Job Description: Program Manager - Business & Operations (Middle East)

Position Overview

Job Title: Program Manager - Business & Operations (Middle East)

Reports To: Head - Business & Operations

Location: Dubai (with occasional travel involved to India and other GCC countries)

Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: Based on candidate profile and market benchmarks

About ALLEN Overseas:

ALLEN Overseas brings the legacy of ALLEN Career Institute India -with its 37-year history of producing excellence in JEE, NEET, Olympiads, and foundational coaching-to the Indian students based outside India. Our mission is to deliver high-quality, value-based education aligned with international curricula, helping students achieve academic success and unlock their full potential. Operating Classroom Programs in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, KSA and Qatar, we are committed to extending ALLEN's proven pedagogical methods and results-driven approach beyond borders.

About Business & Operations:

The ALLEN Overseas business function encompasses 16 teams across Sales, Marketing, Technology, Support, and Operations spread out in 7 countries. The Head of Business & Operations requires a strategic operational partner to scale decision-making effectiveness, reduce day-to-day management overhead, and drive cross-functional growth initiatives with measurable outcomes.

We are seeking an individual who combines analytical rigor with execution excellence, strategic thinking with hands-on problem-solving, and high ownership with collaborative humility. If you've thrived in fast-paced startups, love bridging strategy and execution, and want to be part of another 10 to 100 growth story, we'd love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Program Ownership & Execution

a) Lead definition, scoping, and delivery of cross-functional projects and growth initiatives with clear deliverables and success metrics.

b) Manage projects with technology dependencies-work closely with tech & product teams to understand constraints, timelines, and integration requirements.

c) Maintain real-time visibility of workstreams, risks, and progress; escalate strategically rather than operationally; and facilitate reviews as needed.

2. Operational Bandwidth Management

a) Identify operational blockers, escalations, and decision bottlenecks; propose solutions and action plans.

b) Maintain status dashboards and project trackers that allow leaders to stay informed without detailed day-to-day involvement.

c) Own administrative coordination across all the teams, ensuring alignment on timelines and dependencies.

3. Prioritization & Alignment

a) Partner with Heads of Department (HODs) to establish quarterly and monthly priorities aligned with organizational strategy.

b) Facilitate and own cross-functional alignment meetings; identify conflicts early and propose resolution frameworks.

c) Communicate & align cascaded priorities back to individual contributors with clear KPIs so that realistic yet ambitious timelines can be delivered.

4. Analytical & Data-Driven Insights

a) Build business cases, financial models, and impact frameworks for new initiatives.

b) Develop standardized reporting dashboards and frameworks (e.g., sales forecasts, operational metrics, project ROI).

c) Conduct analyses on process efficiency, market trends, and operational gaps to inform strategic decisions.

d) Synthesize insights into crisp executive summaries (1-2 pages) with clear recommendations.

5. Strategic Partnership & Thought Leadership

a) Serve as a trusted advisor to the Head of Business & Operations and the HODs-proactively identifying risks and opportunities.

b) Prepare pre-read materials, executive summaries, and follow-up action plans for all key meetings and reviews.

c) Participate in strategic planning cycles; contribute frameworks and analysis that enable faster decision-making.

d) Actively contribute to the organizational plans - both annual budgets and long range 5 year plans - capturing the core business areas and new avenues for growth.

6. Special Growth & Efficiency Projects

- Own and execute high-impact special projects end-to-end such as:

a) Sales enablement system redesign

b) Pricing strategy optimization

c) Customer experience improvement initiatives

d) Process automation with tech interventions

e) Cross-market scalability projects

Core Competencies Required

1. Strategic & Analytical

a) Strong problem-solving and hypothesis-driven thinking. Proficiency in data analysis, financial modelling, and business intelligence.

b) Ability to translate complex problems into actionable insights.

2. Operational & Execution

a) Proven program management experience in fast-paced, matrixed environments, and tech dependencies.

b) Track record of driving outcomes across cross-functional teams & senior leadership with no direct authority.

c) Experience managing projects with technology/IT dependencies.

3. Communication & Leadership

a) Excellent written communication: ability to synthesize and present complex ideas clearly.

b) Ability to work effectively at multiple levels-from individual contributors to C-suite. Natural facilitation skills; able to drive alignment without being directive.

4. Mindset & Work Style

a) High comfort with ambiguity and unstructured problems; structured approach to solving them.

b) Ownership mindset; proactively identifies and resolves issues rather than escalating. Ability to multitask and prioritize in a fluid, fast-moving environment.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

- B.Tech + MBA from premier institutes in India

- Minimum 5 years of experience; with minimum 1-2 years as Chief of Staff / Program Manager in a fast-paced tech startup

- Demonstrated experience managing cross-functional projects with technology/platform dependencies.

- Prior exposure to distributed team leadership across geographies (preferred)