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Dubai Future FoundationDubai Future Foundation (DFF) aims to realize the wise vision of Dubai’s leadership to institutionalize the envisioned future and forward-thinking methodologies, while positioning Dubai as the leading city of the future.
In partnership with its local and global partners from governments, companies, startups, and entrepreneurs, DFF drives joint efforts to collectively imagine, design, and execute the best possible future for humanity.
Under the supervision of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of DFF, the DFF runs and oversees many futureproofing projects and initiatives, such as the Museum of the Future, Area 2071, The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution UAE, Dubai Future Accelerators, One Million Arab Coders, Dubai Future Academy, Dubai Future Solutions, Dubai Future Labs, Dubai Future Forum, etc.
DFF’s efforts to share knowledge, adopt innovation, support entrepreneurs and innovative startups, build capacity, and promote forward-thinking and foresight principles contribute to Dubai’s ambitions to be a role model for the cities of the future through the power of unlimited imagination, innovation, foresight and disruptive mindset.
For more information on the initiatives, projects, and programs of Dubai Future Foundation, please visit the website:www.dubaifuture.ae
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Research, Development & Innovation (RDI)Research, Development & Innovation (RDI) is Dubai Future Foundation’s dedicated research arm, established to advance applied and frontier research that directly shapes Dubai’s innovation agenda.
RDI will house multiple specialised research centers, each focused on distinct domains, creating a collaborative ecosystem where deep expertise converges to address the most complex challenges facing cities and societies of the future.
Through strategic partnerships with leading academic institutions, global think tanks, and government entities, RDI translates emerging knowledge into actionable insights, policy recommendations, and real-world impact at a local, regional, and global scale.
Where does this role fit into the bigger picture?
This role bridges the gap between business needs and technology delivery, working hand-in-hand with the Head of Technology to translate strategic objectives into actionable system and process requirements. It is essential to ensuring that digital platforms, research tools, and innovation initiatives are designed around real user needs and organizational priorities.
Business Analyst As the Business Analyst, you will work closely with the Head of Technology and cross-functional teams to gather, analyze, and document business and system requirements that drive the development and optimization of technology solutions.
You will serve as the critical link between stakeholders and technical teams, ensuring that digital initiatives are aligned with RDI’s research, development, and innovation strategy.
The Business Analyst will support the delivery of IT and data platforms by translating complex business challenges into clear functional specifications, process models, and system design recommendations.
Your Responsibilities
- You will collaborate closely with the Head of Technology to define and deliver technology solutions that support the research, development and innovation program strategy.
- You will discover, document, and validate business and functional requirements from stakeholders across departments, ensuring clarity and alignment before development begins.
- You will perform system analysis to assess current-state processes and systems, identifying gaps, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement.
- You will produce detailed business requirements documents (BRDs), functional specifications, user stories, process flow diagrams, and use cases.
- You will support the delivery of digital projects such as the Trusted Research Environment (TRE), collaboration portals, CRM systems, and IP management platforms, ERP systems, etc.
- You will explore and evaluate the application of agentic AI systems and data-driven tools to enhance research workflows, automate routine processes, and unlock new analytical capabilities across RDI’s platforms.
- You will manage requirements backlogs within infrastructure projects (Azure), ensuring traceability from business need to technical delivery.
- You will conduct user acceptance testing (UAT), coordinate with end users, and validate that delivered solutions meet defined requirements.
- You will support data analysis and reporting needs, working with internal teams and external research partners , including academic institutions, global think tanks, and government entities, to define data structures, dashboards, and reporting frameworks, operating comfortably within RDI’s diverse partner ecosystem.
- You will assist in the evaluation of third-party vendors and platforms by documenting technical requirements and participating in RFP and assessment processes.
- You will produce user guides, training materials, and SOPs to support adoption of new systems and processes across teams.
- You will support organisational change management as new systems, platforms, and processes are introduced across RDI , including stakeholder communication, training coordination, adoption tracking, and feedback collection to ensure smooth transitions.
- You will stay current on emerging technologies and best practices in business analysis, recommending process and system improvements to enable research excellence.
- Why this role is important?
- This role is central to ensuring that technology investments deliver real business value.
- By bridging stakeholder needs and IT delivery, the Business Analyst enables faster, more effective deployment of digital solutions that power RDI’s innovation and research agenda.
- What Dubai Future Foundation offers?
- We will offer you a unique opportunity to work with people who are passionate about the future and establishing Dubai as one of the leading cities of the world.
- You will have the chance to work on exciting and new projects, work in a highly diverse and fast paced environment that fosters creativity, disruptive ideas, and innovation.
- Who We're Looking For?
- You will have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business Administration, Information Systems, Computer Science, or a related field.
- You will have a minimum of 1 -2 years of experience in business analysis, with demonstrated ability to work on complex IT or digital transformation projects.
- You will have experience working closely with IT teams and managers, translating technical concepts for business audiences and vice versa.
- You will have proficiency in Agile methodologies with hands-on experience for backlog management and requirements tracking.
- You will have strong skills in process modelling, requirements documentation, and use case development using tools. BPMN 2.0 notation knowledge is a plus.
- You will have experience with systems analysis, including current-state assessment, gap analysis, and solution design , prior experience as a Systems Analyst is a strong plus.