Chief Digital Transformation Officer (CDTO)

Company: Dandelion Civilization Headquarters: Dubai, UAE Type: Full-time, remote, with travel; relocation possible Level: Executive / C-level Compensation: discussed individually following interviews

About us

Dandelion Civilization builds a platform for assessing, developing and managing human capital - digital simulations, behavioral analytics and AI that put workforce decisions on a data footing.

About the role

We are looking for a practitioner who has run digital transformation themselves, inside a large company or holding group, accountable to the CEO and the board — not as an external advisor.

What you will do

• Define our transformation methodology - phases, artefacts, metrics, client maturity model — and build the transformation practice around the Dandelion Civilization platform and products, from diagnostics through deployment and change management
• Lead flagship engagements personally and own the measurable outcome. Translate client objectives into digital initiatives with a defensible economic case (business case, ROI, TCO)
• Ensure the platform is embedded into the client's operating processes rather than launched as a standalone tool
• Drive change management at every level, from the boardroom to frontline staff on site
• Lead presales conversations at CEO, COO, CIO and CHRO level
• Build and develop the transformation practice team
• Shape the product roadmap through structured market feedback
• Represent the company at industry conferences

Requirements

Experience

• 7+ years as CDTO / CDO / CIO / CTO / Transformation Director with direct ownership of a transformation programme
• At least two complete transformation cycles — objective through to outcome — in organisations of 1,000+ employees or $100M+ revenue
• Results you can quantify: OPEX savings, productivity gains, reduced time-to-market. "Involved in the programme" without a measurable effect is not what we are looking for
• Companies with distributed footprints: store or site networks, branches, franchise models, multi-brand groups
• Transformation in environments with large frontline and shift-based workforces and high turnover
• Direct reporting line to CEO / COO / board: defending the budget, programme reporting, managing shareholder expectations
• Ownership of a project portfolio and programme budget
• Implementation of ERP, CRM, HRIS, ATS, LXP, BI systems and the integration landscape around them
• Building the data layer and bringing analytics into management decision-making
• Taking AI/ML into live operational and HR processes — in production, not as pilots

Industry background — a significant advantage

Hospitality (hotel chains, management companies, resort and entertainment groups) · F&B (restaurant chains, QSR, food retail, production and distribution) · Retail (chains, e-commerce, omnichannel) · Transportation & Logistics (freight, fleet, airports, last mile) · ScaleUps (the shift from startup to a systematised business)

What matters to us is that you understand what transformation actually looks like in these sectors: seasonality, frontline and shift-based workforces, service metrics, franchise and multi-brand models, and decisions made a long way from head office.

Familiarity with the sector stack is a plus: POS, PMS and booking systems, OTAs and distribution channels, click & collect and omnichannel journeys, workforce management, loyalty programmes.

Experience at companies such as Marriott, Accor, Hilton, IHG, Jumeirah, Merlin Entertainments, Compass Group, Yum! Brands, Alshaya, Americana, Majid Al Futtaim, Landmark Group, Carrefour, Emirates Group, DP World, Aramex — or comparable regional network operators.

Consulting background (McKinsey Digital, BCG X, Bain, Accenture, Deloitte, EY, independent practice) counts in your favour only alongside operational accountability on the client side.

Experience across GCC, MENA, Europe or Southeast Asia is an advantage.

Capabilities

Strategy and operating model

• Transformation strategy and target operating model (TOM)
• Digital maturity assessment and roadmap
• The economics of transformation: business case, ROI, TCO, value creation plan
• Enterprise architecture, legacy estates, migration strategy

Change management — critical for this role

• Change strategy and a plan for every release
• Change impact assessment and business readiness
• Stakeholder mapping, roles and accountability on the ground
• Communications: briefings, working with functional heads and frontline teams
• Super-user networks and training strategy
• Managing resistance across large frontline populations

Programme leadership

• Governance, quality gates, go/no-go decisions, board-level reporting
• End-to-end process reengineering and automation
• Data governance, KPIs, management reporting
• Vendor and partner ecosystem management
• Recovering underperforming programmes

Also valuable

• M&A, carve-outs, post-merger integration, working with PE funds
• Understanding how transformation connects to human capital: productivity, capability, the effectiveness of the management layer
• Agile, Lean, Six Sigma, ITIL, MSP, PRINCE2, TOGAF — as practice, not certification

AI

Confident use of ChatGPT, Claude and Cursor. Able to build AI agents that automate analysis, diagnostics and project artefacts, and to produce prototypes, dashboards and presentations through vibe coding.

Experience setting the AI agenda inside an organisation is a plus: selecting use cases, scaling them, and handling questions of ethics and transparency.

Language

• Business-fluent English: negotiating at C-level, presenting, and speaking at international conferences
• Near-native pronunciation (British or American)

What we look for in you

• Accountability for the outcome
• Independence and initiative — you start things and see them through
• Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort working where processes are not yet established
• Strong problem-solving under uncertainty
• The ability to speak the same language as the board and as frontline staff
• Building trust quickly inside someone else's organisation
• Genuine interest in new technology