We are urgently looking to hire an experienced and highly talented Principal – AI and Digital Transformation with strong Technology, Media & Telecommunications and Government industries experience to join a global industry-leading Digital Consulting firm, based in their Dubai office.
The successful candidate will lead large-scale transformation programs from strategy through implementation, adoption, and value realisation, so should be comfortable operating at both executive and working-team levels, moving between strategic decisions and the practical delivery issues that determine whether transformation initiatives succeed.
Responsibilities will include:
- Serving as the senior leader for large and complex AI and digital transformation programs.
- Manage senior client relationships and acting as a trusted adviser to C-suite executives and functional leaders.
- Lead engagements across the TMT and Government sectors, while bringing strong familiarity with the telecommunications companies.
- Lead AI initiatives across the full lifecycle.
- Provide effective product ownership.
- Lead delivery across internal teams, technology providers, system integrators, and specialist partners.
- Ensure that AI and digital solutions are embedded into business processes, operating routines, roles, and ways of working.
- Define measurable business outcomes.
- Provide thought leadership.
- Lead multiple project components and senior teams.
- Build alignment across corporate, business, technology, and operational stakeholders.
- Lead, coach, and develop high-performing consulting teams.
- Contribute to the growth of the Middle East business by identifying opportunities and selling work through personal relationships and the firm's client network.
- Support recruitment and attract, retain, develop, and motivate highly qualified staff.
Required Experience:
- A minimum of ten years of postgraduate work experience, including at least five years in a leading global strategy or management consulting firm.
- A strong consulting background, ideally from a Tier-1 global consulting firm, with demonstrated progression to senior engagement and client-leadership responsibilities.
- Significant experience leading large-scale AI or digital transformation programs, preferably involving multiple business functions, technology platforms, delivery partners, or geographies.
- Demonstrated experience taking AI solutions beyond strategy and experimentation into implementation, production deployment, business adoption, and measurable value realisation.
- Strong familiarity with a range of AI technologies and delivery approaches.
- Sufficient technical fluency to challenge architects, engineers, and vendors.
- A strong industry orientation toward the TMT and Government sectors. Substantial telecommunications experience is mandatory, gained through consulting or client-side roles.
- A practical understanding of how telecom operators function and meaningful exposure to the operational realities of telecom environments.
- Broader experience across Government, technology, media, digital infrastructure, or other complex and regulated sectors would be an advantage.
- Strong experience managing external technology providers, system integrators, and consulting partners.
- The ability to connect AI and digital initiatives to measurable revenue, cost, productivity, customer service, and operational outcomes.
- Experience managing senior client relationships and a proven ability to build trust, influence decisions, and constructively challenge senior stakeholders.
- Strong project and program leadership skills, with the ability to provide direction while remaining sufficiently close to delivery detail.
- Excellent collaboration and interpersonal communication skills, both verbal and written.
- Strong leadership, maturity, self-confidence, and executive presence.
- A self-starting and pragmatic working style.
- The ability to inspire others, and build strong teams.
- A track record demonstrating sustained progression, consistent performance, and increasing levels of responsibility.
If you are an executive-level Consulting with a background of delivering large-scale AI & Digital transformation projects within the Telco and wider TMT & Government sectors, and are looking to join a dynamic, AI-forward Consulting firm then we'd love to hear from you!
