Senior EPM Solution & Delivery Manager

Senior EPM Solution & Delivery Manager Location: Dubai, UAE Company: PlanPulse Employment Type: Full-time About PlanPulse PlanPulse is an international Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) consulting firm helping organizations transform the way they plan, consolidate, report, and manage financial performance. With offices across Europe and the Middle East, we partner with leading organizations to modernize their Office of Finance. As an implementation partner of Board and Jedox, we specialize in Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Financial Consolidation & Reporting (FCR), budgeting, forecasting, management reporting, and Finance Transformation. The Opportunity We are looking for an experienced, proactive, and hands-on Senior EPM Solution & Delivery Manager to join our growing team in Dubai. This is a key leadership role combining solution oversight, team leadership, customer engagement, and end-to-end project delivery across our Board and Jedox implementations. You will work closely with customers and implementation teams to ensure business requirements are correctly understood, translated into effective solutions, and successfully delivered. Beyond managing projects, you will actively lead, coach, and challenge implementation teams, review solution designs and developments, and ensure continuous alignment between customer expectations and project deliverables. We are looking for someone who understands EPM implementations beyond the project plan, can confidently guide consultants through complex challenges, and takes full ownership of delivery success. This is not a traditional project management role. We are looking for a hands-on leader who understands EPM solutions, develops people, and drives successful implementations. Your Impact – Key Responsibilities Solution Leadership & Quality • Lead requirement discussions and ensure business needs are accurately translated into functional specifications and solution designs. • Guide and challenge consultants on proposed solutions, developments, business logic, and implementation approaches. • Review key deliverables to ensure solutions are scalable, efficient, maintainable, and aligned with customer expectations. • Identify gaps, challenge assumptions, and resolve functional or technical issues before they impact delivery. • Ensure the final solution meets the customer's business objectives and agreed requirements. Team Leadership & Development • Lead, coach, and support EPM consultants throughout the implementation lifecycle. • Work closely with teams on a day-to-day basis, providing hands-on guidance, direction, and constructive feedback. • Challenge proposed developments and encourage best practices, critical thinking, and continuous improvement. • Establish clear responsibilities, priorities, and accountability across implementation teams. • Identify knowledge gaps and actively support the professional development of consultants. • Foster a collaborative, proactive, and results-driven team culture. Customer & Stakeholder Management • Act as the primary delivery contact and trusted advisor for customers. • Ensure continuous alignment between customer expectations, business requirements, and implementation activities. • Lead customer workshops, solution reviews, progress meetings, and steering committees. • Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders, including Finance Directors, CFOs, and IT leadership. • Proactively manage expectations, resolve conflicts, and handle escalations. End-to-End Project Delivery • Take ownership of multiple Board and Jedox implementation projects from discovery through go-live and hypercare. • Manage project plans, milestones, deliverables, timelines, scope, and resources. • Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and according to agreed quality standards. • Proactively identify risks, dependencies, and bottlenecks, taking corrective action when required. • Oversee solution testing, UAT, deployment readiness, and successful transition to support. Project Financials & Governance • Manage project budgets, delivery effort, resource utilization, and profitability. • Monitor actual effort against estimates and manage scope changes and commercial implications. • Provide structured project status updates to customers and PlanPulse senior management, covering progress, budgets, risks, and key decisions. • Support project scoping, effort estimations, Statements of Work, and implementation proposals. • Contribute to improving PlanPulse's implementation methodologies, delivery standards, and governance processes. What You Bring Essential Requirements • 8+ years of experience in EPM, CPM, Finance Transformation, or enterprise software implementation consulting. • Proven experience leading complex EPM implementations and managing delivery teams. • Hands-on EPM implementation or solution design experience, with the ability to challenge functional and technical solutions. • Strong understanding of FP&A, budgeting, forecasting, financial consolidation, and management reporting. • Ability to translate business requirements into functional specifications and practical solution designs. • Experience guiding, coaching, and developing functional and technical consultants. • Solid understanding of EPM data modeling, calculations, business logic, reporting, and data integration. • Proven ability to manage multiple projects, budgets, timelines, scope, and customer expectations. • Strong problem-solving, stakeholder management, communication, and leadership skills. • Confidence engaging with senior management and C-level executives. • Excellent written and spoken English. Preferred Qualifications • Hands-on experience with Board or Jedox. • Experience with other EPM platforms such as OneStream, Anaplan, Oracle EPM, SAP BPC, or SAP Analytics Cloud. • Previous experience in an EPM consulting firm or systems integrator. • Experience delivering projects in the UAE or wider Middle East. • PMP, PRINCE2, Agile, or equivalent certification. • Arabic language skills are an advantage. Your DNA – What Sets You Apart You Lead from the Front: You work alongside your team, provide guidance, challenge ideas, and help consultants succeed. You Understand the Solution: You can discuss requirements, financial processes, data models, and solution designs, and confidently challenge what is being built. You Take Ownership: You don't just report problems. You anticipate challenges, make decisions, and drive solutions. You Bridge Business and Technology: You ensure customers and implementation teams share a clear understanding of