Life at Dubai Future Foundation

Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) aims to realize the wise vision of Dubai’s leadership to institutionalize the envisioned future and forward-thinking methodologies, while positioning Dubai as the leading city of the future. In partnership with its local and global partners from governments, companies, startups, and entrepreneurs, DFF drives joint efforts to collectively imagine, design, and execute the best possible future for humanity.

Under the supervision of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of DFF, the DFF runs and oversees many futureproofing projects and initiatives, such as the Museum of the Future, Area 2071, The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution UAE, Dubai Future Accelerators, One Million Arab Coders, Dubai Future Academy, Dubai Future Solutions, Dubai Future Labs, Dubai Future Forum, and Sandbox Dubai. DFF’s efforts to share knowledge, adopt innovation, support entrepreneurs and innovative startups, build capacity, and promote forward-thinking and foresight principles contribute to Dubai’s ambitions to be a role model for the cities of the future through the power of unlimited imagination, innovation, foresight and disruptive mindset.

For more information on the initiatives, projects, and programs of Dubai Future Foundation, please visit the website: www.dubaifuture.ae

Where does this role fit into the bigger picture?

Dubai Future Foundation recently launched Sandbox Dubai, a Regulatory Sandbox that centers around four key themes: Artificial Intelligence, Health Tech, Green technology, and Real Estate technology. We would like to invite talented and experienced individuals to join our dynamic team as we embark on this journey.

As we embrace the challenges and opportunities of the modern regulatory landscape, we are seeking talented individuals who are eager to contribute their expertise and creativity to the Sandbox Dubai initiatives. We aim to explore novel solutions, foster collaboration across sectors, and pave the way for transformative changes that benefit both consumers and industries of Dubai.

In the broader context of Sandbox Dubai, the Project Manager reports to the Head of Operations of Sandbox Dubai and will collaborate closely with the Sandbox team leads in Strategy, Policy, and Partnerships.

Project Manager

As a Project Manager within Sandbox Dubai, you will lead and manage sandbox programs and projects, including regulatory experiments, industry pilots, and innovation frameworks from concept to delivery or handover. You will manage multiple sandbox projects, deploy and enhance processes, coordinate cross-functional teams, drive project timelines, engage diverse Future Foundation’s strategic goals.

Project Management

• Full Project Lifecycle: Manage the full project cycle including managing projects timelines, budgets, milestones, setting objectives, monitoring and tracking progress, post project analysis and reporting.
• Project Development: Pitch sandbox projects with business cases, feasibility reports, and risk assessments tailored to sandbox-specific initiatives.
• Sandbox Design & Execution: Develop sandbox programs focused on regulatory experiments, technology validation, and proof-of-concept pilots across Sandbox priority areas (Artificial Intelligence, Health Tech, Green technology, and Real Estate technology).
• Global Tech Monitoring: Track international regulatory and innovation trends in key priority sectors to enhance the design of future sandbox initiatives and connect global themes/trends with opportunities for Dubai.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Coordinate with legal, policy, strategy, and partnership teams to ensure project compliance and cross-sector success.
• Documentation: Create and maintain project records, perform lessons-learned assessments, and present reports to senior management.
• Team Collaboration: Communicate regularly with Sandbox team members and stakeholders to ensure projects run smoothly, providing updates to the Head of Operations and Director of Sandbox Dubai.
• Stakeholder Engagement and Third-Party Relationships.
• Partner and collaborate with industry leaders, government agencies, startups, and regulatory bodies to align project goals. Ensure regular communication, and logistics are in place.
• Lead workshops, roundtables, and innovation sessions with relevant stakeholders to drive regulatory alignment and operational readiness.
• Collaborate with the Legal, Strategy, and Policy Teams to define regulatory exemptions, licensing terms, and compliance protocols.
• Work closely with finance, procurement and other internal teams to oversee procurement, invoices, and contracts ensuring legal compliance in all transactions.
• Support the development of policy proposals, regulatory models, and whitepapers in collaboration with Policy and Legal Teams.
• Ensure all projects comply with Sandbox governance frameworks, legal protocols, and international regulatory standards.
• Collaborate with the Marketing & Communications Teams to enhance project visibility through media outreach and branding campaigns.

Why this role is important?

This role is central to translating Sandbox Dubai’s regulatory innovation goals into actionable Sandbox projects that drive policy reform, technology adoption and economic competitiveness. Moreover, this role is critical for providing operational management for core Sandbox projects throughout their lifecycle, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and thus accelerating Dubai’s transformation into a global innovation hub.

What Dubai Future Foundation offers?

We will offer you a unique opportunity to work with passionate people, support shapers of the future as well as work that has an impact, not only on the organization or the UAE but all of humankind.

You will have the chance to work on exciting and new projects, work in a highly diverse and fast paced environment that fosters creativity, disruptive ideas and innovation.

Skills

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as Public Policy, Law, Engineering, Business Administration, Economics, Artificial Intelligence, or Technology Management. A Master’s degree is preferred.
• Experience: Minimum of 7 years’ experience in project management, regulatory frameworks, or innovation-driven programs with a proven track record of multi-project management.
• Specialization: Demonstrated experience in regulatory frameworks related projects, innovation ecosystems, and emerging tech pilots.
• Industry Expertise: Experience working with government agencies, private sector entities, international organizations and technology hubs is required. Experience in one or more of the key priority thematic areas (AI/Technology, Healthcare, Infrastructure/Real Estate, or Sustainability) is strongly preferred.
• Skills required: Excellent project management skills with high attention to detail and a strong dedication to completing projects within assigned deadlines, ability to multi-task, coordinating multiple projects concurrently while partnering effectively with internal and external stakeholders. Demonstrable experience in regulatory modernization, strategic thinking, problem-solving, project development, resource management, as well as using project planning and presentation tools (MS Project, PowerPoint, Excel, Power BI .. etc). Project management certifications (such as PMP/PMI-Agile/SCRUM) preferred.
• Communication and Stakeholder Engagement: Strong communication skills are required to effectively manage high-level stakeholder relationships in public and private sectors and engage multidisciplinary teams. Ability to clearly articulate project updates to Sandbox and DFF leadership as well as external stakeholders, identify challenges, and mobilize cross-team responses quickly.
• Languages: Fluent in reading, writing & presenting in both Arabic & English.
• Mindset: Agile, proactive, structured, self-driven, and ready to work independently or as part of a collaborative team, and ability to drive cross-functional collaboration, manage multiple projects, and meet tight deadlines.