Director - Digital Operations And Transformation

Aldar Education

Job Description

Aldar Education is currently seeking an outstanding Director of Digital Operations & Transformation.

As the leading education group in Abu Dhabi, we provide inclusive and innovative learning that inspires and empowers communities. We offer a range of brands for all learners in our community, from nursery through to adult education. We offer the broadest choice of curricula. In the largest number of locations in Abu Dhabi.

Starting with one school and 250 students in 2007, Aldar Education has grown into a highly sought after education provider, now supporting over 38,000 students in 31 schools and a growing network of almost 5000 educators, with over 100 nationalities, offering a wide range of curricula and ancillary services such as a Teacher Training Academy.

Working collaboratively, our education network s purpose is to empower the next generation to shape our future, directly supporting the educational goals of Abu Dhabi s government. Today, Aldar Education s efforts are guided by the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 plan, which aims to build a sustainable knowledge-based economy through premium education.

The Director of Digital Operations & Transformation will be responsible for leading and implementing Aldar Education s digital transformation strategy, with a focus on enhancing processes related to student recruitment, retention, and overall experience across academic and administrative areas.

This role reports directly to the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) and is tasked with building and scaling intuitive, high-impact digital solutions that support students, educators, and parents. The role spans the end-to-end digital experience from student onboarding to learning journeys, school operations, and re-engagement by leveraging a modern, scalable architecture and AI-driven personalization.

Responsibilities

Main Duties

Student-Centered Digital Experiences

• Design and deliver seamless, personalized digital journeys for students, parents, teachers, and staff across web, mobile, and in-school touchpoints.
• Enable experiences that unify learning, administration, wellbeing, and parent engagement, powered by education-specific CRM and LMS platforms.
• Integrate OpenAI NLP and LLM tools to support personalized tutoring, smart content generation, and enhanced classroom assistance.
  
  
  

Modern Digital Architecture

• Own and evolve the education digital platform using:
• Frontend: Next.js, React
• Backend: Node.js
• Architecture: Serverless, Azure-native
• Integrations: Salesforce Education Cloud, iSAMS, PowerSchool, Moodle LMS, Salesforce Marketing Cloud
• Collaborate with Group Digital, Education Ops, and Group Technology for infrastructure alignment, platform scalability, and cybersecurity.
  
  
  

Specific Duties

Governance, Change Management & Driving Implementation and Execution of Digital Operations

• Defining and executing the digital transformation roadmap aligned with revenue and growth objectives.
• Identifying opportunities for digitalization and process optimization in admissions, retention, family engagement, student experience, and academic operations.
• Leading the implementation and optimization of key digital platforms (CRM, LMS, SIS, communication apps).
• Fostering a digital culture through literacy, adoption, and change management initiatives.
• Managing a portfolio of digital projects using agile methodologies to ensure scalability, sustainability, and measurable impact.
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Agile Product Leadership

• Define and manage the digital education product roadmap, aligned with Aldar Education s strategic priorities and operational realities.
• Lead Agile teams through Jira-managed sprints, releases, and delivery cycles.
• Champion continuous learning, user feedback loops, and incremental product enhancements based on educator and student input.
  
  
  

Stakeholder Partnership & Change Management

• Act as the primary digital partner to the Aldar Education leadership team, ensuring digital programs directly support educational and administrative excellence.
• Align digital strategy with the needs of school heads, curriculum designers, IT, admissions, and parent engagement teams.
• Work with vendor partners, SaaS providers, and internal tech teams to ensure sustainable and secure integrations.
  
  
  

Performance & Impact Measurement

• Define and track key metrics: learning engagement, digital adoption, platform uptime, parent satisfaction, and academic outcomes linked to digital tools.
• Build dashboards and reporting tools to communicate digital impact to educators, executives, and regulators.
  
  
  

Governance, Budget & Compliance

• Manage the education digital transformation budget and ensure alignment with Aldar s broader enterprise architecture, data privacy, and compliance standards.
• Partner with legal and procurement teams to govern vendor relationships, licensing, and data sharing agreements.
  
  
  

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification

• Bachelor s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Product Management, or equivalent
• MBA or Masters in Digital Innovation, Educational Technology, or equivalent (desirable)
  
  
  

Minimum Experience

• 10+ years of experience in digital transformation, digital product, or technology leadership roles, ideally with at least 3 years in the education, EdTech, or tech-forward service sectors
• Proven success building and scaling digital platforms for complex, multi-stakeholder environments
• Experience working with Salesforce CRM (Education Cloud), Moodle LMS, and/or PowerSchool/iSAMS
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Job Specific Knowledge & Skills

• Strong leadership skills
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills across matrix structures
• Abiity to balance strategic leadership with hands-on execution in fast-moving digital programs
• Experienced in creating and implementing relevant policy and processes
• Ability to effectively coordinate, allocate and manage resource and projects throughout multiple teams