliers, budgets and milestones

Working arrangements: typically four days a week in the office in Dubai, with frequent international travel and flexibility across time zones. Applications close on 1 November; early applications are encouraged.