Project Director / Engagement Lead & Product Owner

Position: Project Director / Engagement Lead & Product Owner Reporting To: Steering Committee / Client Executive Sponsor Location: Pakistan Experience: 15+ Years Employment Type: Full-Time

Role Summary

The Project Director / Engagement Lead & Product Owner will provide overall strategic leadership, governance, and delivery oversight for large-scale regulatory reform and digital transformation initiatives. The incumbent will coordinate multiple stakeholders across federal and provincial governments, development partners, and implementation teams while ensuring successful delivery of regulatory modernization, business transformation, and digital government solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Project Leadership

• Lead end-to-end execution of complex digital transformation and regulatory reform programs.
• Define project vision, roadmap, governance model, and implementation strategy.
• Manage multidisciplinary teams including legal experts, BPR specialists, architects, developers, and business analysts.
• Ensure timely delivery within approved scope, schedule, and budget.

Stakeholder & Government Engagement

• Coordinate with Federal Ministries, Provincial Governments, Regulatory Authorities, and Public Sector Organizations.
• Lead executive steering committee meetings and governance forums.
• Build consensus among multiple government entities and development partners.

Product Ownership

• Define product vision and strategic roadmap.
• Prioritize product backlog.
• Validate business requirements and regulatory priorities.
• Approve sprint deliverables and releases.
• Ensure alignment between regulatory objectives and digital implementation.

Program Governance

• Monitor project risks, dependencies, and mitigation strategies.
• Ensure compliance with contractual obligations and quality standards.
• Oversee vendor and consultant performance.

Quality Assurance

• Ensure compliance with international project management methodologies.
• Drive continuous improvement and governance excellence.

Required Qualifications

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Public Administration, Business Administration, Engineering, or related discipline.
• PMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, PMI-ACP, SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager, or equivalent certifications preferred.

Required Experience

• Minimum 15 years of project leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-million-dollar digital transformation initiatives.
• Extensive experience managing multi-jurisdiction projects involving Federal and Provincial Governments in Pakistan.
• Proven experience in regulatory reform, e-Government, GovTech, or public sector modernization projects.
• Experience working on World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), UNDP, DFID/FCDO, or similar donor-funded projects.
• Strong understanding of Pakistan's government institutional framework and regulatory ecosystem.

Preferred Certifications

• PMP
• PRINCE2 Practitioner
• SAFe Product Owner
• Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
• PMI-ACP
• ITIL
• Change Management Certification