Job Description

Job description

Company:

Confidential - Leading Developer of Master-Planned Communities (Iraq) - building

livable, future-ready mini-cities

: safe streets, reliable utilities, vibrant retail, and service that keeps its promises. Join a leadership team that values

facts over noise, governance over guesswork, and customers beyond handover

. Grow leaders, not just projects.

Function:

Group Leadership - Communities, High-Rise, Mixed-Use, Infrastructure & Services

Reports to:

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Location:

Baghdad HQ, with frequent travel to sites across Iraq

Languages:

Arabic (native/near-native) - mandatory; English - professional proficiency

Span of Control (indicative):

Development, PMO/Projects (Delivery), Sales & Marketing, Customer Experience/After-Sales, Procurement & Contracts, Strategy/Transformation (incl. Digital/BI). Dotted: Finance, HR, Legal/Compliance, HSE/ESG.

Role Summary

The Deputy CEO converts Board vision into

executable portfolio plans

and runs a disciplined operating system that spans

design, approvals, construction delivery, sales, cash, and post-sales care

. You will orchestrate cross-functional leaders, de-risk decisions early, and make performance transparent--so communities are

delivered on time, to spec, and loved after handover

.

Short version: hard hat optional;

diplomacy, numbers, and nerve

--mandatory.

Scope & Impact

1) End-to-End Development:

Land use & master-planning ? design & permits ? construction & HSE ? sales & collections ? handover, DLP, and community activation.

P&L Influence:

Phasing, pricing, cash S-curves, procurement frameworks, VE programs, and partner/JV structures.

Stakeholders:

Regulators/utilities, lenders/escrow, EPC/PMC & consultants, brokers, O&M/community partners, media/PR, JV partners.

Geography:

Baghdad HQ with travel to key projects (e.g., Baghdad, Kirkuk) and regional partner hubs. Core Responsibilities 1) Portfolio Strategy & Investment Build 3-5-year portfolio roadmaps and an annual operating plan with

clear phasing, cash curves, and risk posture

. Lead investment papers: market sizing, feasibility & sensitivity models, land valuation logic, capital structure options. Sequence releases by micro-market demand, construction progress, and collection cadence;

re-balance

as signals shift. Establish an

Investment Committee cadence

(templates, pre-reads, decision memos) to speed up high-quality decisions.
2) Development, Master-Planning & Approvals

Direct master-planning and concept/schematic design to

design-to-cost per GFA

without diluting experience quality. Create an

Authority Engagement Plan

(municipalities, utilities, civil defense, environment) with SLA targets, escalation ladders, and permit trackers. Institutionalize

design management

(RFI/RFP standards, VE checkpoints, spec discipline, long-lead item strategies). Ensure infrastructure readiness (power/water/roads/ICT) aligns with construction and sales release milestones.
3) PMO, Construction Delivery & Quality

Run PMO with

baseline schedules, EVM (CPI/SPI), cost-to-complete, risk & issue logs, and recovery plans

. Enforce contractor pre-qualification, performance scorecards, change control, and forensic delay analysis (EOT/claims governance). Standardize QA/QC: inspection & test plans, material approvals, mock-ups,

commissioning & handover protocols

. Embed

HSE Golden Rules

(toolbox talks, PTW, near-miss capture, behavioral safety) and ensure transparent incident investigations.
4) Commercial Engine: Sales, Marketing, Pricing & Collections

Approve

pricing architecture, release strategy, inventory allocation, and broker commission ladders

by segment. Synchronize marketing calendars with site milestones; set channel mix (direct, brokers, digital) and

ROI targets

. Align promises with build progress; run

collections discipline

(S-curve adherence, dunning, escrow coordination) and customer comms during build. Govern product changes (upgrades/options) with cost, schedule, and customer transparency impacts.
5) Customer Journey, Handover, DLP & Community Operations

Design a

friction-light customer journey

from reservation to DLP closure (updates, inspections, payment plan clarity, snagging standards). Stand up after-sales SLAs (first-fix, recurrence, escalation paths) and track root causes to feed back into design and delivery. Launch

community activation

(security, amenities, retail curation, events) to raise livability and reputation. Ensure O&M readiness: FM contracts, spares, manuals, warranties, and

service charge

transparency.
6) Funding, Treasury, Partnerships & Procurement

Partner with Finance on project finance/escrow, covenant discipline,

liquidity look-ahead,

and FX/commodity risk guardrails. Build a

JV/alliance pipeline

(design innovation, EPC/PMC capacity, O&M/community services, retail anchors) with performance scorecards. Oversee

category strategies

and framework agreements; apply should-cost models, VE programs, and supplier risk heatmaps. Drive ethical sourcing and local-supplier development where feasible.
7) Governance, Risk & Compliance

Run a

transparent operating cadence

: weekly portfolio stand-ups, monthly Board packs, quarterly deep-dives with lessons-learned. Maintain an

enterprise risk register

(delivery, market/price, FX, regulatory, contractor capacity, HSE, reputation) with owners and mitigations. Uphold regulatory compliance, escrow/AML/KYC, data privacy, anti-bribery, contract obligations (incl. FIDIC where applicable). Coordinate Internal Audit actions and close findings within agreed timelines.
8) People, Culture & Leadership Bench

