Manager Portfolio Demand Management (Emirati Talent)

Key Accountabilities:

• Demand Intake & Governance

• Own and manage the end-to-end demand lifecycle from intake to closure across BAU, projects, and strategic initiatives.

• Ensure all demands meet entry criteria (business case, scope clarity, dependencies, and priority alignment).

• Enforce standardized demand artefacts (BRDs, epics, CRs) in collaboration with Product, Architecture, and Delivery teams.

• Act as the single point of orchestration for Business demands impacting IT systems.

• Cultivate strong relationships and communication channels with Business [Commercial & Customer and Channels], IT [design, delivery and development. etc], Technology [Architecture, Service Operation, Network, TSRM], and Support Functions [Finance, HR, Procurement, etc].

• Key contributor for Product simplification and rationalization, MVP focus, embedding digital first components as applicable for fastest TTM and highest value.

• Portfolio Prioritization & Planning

• Drive portfolio prioritization aligned to business strategy, regulatory needs, and IT roadmap.

• Balance short-term BAU, revenue-generating initiatives, and long-term strategic investments.

• Facilitate prioritization forums with senior Business and IT stakeholders.

• Maintain a single version of truth for the demand and project portfolio.

• Capacity & Financial Alignment

• Partner with Capacity & Planning teams to align demand forecasts with available capacity (internal teams and strategic vendors).

• Ensure demand plans are feasible within budget, MD capacity, and delivery constraints.

• Highlight capacity bottlenecks, funding gaps, and trade-off options to leadership.

• Support budget planning, forecast accuracy, and portfolio-level financial transparency.

• Agile & Waterfall Portfolio Oversight

• Manage demand flow across Agile squads and Waterfall delivery streams, ensuring clarity on execution model.

• Ensure Agile backlogs are sufficiently refined and aligned with PI/quarterly planning.

• Track execution progress, dependencies, and risks across both models.

• Stakeholder Management & Communication

• Act as a trusted advisor to senior Business stakeholders on demand feasibility and sequencing.

• Provide clear, data-driven portfolio insights to IT leadership (status, risks, trade-offs, value).

• Resolve cross-functional conflicts related to priority, capacity, and delivery ownership.

• Reporting, Metrics & Continuous Improvement

• Define and track portfolio KPIs (e.g., demand throughput, execution predictability, scope stability, time-to-market).

• Provide executive-level dashboards and insights for decision-making.

• Continuously improve demand management processes, tools, and governance frameworks.

Qualifications, Experience And Skills:

Qualifications

• Minimum Bachelor in Information Technology/ Information Services/ Computer Science

• Certifications such as Project Management, Agile Methodologies is preferred

• Master’s degree is a plus

Experience

• 10 years of experience in IT demand, portfolio, program, or delivery management

• Prior experience working with large transformation programs and BAU portfolios

• Exposure to multi-vendor delivery environments

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, IT, or Business (MBA preferred)

Skills

• Strong portfolio and demand management expertise in large IT environments

• Excellent stakeholder management and executive communication skills

• Ability to make trade-off decisions balancing value, cost, risk, and capacity

• Structured, data-driven, and outcome-oriented mindset

• Experience in telecom IT environments (BSS/OSS preferred)

• Strong understanding of Agile, SAFe, and Waterfall delivery models

• Solid grasp of capacity planning, MD-based delivery models, and vendor governance

• Proficiency with Jira, Confluence, and portfolio reporting tools

Success Measures

• Improved demand predictability and on-time delivery

• Reduced unplanned work and scope volatility

• Higher portfolio throughput and business satisfaction

• Clear alignment between strategy, funding, capacity, and execution