Special Project Manager - Department of Special Projects
The Special Project Manager operates as a high-trust execution proxy for the CEO, responsible for leading high-stakes, non-routine initiatives that carry strategic and reputational significance. The role exists to convert high-uncertainty ideas into disciplined, de-risked, and execution-ready initiatives, ensuring speed without compromising governance, credibility, or institutional integrity.
This role is inherently time-bound by project, not operational. Success is defined by the ability to structure ambiguity, enable executive decisions, and transition initiatives cleanly into operational ownership.
Authority & Decision Rights
- Independently structure initiatives, pilots, and execution plans
- Engage and coordinate internal teams and external stakeholders within approved mandates
- Recommend go / no-go decisions, escalation paths, and transition readiness
- Final approvals on strategic direction, external commitments, and scope changes remain with the CEO
Career Path / Role Evolution
This role is a launchpad for senior leadership, transformation leadership, or general management roles. Exposure to complex, CEO-level initiatives provides accelerated strategic maturity and executive visibility.
Key Responsibilities
- Take end-to-end ownership of CEO-sponsored initiatives from Exploration → Build → Pilot → Transition
- Translate ambiguous ideas into structured initiatives with defined objectives, success criteria, sequencing, and risk logic
- Ensure initiatives progress rapidly while maintaining governance discipline and institutional credibility
- Act on behalf of the CEO in high-stakes internal and external environments
- Coordinate across internal functions including Legal, Finance, HR, Operations, PMO, and Executive Office
- Engage directly with external stakeholders such as ministries, regulators, and international partners
- Protect the CEO’s authority, positioning, and intent in all engagements
- Break down complex, unstructured problems into clear workstreams and decision paths
- Produce Initiative One-Pagers, executive briefs, and decision packs that reduce CEO cognitive load
- Anticipate second- and third-order implications before escalation
- Operate as a digital power user, leveraging advanced proficiency in documents, slides, trackers, and research tools
- Apply AI-assisted analysis and synthesis frameworks to improve speed, accuracy, and quality of outputs
- Maintain control over logic and judgment while using AI as an execution accelerator, not a substitute
- Design and lead Build & Pilot phases to test assumptions in real-world conditions
- Generate decision-grade evidence to determine whether initiatives should scale, iterate, or stop
- Ensure pilots are intentionally designed to answer strategic questions, not just “try things out”
- Prepare comprehensive SOP packs, governance models, role definitions, and training materials
- Ensure initiatives are handed over cleanly into operational departments or long-term structures
- Exit projects deliberately once transition criteria are met
- Handle sensitive initiatives with absolute confidentiality
- Exercise sound judgment in politically, financially, or institutionally sensitive contexts
- Uphold the credibility of the Office of the CEO at all times
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree required; postgraduate qualification is an advantage
- Background in strategy, transformation, consulting, special projects, or CEO office environments preferred
- Proven experience leading high-ambiguity, cross-functional initiatives
- Direct exposure to senior leadership or CEO-level decision-making
- Experience engaging external institutions or senior stakeholders
- Exceptional structuring and synthesis capability
- Strong written and verbal executive communication
- Outcome-driven, disciplined, and highly reliable
- High discretion and professional maturity