Shape a performance culture with

clear meeting rhythms, decision rituals, and feedback loops

; model calm, integrity, and follow-through. Coach functional heads;

upgrade critical roles decisively

; build succession for pivotal seats; align incentives to delivery and customer trust. Promote cross-functional collaboration and knowledge reuse; reward

safety leadership

and ethical conduct. Sponsor

Arabic-first

communication and customer empathy across frontline teams.
9) Digital, Data & Business Intelligence

Stand up a

single source of truth

: automated pipelines from ERP/CRM/PMIS into

Power BI

with portfolio dashboards (time, cost, quality, cash, CX). Reduce

decision latency

via one-page decision briefs, standardized templates, and data governance. Champion site digitization (Aconex/Procore, mobile snagging, IoT safety) and commercial digitization (CRM, e-signing, portals). Ensure records management and document control integrity for claims, audits, and handover.
10) ESG, HSE & Community Impact

Set sustainability targets (energy/water intensity, materials choices, waste diversion)

at design and procurement

--not as afterthoughts. Ensure HSE programs meet international best practice; lead by presence on sites and in incident reviews. Support local employment and supplier development; partner on community safety and inclusion initiatives.
Ways of Working (Operating Cadence)

Daily:

PMO critical path & exceptions; CX/DLP TAT alerts; cash/collections watchlist.

Weekly:

Portfolio stand-up (schedule/cost/risks), sales & release readiness, procurement & VE checkpoints, authority tracker.

Monthly:

CEO/Board pack (one-truth dashboards), lender/escrow compliance, enterprise risk review, leadership bench & succession review.

Quarterly:

Lessons-learned summit; vendor/JV scorecards; community liveability & NPS reviews.
Tools & Systems (Experience Expected)

PMIS/Planning:

Primavera P6 / MS Project; Aconex/Procore (or equivalent).

Enterprise:

ERP (Dynamics/SAP), CRM (Dynamics/Salesforce), SharePoint/DMS, e-signing.

Analytics:

Power BI

dashboards, Excel modelling (IRR/NPV, sensitivity), cash S-curve tracking.

Collaboration:

Arabic/English documentation; action logs, decision registers, site memos.
Candidate Profile Track Record

15-20+ years

of end-to-end real-estate development in MENA, with

multi-asset portfolios

(compounds, towers, mixed-use, master-planned). Demonstrated leadership across Development, PMO/Projects, and Commercial through

handover & DLP

, improving margin, schedule adherence, cash discipline, and customer trust. Hands-on exposure to

Iraqi (or comparable) approvals/utilities

and delivery contexts; credible with authorities and utilities. Experience in

JV structuring

, major procurement frameworks, claims/EOT governance, and dispute resolution.
Education & Credentials

Bachelor's in Civil Engineering/Architecture/Urban Development/Business;

MBA

preferred. PMP/PgMP and/or real-estate finance credentials are advantageous.
Technical Depth

Feasibility/IRR-NPV, design-to-cost & VE, procurement/category strategy, project finance/escrow, EVM/CTC, QA/QC & HSE systems, after-sales & community ops. Digital fluency across PMIS/ERP/CRM; builds

simple, reliable, repeatable

Power BI dashboards.
Leadership Behaviours

Strategic integrator;

decisive under uncertainty

; calm in escalation; principled and diplomatic. Arabic-first communicator with board-ready storytelling in Arabic & English. Coaches, leaders,

confront reality early

and course-correct without drama; models safety and integrity.
Language & Mobility

Arabic - native/near-native (required); English - professional proficiency (required).

Frequent domestic travel; occasional regional/international partner travel.
Success Signature (3/6/12 Months)

90 Days:

Portfolio & risk deep-dive; authority/utility map; integrated master schedule live; collections & cash watchlist operational; top recovery plans launched.

180 Days:

Release strategy synchronized to site progress; PMO cadence stable; priority VE and framework agreements signed; CX/DLP upgrades live; visible uplift in safety culture.

12 Months:

Communities delivered to plan with

predictable cash and high trust

--customers at handover rate the journey strongly; board and lenders view the operating system as

mature, transparent, and repeatable

.
Selection Process

Executive Conversation (Arabic-led):

Career arc, portfolio scale, stakeholder diplomacy.

Written Case:

Portfolio phasing & funding memo (?10 pages) + 12-slide board pack.

Delivery Deep-Dive:

EVM walkthrough, approvals strategy, risk/recovery for an under-pressure project.

Customer & Community Review:

Reservation-to-DLP journey critique; operational readiness for handover.

Final Panel:

Ethics/HSE scenarios; authority engagement role-play; Arabic/English communication.

References & Integrity Checks.

Employment Terms

Contract:

Full-time executive role with performance-linked incentives; potential LTI.

Compensation:

Competitive base + annual bonus linked to portfolio, commercial, and customer outcomes.

Mobility:

Support for travel and on-ground logistics.

Compliance:

Adherence to anti-bribery, AML/KYC, data privacy, conflict-of-interest, and HSE/ESG policies.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From AED55,000.00 per month

Application Question(s):

Are you willing to relocate to Baghdad, Iraq? If yes, what is your target move date and do you have any relocation or visa constraints we should be aware of? What is your current notice period and your earliest possible start date? * What are your salary expectations (please specify base, any allowances/benefits, and bonus), your preferred currency, and your flexibility range (e.g., 10%)?