Project & Change Lead - Data & AI Services

• Location: Abu Dhabi
• We offer you an Ocean of Possibilities. Join our family.
• Position Title: Project & Change Lead - Data & AI Services
• Department: Data & AI / Shared Services
• Location: Damen Shared Services, Abu Dhabi
• Reports To: Head of Data & AI
• Employment Type: Full-Time

JOB PURPOSE

As a Project & Change Lead - Data & AI Services, you play a key role in scaling and maturing Damen's Data Shared Service Center (Data SSC). Your primary responsibility is to lead onboarding projects for new data services and capabilities, ensuring successful implementation, stakeholder adoption, and operational integration.

You act as the link between business stakeholders, operational teams, and technology teams, coordinating activities across People, Process, and Technology. Success is measured not only by delivering projects on time, but by ensuring new services are understood, adopted, and embedded into daily operations.

Working closely with Product Owners, business stakeholders, IT teams, and shared service teams, you help transform new opportunities into structured, sustainable, and value-adding services. Knowledge of Data Governance and Master Data Management is beneficial but not essential for success in this role.

About the Organization

Damen is investing significantly in Data, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Transformation to support its long-term ambition of becoming a truly data-powered maritime solutions provider. Existing foundations have been established, and the next phase focuses on scaling enterprise capabilities, improving governance, strengthening data quality, and accelerating business adoption of Data & AI.

The Data Shared Service Center (Data SSC) is a key component of this journey, providing standardized, scalable, and sustainable data management services across multiple business domains. As Damen continues to expand its data capabilities, new services and data domains must be successfully onboarded, governed, and operationalized.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Project Delivery & Service Onboarding

• Lead onboarding projects for new services, capabilities, and data domains within the Data Shared Service Centre
• Develop project plans, manage timelines, risks, dependencies, and stakeholder expectations
• Coordinate activities across business, operational, and technology teams to deliver successful outcomes
• Monitor project progress and ensure smooth transition into operational service delivery

Change Management & Adoption

• Drive stakeholder engagement, communication, and readiness activities to support adoption of new services
• Facilitate workshops, alignment sessions, and change discussions across business functions
• Support training and adoption activities that enable sustainable ways of working
• Ensure new services are understood, accepted, and embedded into daily operations

Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Collaborate with business stakeholders, product teams, and technical teams across Damen
• Coordinate decisions, dependencies, priorities, and risks across multiple workstreams
• Build alignment between business objectives and project outcomes
• Provide clear visibility on project status, risks, issues, and achievements

Continuous Improvement

• Support the development of operating procedures, service documentation, KPIs, and onboarding standards
• Identify opportunities to improve onboarding efficiency and service quality
• Capture lessons learned and incorporate improvements into future projects
• Contribute to the growth and maturity of the Data Shared Service Centre

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Successful onboarding of new data objects and services into the Data SSC.
• High levels of stakeholder adoption and engagement
• Delivery of transformation initiatives within agreed scope, timeline, quality, and budget objectives
• Effective implementation of change management and communication strategies
• Improved consistency, transparency, and governance of Data SSC services
• Increased operational efficiency through standardized service delivery models
• Strong alignment between business objectives, governance requirements, and operational capabilities
• Contribution to Damen's broader Data & AI transformation strategy

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Organizational Change, Information Management, Data Management, Information Systems, Project Management, or a related discipline

Project Management and/or Change Management certifications are preferred

Experience

We are looking for a hands-on professional with 4-7 years of experience who can bring structure and momentum to a growing and evolving environment.

You bring

• Experience in Project Management, Project Coordination, Change Management, or Transformation initiatives
• Proven track record of delivering projects involving multiple stakeholders and workstreams
• Experience working within IT, Shared Services, Digital Transformation, Data, or Business Operations environments
• Experience driving adoption of new processes, systems, or services
• Exposure to enterprise platforms such as SAP, Workday, Salesforce, ServiceNow, or similar solutions

Business Knowledge

• Understanding of Project Management methodologies such as PMP, Agile, Prince2, Scrum, or similar frameworks
• Understanding of Change Management approaches such as ADKAR, Prosci, or similar methodologies
• Knowledge of stakeholder engagement, service onboarding, and organizational adoption
• Familiarity with Shared Services operating models
• Basic understanding of Data Governance and Master Data Management concepts is considered an advantage

Technical Skills

Project Management

Change Management

Stakeholder Management

Risk & Dependency Management

Service Onboarding & Service Transition

Process Design & Improvement

SAP, Workday, Salesforce, ServiceNow, IFS or similar enterprise platforms

Microsoft 365

Reporting and Dashboarding Tools

Soft Skills

• Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills
• Strong facilitation and workshop leadership capabilities
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Structured and analytical mindset
• Strong problem-solving abilities
• Ability to create clarity in complex environments
• Collaborative and relationship-oriented approach
• Strong organizational and planning capabilities
• Professional proficiency in English, both written and spoken

WHO YOU ARE

You are a structured and pragmatic professional who knows how to deliver projects and drive change in complex environments. You are comfortable coordinating stakeholders, managing priorities, facilitating discussions, and helping teams adopt new ways of working. You bring a hands-on approach to project delivery and are able to balance business needs, operational requirements, and technology considerations.

You are proactive, collaborative, and results-oriented, with strong project management, stakeholder engagement, and change management skills. You enjoy creating clarity, building alignment, and turning plans into practical outcomes that deliver measurable value and support the successful onboarding of new services and capabilities across the organization.