Delivery Assurance & Escalation Lead

About the Role

This position is tasked with verifying project status reports submitted by entities against verifiable evidence and promptly escalating any inconsistencies to entity leadership. The objective is to ensure discrepancies are resolved swiftly rather than persisting across reporting cycles. Immediate escalation is also required for issues related to delegation of authority or signatory irregularities as they arise, without waiting for scheduled reviews.

The role fulfills the delivery component of the Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) mandate, acting as a single point of contact with direct access to the CEO. It enables proactive issue resolution rather than allowing problems to remain unresolved over time.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead root-cause investigations related to schedule and delivery challenges, ensuring issues reach satisfactory closure beyond mere status updates.
• Manage and finalize tasks and issues documented in the EPMO Tasks & Issues Log.
• Immediately escalate findings concerning delegation-of-authority breaches and excess signatory permissions upon identification.
• Represent the EPMO at delivery review meetings within entities, holding CEOs and project directors accountable without needing senior EPMO presence at all forums.

Construction Industry Expertise

• Possess comprehensive understanding of the construction delivery lifecycle phases: mobilisation, design freeze, procurement, execution, testing and commissioning, handover, and defects liability period.
• Proficient in interpreting project schedules (e.g., Primavera P6), able to distinguish authentic critical path delays from float erosion or reporting errors.
• Able to differentiate causes of project delays such as contractor underperformance, design/instruction-for-construction delays, procurement or payment obstacles, and client-side or force majeure events, based on documentary evidence rather than oral accounts.
• Familiarity with general contractor and subcontractor delivery structures, including scenarios where both entities belong to the same corporate group.
• Knowledgeable about the nature of contractual notices or dispute escalations versus typical snagging communications.

Candidate Requirements

• Minimum 10 to 15 years of experience in major project delivery, preferably in main contractor roles, PMO, or client-side delivery assurance functions.
• Strong preference for candidates with experience in the Gulf region or broader MENA area, with understanding of holding-company-to-subsidiary delivery frameworks.
• Proven ability to hold senior stakeholders, including CEOs, COOs, and project directors, accountable in formal meeting contexts beyond written documentation.
• Experience managing construction disputes or escalation processes through to resolution, regardless of legal role involvement.
• Must have authentic construction industry experience; candidates from unrelated sectors or generic PMO/finance roles are unsuitable.