Head of Change and Adoption

JOB DETAILS

Position Title: Head of Change & Adoption
Reports to: Director – Business Transformation & Business Excellence
Department: Business Transformation and Business Excellence

POSITION SUMMARY

The Head of Change & Adoption is responsible for leading enterprise-wide change management, business readiness, and adoption across transformation, digital, technology, process, and operating model initiatives. The role develops and implements structured change approaches covering stakeholder engagement, communications, readiness, learning, resistance management, adoption, and sustainment. It works closely with business leaders, Human Resources, Technology, Communications, and transformation teams to ensure employees are prepared and supported to adopt new systems, processes, behaviors, and ways of working. The role also strengthens organizational change capability and establishes measures to assess readiness, adoption, and realization of transformation outcomes.

JOB DIMENSIONS

Number of Staff Supervised

• Direct Reports: 2
• Total Reports: 2

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

• • Lead the development and implementation of the organization’s change management and adoption strategy, framework, methodologies, tools, and standards.
• • Lead change and adoption activities across major transformation, digital, technology, process, and operating model initiatives.
• • Conduct change impact and business readiness assessments covering people, roles, capabilities, processes, systems, behaviors, and ways of working.
• • Develop targeted change plans covering stakeholder engagement, leadership alignment, communications, learning, resistance management, and reinforcement.
• • Partner with executive sponsors, senior leaders, and business stakeholders to build ownership, alignment, and accountability for successful change outcomes.
• Integrate change and adoption requirements into program and project plans, solution design, implementation, deployment, and post-implementation activities.
• Lead learning, knowledge, and user enablement requirements in collaboration with Human Resources, Learning & Development, Technology, and business teams.
• Identify adoption risks, resistance, change saturation, and organizational capacity constraints and recommend appropriate mitigation actions.
• Establish change and adoption measures, dashboards, and reporting covering readiness, engagement, learning effectiveness, usage, behavioral adoption, and sustainment.
• Conduct post-implementation reviews to identify adoption gaps, lessons learned, reinforcement needs, and continuous improvement opportunities.
• Build organizational change capability through common methodologies, toolkits, guidance, training, and change champion networks.
• Collaborate with Human Resources on organizational design, role changes, culture, workforce impacts, and capability requirements arising from transformation initiatives.
• Provide specialist advice to the Director – Business Transformation & Business Excellence and senior management on readiness, adoption, stakeholder alignment, and change-related risks.
• Lead, coach, and develop the Change & Adoption team, ensuring effective performance, capability development, and delivery of agreed priorities.
• Continuously improve change management practices through lessons learned, stakeholder feedback, professional standards, and relevant market practices.

KEY TECHNICAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

COMMUNICATIONS & WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Internal:

• Director – Business Transformation & Business Excellence
• Senior Leadership and Executive Sponsors
• Business Excellence and Transformation teams
• Human Resources and Learning & Development
• Corporate Communications
• Information Technology, Digital, and Data teams
• Business Unit and Function Heads
• Program Managers, Project Managers, Process Owners, and Change Champions

External:

• Change management and transformation consultants
• Technology and digital adoption vendors
• Learning and capability development providers
• Professional bodies, advisors, and specialist service providers

WORK SETTING & DECISION AUTHORITY

• Operates as the functional lead for change management and adoption across enterprise transformation initiatives.
• Determines appropriate change methodologies, interventions, readiness approaches, and adoption measures based on business impact and change complexity.
• Provides recommendations on readiness, stakeholder alignment, adoption risks, implementation sequencing, and reinforcement requirements.
• Escalates significant resistance, readiness gaps, change saturation, or adoption risks that may affect transformation outcomes.
• Prioritizes Change & Adoption team activities in coordination with the Director – Business Transformation & Business Excellence.
• Exercises authority in accordance with approved policies, governance frameworks, budgets, and Delegation of Authority.

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Plans and monitors approved budgets for change management, learning, communication, digital adoption, and specialist external support.
• Supports development of resource requirements and business cases for change and adoption activities.
• Monitors expenditure on consultants, training providers, technology tools, and other change-related services.
• Supports measurement of transformation benefits and the contribution of employee adoption to intended business outcomes.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Essential

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Organizational Development, Human Resources, Psychology, Information Systems, Technology, Change Management, or a related discipline.
• 10–15 years of relevant professional experience, including 5–7 years in a leadership role, within change management, business transformation, digital transformation, organizational development, or related disciplines.
• Proven experience leading change and adoption activities for complex enterprise transformation programs.
• Strong knowledge of change management methodologies, change impact assessment, business readiness, stakeholder engagement, communications, learning, resistance management, and adoption measurement.
• Experience working with senior leaders, business functions, Human Resources, Technology, Communications, and project teams to implement organizational change.
• Strong leadership, stakeholder management, influencing, communication, analytical, facilitation, and problem-solving skills.

Desirable

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Organizational Development, Human Resources, Transformation, or a related discipline.
• Professional change management certification such as Prosci, CCMP, or equivalent.
• Certification or formal training in project/program management, Agile, digital transformation, or organizational development.
• Experience within real estate, property development, asset management, hospitality, leisure and entertainment, or another diversified asset-based organization.
• Experience supporting major digital platforms, automation, data, or technology transformation programs.
• Experience within the UAE or GCC.