Director, Strategy Management Office (SMO)

1. Role Overview

The Strategy Management Office (SMO) is the strategic engine of the organization's transformation function, responsible for ensuring that the corporate agenda is translated into a coherent, implementable transformation strategy. The SMO oversees the quality and strategic alignment of all initiative submissions, defines acceptance criteria and milestones, and provides subject matter guidance to business units and delivery teams throughout the initiative lifecycle. The SMO comprises two sub-functions: Strategy & Planning, and Quality Assurance.

2. Job Description

The SMO Director provides strategic leadership for the development, implementation, and monitoring of the organization's transformation strategy. The Director is accountable for ensuring that all initiative content is effectively developed, aligned with the corporate agenda, and meets the required depth and quality standards. This role serves as the primary strategic interface between the transformation function and initiative stakeholders, defining what success looks like for each initiative and ensuring adherence to the Target Operating Model throughout execution.

3. Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Define the SMO's strategic direction and ensure alignment with the corporate agenda, organizational vision, and long-term priorities.

• Identify and activate initiatives to be launched in each phase, based on impact-complexity assessment.

• Lead the strategic planning process and ensure coherent sequencing of transformation efforts across all topic areas.

Initiative Quality & Alignment

• Define deliverables acceptance criteria and initiative milestones for all active initiatives.

• Review initiative content and ensure strategic alignment with the corporate agenda and Target Operating Model.

• Suggest measures to improve initiative submissions and elevate them to the required level of depth and detail.

• Review deliverables when submitted by Initiative Owners and validate alignment throughout execution.

Stakeholder Engagement & Support

• Participate in all external meetings and support the team in reviewing initiatives as needed.

• Support Initiative Owners and Delivery Teams in interpreting the Target Operating Model and roadmap.

• Support onboarding of Initiative Sponsors, Owners, and Delivery Teams.

• Provide subject matter expertise where needed to support initiative teams.

Coordination & Governance

• Coordinate with the Head of PMO to understand implementation roadblocks and suggested mitigation measures.

• Coordinate with internal and external research/advisory partners to conduct deep-dive analyses on select topics.

• Review Change Requests and confirm prompt decisions throughout initiative execution.

• Approve initial scope of work and initiative cards.

• Manage team resources and anticipate subject matter expert (SME) requirements for each initiative.

Quality Assurance Oversight

• Develop and update initiative submission checklists, guidelines, and quality standards.

• Perform regular audits and reviews of initiatives to evaluate compliance with established standards.

• Define key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of strategic initiatives.

• Develop detailed action plans for strategic initiatives, outlining tasks, timelines, and resource allocation.

4. Qualifications & Requirements

Education

• Master's degree in public policy, Strategic Management, Economics, Business Administration, or related field.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years of professional experience in strategy development, organizational transformation, or large-scale reform programs.

• At least 5 years in a senior leadership role managing multidisciplinary strategy teams.

• Proven track record in enterprise-level strategy execution, initiative design, and quality assurance frameworks.

• Experience working with executive leadership, steering committees, or transformation management offices.

Languages

• Fluency in Kurdish and Arabic (spoken and written) is required; proficiency in English is preferred.

5. Core Competencies

• Strategic leadership with ability to translate high-level vision into actionable initiative design.

• Advanced stakeholder management across business units, senior leadership, and external delivery partners.

• Deep expertise in strategy frameworks, initiative lifecycle management, and quality assurance.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills for evidence-based planning.

• Excellent communication and negotiation skills to drive alignment across diverse stakeholders.

• Commitment to transparency, accountability, and organizational value creation.

• High level of discretion, integrity, and confidentiality when handling sensitive information.