Lead Specialist Innovation Portfolio

About Ma'aden

Ma'aden, established in 1997, is one of the fastest-growing mining companies globally and the largest multi-commodity mining and metals company in the Middle East. The company is leading the development of the mining industry to become the third pillar of Saudi Arabia’s economy by building a world-class, fully integrated mining value chain.

The Role

Ma'aden is seeking a Lead Specialist, Innovation Portfolio to join its team in Riyadh. This full-time role is responsible for maximizing the value of innovation investments by establishing a structured, transparent, and strategically aligned innovation portfolio. The specialist will ensure innovation initiatives are prioritized, governed, and managed as a balanced portfolio that supports long-term business growth, operational excellence, and transformation objectives. This position improves investment decisions, accelerates the delivery of high-value initiatives, and strengthens the organization's ability to translate innovation opportunities into measurable business outcomes across financial, operational, sustainability, and strategic dimensions.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and continuously enhance innovation portfolio governance frameworks, prioritization models, and investment criteria.
• Align innovation investments with business strategy, transformation priorities, and long-term value creation objectives.
• Optimize innovation investment decisions by evaluating opportunities based on strategic fit, value potential, risk, scalability, and feasibility.
• Develop robust business cases and recommendations to support informed funding and portfolio allocation decisions.
• Define and implement portfolio performance frameworks and value realization measures, monitoring innovation performance, benefits, and strategic contribution.
• Build and maintain a sustainable pipeline of innovation opportunities and emerging technology initiatives, managing initiatives across varying maturity levels and risk profiles.
• Foster collaboration across Innovation, Technology Operations, Data & AI, and business functions to accelerate innovation delivery.
• Deliver executive-level portfolio reporting that provides visibility into performance, risks, opportunities, and investment effectiveness.
• Generate actionable insights that support strategic planning, budgeting, and innovation roadmap development.

Performance Indicators

Success in this role will be demonstrated by:

• Innovation investments showing clear alignment with strategic business priorities.
• Portfolio governance frameworks enabling transparent and effective decision-making.
• Innovation initiatives delivering measurable financial, operational, sustainability, and strategic value.
• A balanced pipeline of innovation opportunities maintained across multiple maturity levels.
• Leadership receiving timely, accurate, and actionable portfolio insights.
• Portfolio resources optimized to maximize innovation outcomes and business impact.

Required Qualifications

• 10–12 years of progressive experience in innovation management, strategy execution, technology portfolio management, PMO, or transformation environments.
• Experience managing complex cross-functional initiatives and stakeholder environments.
• Experience supporting strategic investment decisions, portfolio governance, and value realization initiatives.
• Experience within mining, industrial, manufacturing, energy, or other technology-intensive sectors is preferred.

Location and Work Type

This is a full-time position based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.