Director - Professional Development | UAE National | Education sector

We are seeking a highly experienced UAE National to lead the Professional Development for Leadership and School Staff Department within a leading UAE government education entity.

The role is responsible for overseeing the department's activities and contributing to the development and implementation of strategic policies, performance management frameworks, professional development initiatives, leadership development programs, and succession planning strategies for education-sector employees and school staff.

The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership to ensure continuous improvement in employee capabilities, performance, career development, and organizational effectiveness across the education sector.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee the department's organizational units, ensuring effective performance, coordination and achievement of departmental objectives.
• Develop and implement strategic and operational plans, KPIs and performance measures for the department.
• Develop policies and procedures related to employee performance management within the education sector and ensure compliance with approved frameworks.
• Identify high-potential and promising employees and develop professional development, career progression and succession plans to strengthen the future leadership pipeline.
• Design comprehensive strategies for evaluating and managing the performance of school staff in coordination with relevant Ministry departments and stakeholders.
• Develop effective competency and performance assessment systems, including clear criteria, standards and measurement frameworks.
• Analyze performance data and organizational trends to identify strengths, performance gaps and development requirements.
• Develop and implement staff performance improvement plans based on assessment results, identifying development areas and defining appropriate improvement actions.
• Develop professional development programs to address identified competency and performance gaps among school leaders and staff.
• Establish and maintain strategic partnerships with relevant government entities, educational institutions, professional organizations and external stakeholders.
• Lead change-management initiatives and promote collaboration among internal and external stakeholders to improve organizational effectiveness.
• Review and approve departmental procedures, working methods, KPIs, quality standards and performance measures, and recommend continuous improvements.
• Monitor and improve administrative processes covering planning, budgeting, reporting and service delivery.
• Develop initiatives that promote team building, continuous learning and a culture of professional excellence.
• Prepare and review departmental reports, performance results and recommendations for senior management.
• Ensure effective coordination with relevant Ministry sectors and organizational units to achieve strategic education-sector objectives.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities related to the department as assigned by the Assistant Undersecretary for the Professional Development Sector.

Qualifications & Experience

• UAE National – Mandatory.
• Bachelor's, Master's or Doctorate degree in Business Administration or a relevant discipline, subject to Ministry requirements.
• Minimum experience:
• Doctorate: 4 years
• Master's Degree: 7 years
• Bachelor's Degree: 10 years
• Proven senior-level experience in one or more of the following areas:
• Performance Management
• Professional/Learning & Development
• Talent Management
• Competency Management
• Leadership Development
• Succession Planning
• Organizational Development
• Education-sector workforce development
• Strategic HR / Human Capital Management
• Strong experience in developing policies, frameworks, KPIs, performance systems and strategic plans.
• Demonstrated experience managing teams, organizational units and large-scale strategic initiatives.
• Strong understanding of performance assessment, employee development and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience working with government entities, the education sector or large organizations would be highly advantageous.