Senior Programme Lead – Marine Restoration

Responsibilities

- Ensuring coherence in delivery across programme workstreams, ensuring timely implementation, managing interdependencies and avoiding siloed implementation or duplication of effort.
- - Leading a structured, iterative delivery approach across the programme lifecycle, from pilot to scale-up, systematically reviewing performance and lessons learned to inform adaptive delivery and implementation strategies.
- - Driving integrated workplans across programme pillars/workstreams, involving partners and ensuring delivery against milestones, KPIs, and impact targets.
- - Ensuring alignment of programme delivery with Emirates Nature–WWF conservation strategy, national environmental priorities, and relevant regulatory frameworks.
- - Strengthening coordination across internal units (conservation, communications, fundraising, operations and finance) to ensure integrated programme delivery and organisational alignment.
- - Leading strategic partner engagement and consortium management, including alignment of incentives, conflict resolution, and performance accountability across delivery partners.
- - Leading and coordinating external representation of the programme, positioning the initiative as a national flagship model.
- - Supporting senior leadership in programme briefings, as required, to enable effective participation in strategic decision-making, high-level stakeholder engagements, and key governance forums.
- - Supporting visibility, knowledge dissemination, and thought leadership outputs that position the programme as a leading regional model for marine restoration and circular economy innovation.
- - Establishing and implementing programme governance structures, reporting frameworks, and decision-making processes.
- - Overseeing programme budgets, financial controls, contracting, and compliance requirements.
- - Managing risk across technical, operational, reputational, and financial dimensions.
- - Ensuring strong documentation, institutional learning, and knowledge transfer to support organisational capacity building and future programme scaling.
- - Overseeing a robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning framework that links data, impact measurement, and policy outcomes.
- - Reporting to donors and senior leadership, with full accountability for delivery performance.
- - Supporting adaptive programme management by integrating emerging scientific evidence, stakeholder insights, and operational lessons into ongoing implementation.
- - Leading a high-performing programme team, defining roles, performance standards, and capacity requirements aligned with programme goals and objectives.
- - Developing and implementing a sustainability and replication strategy to ensure continuity beyond the three-year cycle.
- Requirements

- Minimum 10–12 years of progressive experience in programme or project management, including leadership of large-scale, multi-stakeholder initiatives within environmental, marine, conservation, or sustainability sectors.
- - Demonstrated experience managing complex, donor-funded programmes with formal governance structures, structured reporting frameworks, and multi-partner delivery models.
- - Proven track record working with government entities, regulators, research institutions, NGOs, and private sector stakeholders in multi-stakeholder environments.
- - Experience managing consortium budgets, financial oversight, contracting processes, and compliance across multiple implementing partners.
- - Strong experience in monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks, including impact measurement and adaptive programme management.
- - Exposure to marine ecosystem conservation, fisheries governance, marine litter, circular economy solutions, or coastal community engagement is highly desirable.
- - Experience working in the GCC/MENA region or comparable international contexts preferred.
- Preferred Qualifications

- Master’s degree in Environmental Management, Marine Science, Sustainability, International Development, Project Management, Business Administration, or a related field (or equivalent combination of relevant academic and professional experience).
- - Additional qualifications in marine conservation, fisheries management, circular economy, environmental policy, or climate resilience are highly desirable.
- - Professional certification in programme/project management (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2, MSP or equivalent) is strongly preferred.
- - Training or certification in Monitoring & Evaluation, environmental governance, or impact measurement would be advantageous.
- - Fluency in English (essential). Fluency in Arabic (highly desirable).
- - Strong programme leadership and delivery management capabilities, including governance oversight, stakeholder coordination, and complex programme implementation.
- - Excellent strategic planning and systems-thinking ability, with capacity to manage interconnected workstreams and competing priorities.
- - Advanced stakeholder engagement, negotiation, and diplomatic communication skills across diverse cultural, institutional, and sectoral contexts.
- - Strong financial oversight skills, including budget management, cost control, donor reporting, and compliance monitoring.
- - Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, build capacity, and foster collaborative working environments.
- - Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate data, evidence, and programme insights into actionable strategic recommendations.
- - Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; Arabic language proficiency is strongly preferred given national stakeholder engagement requirements.
- - High level of organisational awareness, adaptability, and resilience in complex, evolving programme environments.
- Benefits

- Flexible and diverse place of employment
- - Equal opportunity employer
- - Participation in general activities and events
- About the Company

Emirates Nature is a UAE environmental non-governmental charity, established in 2001 under the Honorary Founder and President H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan as a legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed’s vision for the United Arab Emirates. HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the Ruler’s representative in the Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of Environmental Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) Board of Directors.

We operate with offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah and are governed by a local board of directors.

Emirates Nature works in association with WWF, one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. Emirates Nature-WWF has been active in the UAE for two decades and is renowned for its commitment to biodiversity conservation, habitat protection, sustainable development, and community engagement. Some of our flagship projects include marine conservation initiatives to protect coral reefs and marine species, wildlife conservation programs focusing on endangered species such as Arabian oryx and sea turtles, habitat restoration projects in critical ecosystems, and sustainable development initiatives aimed at mitigating climate change impacts and promoting eco-friendly practices across various sectors.