Overview
Urban Strategy & Planning Leader – Project Management Jobs in Dubai, United Arab Emirates at ERA-co
Title: Urban Strategy & Planning Leader – Project Management
Company: ERA-co
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Who We Are
ERA-co is a new global Placemaking Agency made up of data scientists, strategists and experience designers who lead transformative strategy to shape cities, neighborhoods and destinations to positively impact the lives of people and the places they inhabit. With offices in New York, San Francisco, Melbourne, Sydney, London and Dubai, our global ambitions have only just begun.
Our clients & projects range from branding single residential buildings to positioning and leading experiences of major urban masterplans, mixed-use developments, to globally famous civic places. While the work is diverse, they all start from a singular belief: that transformative placemaking has the power to advance humanity.
Our collective operates in the rare space between creativity and consulting. We are assembled into three verticals: Brand Experience, User Strategy (UX) and Urban Strategy & Planning (USP). Working as one group, we are always on the lookout for people who can flex between these disciplines, who are aligned with our brand and passionate about creating sustainable places.
So, Who Are You?
In this role you will work closely with the USP Global Director, USP Global Leadership and ERA-co Global Director to shape and drive ERA-co’s Urban Strategy & Planning business across the EME hub, while contributing to global growth opportunities. You are commercially sharp and delivery obsessed. You understand that great strategy must also be profitable, well-governed and executed with rigor. You thrive at the intersection of ambition and accountability.
Recognizing we are a growth business, you happily roll up your sleeves. You are as comfortable in financial forecasts and margin conversations as you are in client workshops and executive presentations. You are able to zoom out to shape regional strategy, and zoom in to ensure projects are delivered on time, on budget, and to an exceptional standard.
You build trust quickly – with leadership, clients and teams. You are proactive in ambiguity, decisive under pressure, and driven by outcomes.
You see opportunity where others see complexity. You strengthen relationships, create pathways to growth, and instinctively think about how to build long-term value – not just close the current brief. You have the confidence to articulate a clear point of view. You understand how strategy translates into commercial performance and how disciplined project management underpins creative and consulting excellence.
Your Responsibilities:
- Hold responsibility for the commercial and operational performance of ERA-co’s Urban Strategy & Planning portfolio across the EME region, while supporting global opportunities.
- Drive profitable growth through strong oversight of revenue, margin performance, cost management and cash flow across the portfolio.
- Oversee the successful delivery of all USP projects within the region – ensuring clarity of scope, disciplined governance, resource alignment and high-quality execution.
- Work closely with the USP Global Director, USP Global Leadership and ERA-co Global Director to shape and execute regional strategy, identifying new market opportunities and supporting expansion where appropriate.
- Strengthen and nurture senior client relationships, ensuring long-term partnerships and repeat business.
- Lead business development initiatives across the EME hub – building a purposeful network that converts to awarded work.
- Embed a culture of value creation and commercial discipline across projects, ensuring teams understand both creative ambition and financial accountability.
- Establish and continuously refine scalable project management systems, governance frameworks and reporting standards to ensure consistency and excellence across regions.
- Work closely with finance to manage budgets, forecasting, month-end reporting and collections, proactively resolving issues and protecting financial performance.
- Act as a senior interface across ERA-co leadership, collaborating across disciplines to ensure alignment between strategy, delivery and growth.
- Manage pre-contract activities including project scoping, feasibility analysis, and vendor evaluation to ensure alignment with organizational objectives.
- Develop and maintain comprehensive project documentation, including proposals and operational procedures.
- Conduct contract negotiations and reviews to protect organizational interests while maintaining positive client relationships.
- Identify, analyze, and mitigate project risks throughout the pre-contract and operational phases.
- Coordinate with internal departments and external stakeholders to gather requirements and ensure clear communication of project expectations.
- Monitor project timelines, budgets, and resource allocation to ensure efficient project delivery and cost control.
Your Experience
- 10+ years’ experience in project management, commercial leadership or operations within consultancy, urban planning, real estate strategy, or a related field.
- Proven responsibility for P&L performance, revenue growth and margin management.
- Experience leading complex, multi-stakeholder projects across regions.
- Demonstrated ability to grow client accounts and contribute to business development.
- Exposure to Real Estate, Urban Strategy, Masterplanning or Placemaking environments is highly desirable.
- Experience implementing governance frameworks, delivery standards and scalable operational systems.
- Open to leveraging AI for smarter workflows.
How to Apply
Applicants are required to submit an up-to-date resume via our ERA-co Urban Strategy & Planning Leader – Project Management LinkedIn job post. Applications will be treated in the strictest confidence. We do not accept unsolicited resumes or names from agencies. All personal data collected by the Company will be kept confidential and only used for recruitment purposes.
Mandatory requirements: It is an essential requirement that at the time of applying for this position, applicants must have the legal right to work in the UAE.
Alignment with ERA-co Values
We’re a small team with big ambitions. We are committed to building a culture dedicated to personal growth and individual expression. Certain attitudes define how we work and are important in what we seek for our culture:
//HUMAN FIRST – Champion the End User
We communicate with clarity, free from jargon, to stay in line with real people. We do not get bogged down in the rhetoric. We uphold placemaking as a deeply human endeavor that belongs as much on the street, as it does in the boardroom.
//PROTAGONISTS – Ask Beautiful Questions
We champion those with a point-of-view, rather than judging, ridiculing, or side-stepping those who speak up. We encourage every colleague to ask the hard questions, bring the provocative perspective, and dig for the truth.
//COLLABORATIVE – The Best Ideas are Co-Authored
We are high on talent and low on ego. With such diversity of experience and talent, we know the work is sharper and more resolved the more people we invite into the process.
//CURIOUS – Broaden Perspectives
Place innovation requires an insatiable hunger to stay ahead of culture. We keep a constant global radar to push through complexity and discover new solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges.
//GRITTY – Preserve for the Sake of Transformative Placemaking
We roll up our sleeves and dive right in, driving every problem with passion and gritty determination. It is not about being the smartest in the room, but rather staying the course, fighting for ideas, and seeing the long game through.