Director, IT Architecture & Optimization Emirates Development Bank

Job Description

Roles & Responsibilities

Desired Candidate Profile

Key Roles & Responsibilities:

Leadership Responsibilities:

•Lead the strategic, operational, and technical decision processes to keep IT services aligned to priorities and risk appetite; ensure risk visibility, escalation, and management.

•Serve as the single IT contact for enterprise IT policy governance; engage C-level leadership (with Head of IT) to promote effective technology adoption.

•Partner with Director - Applications and Manager - Infrastructure to support the Head of IT in transforming the function.

Strategic Responsibilities:

•Deliver a holistic IT architecture that enables and is enabled by business and IT strategies.

•Maintain an open architectural framework across domains (network, infrastructure, applications/solutions, data, security) for near- and long-term horizons.

•Assess domain needs on projects/systems; recommend solutions aligned to architectural principles for unified, cost-efficient, low-complexity, stable platforms.

•Develop implementation plans for architecture based on strategy and business requirements; recommend process changes to improve architectural practice.

•Work with applications, solutions, network, and security teams to enable common services, business rules, and information storage/flow.

•Key Roles & Responsibilities extensible architectures (e.g., server topology, placement, client systems) with cross-business teams; influence project decisions to align with standards.

•Map architectural solutions to business objectives; enforce infrastructure-architecture governance and refinements; identify necessary modifications to meet project needs while avoiding unnecessary cost/complexity.

•Contribute to enterprise architecture governance based on business/IT strategies; promote architecture processes and outcomes to stakeholders.

•Plan for scalability/availability based on validated business growth and availability needs

Operational Responsibilities:

•Manage key projects that establish a new operating model aligned to the redesigned business model; close audit points that expose the Bank to risk.

•Oversee the complex “run the Bank” and “grow the Bank” technology landscape (with direct reports) and collaborate with Director–Applications and Manager–Infrastructure to achieve IT KPIs.

•Monitor KPIs/KRIs; escalate trigger/limit breaches; conduct gap analyses on new guidance and lead adoption.

•Work with support/control functions to apply consistent risk-governance approaches; maintain strong relationships with Risk Management.

•Ensure architecture design and evaluation are documented; maintain a tactical implementation plan for the domain.

•Execute communication and education plans for architecture; develop partnerships with IT partners, operations, and vendors; act as a sounding board/consultant to team leaders.

•Mentor programmers and software specialists to ensure designs adhere to architectural principles

Qualifications & Experience:

Required Qualifications:

•Minimum: Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; Cloud Certified Solution Architect; Network Certified Architect; Red Hat Certified Architect; Open Group Certified Architect (Open CA); TOGAF 9 (Open Group)

•Preferred: COBIT Preferred Experience:

•10 – 12 years as IT Governance Manager or Architect in banking/financial institutions (ME preferred).

•Management consulting experience highly preferred.

•Demonstrated leadership of technology and architectural-change teams.

•Professional qualification in application-development methodologies and architecture