Associate Director – Commercial Assurance

Role overview

Aldar is seeking an Associate Director for Commercial Assurance within its Development Management division in Abu Dhabi. This role provides independent commercial oversight across the D-Sell portfolio, ensuring that investment decisions rest on sound commercial analysis and rigorous governance processes before progressing through approval stages.

Key responsibilities

Review and challenge feasibility studies, business cases and project strategies to validate their commercial robustness.
Assess financial models and investment propositions to ensure they are supported by reliable commercial assumptions and analysis.
Prepare independent commercial opinions that inform executive decision-making and Investment Committee approvals.
Evaluate major commercial changes, variation orders and scope modifications for their impact and viability.
Conduct market, cost and commercial benchmarking analyses across comparable developments and sectors to maintain reference standards.
Identify commercial risks and value enhancement opportunities while recommending optimisation initiatives across the portfolio.
Lead capability development within the Commercial Assurance function and foster a culture of independent challenge and continuous improvement.

Requirements

Minimum 14 years of experience in development, commercial, investment or development finance roles.
At least 6 years managing commercial activities in a professional capacity.
Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Real Estate, Economics or Engineering; a Master’s degree is preferred.
Proficiency in financial modelling, feasibility analysis, investment analysis and commercial negotiation.
Competence with Excel and Power BI, including capability to integrate AI tools into work processes.
Strong commercial acumen, critical thinking ability and proven skill in building stakeholder partnerships to gather information and deliver firm recommendations.
Professional qualification such as CFA, MRICS or equivalent is desirable.

What makes this role worth considering

This position offers the opportunity to shape commercial governance and standards across a major portfolio while building and leading a specialised assurance function. Success is measured by tangible outcomes including timely delivery of commercial reviews, reduction in approval rework and high stakeholder satisfaction, providing clear visibility of impact within a large development organisation.