Director - IT Digital Transformation (UAE National)

Ministry of Education Dubai

Job Description
Since the establishment of the union of the United Arab Emirates in 1971, education has received the utmost attention of the founding leader, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may Allah have mercy on him, and his founding brothers. They believed that education was the cornerstone of building an enabled community that could keep pace with the advancements. Over the past decades, the wise leadership of the country was keen on building an educational system that matched its counterparts in the advanced nations. It harnessed for this purpose all the required capabilities, to achieve the country's agenda and national vision in this regard. Sincere efforts have also been made to develop education and adopt the best systems that achieve high-quality education outputs, to achieve the future visions and aspirations of the wise leadership.
Since investing in human capital is the main objective, the UAE has been keen on establishing the Ministry of Education and creating the appropriate environment to build pioneering Emirati schools, in terms of standards, form, and content they provide. It also made sure that such schools provided high-quality educational environment and owned the most technically advanced tools to be able to graduate generations that could pursue their university education confidently in higher education institutions to fulfil the requirements of labour market.
The MOE has also provided a smart learning system and high-quality digital platforms, side by side with the continuous development of school curriculums, according to national learning standards, assessment policy that is based on assessing for learning, and highest quality standards that match the best international practices. Various learning tracks, moreover, have been provided to support the capabilities and skills of students and achieve the country's strategy of encouraging the culture of creativity and innovation through providing the students with the skills of the 21st century and motivating them to have new ideas that relate to the reality they live in and foresee the future. This will eventually help in finding radical, sustainable solutions to the major issues, improving competitiveness, and supporting smart government in its attempts to keep pace with global advancements, advance education, and push it to broad horizons of excellence, leadership, and competitiveness.
Department Definition:
As the Director of Digital Transformation, you will be at the forefront of the Ministry s efforts to enhance educational services through cutting-edge technologies. You ll lead a dedicated team within the newly established Digital Transformation and AI Sector, ensuring that our digital initiatives are aligned with organizational goals and regulatory standards. Your leadership will play a critical role in shaping the direction of the Ministry s transformation, making it more responsive, efficient, and customer centric.
The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker with a passion for innovation and transformation, bringing strong leadership skills and a proven ability to drive digital transformation across organizations. You will have a deep understanding of enterprise architecture, governance, project management, and financial oversight, with experience in setting up and leading a dedicated Digital Transformation department. Your background should include successfully establishing and scaling transformation initiatives, managing resources, and aligning technology investments with organizational objectives. You will be an expert in fostering collaboration across teams and engaging stakeholders to ensure buy-in, alignment, and mutual success.
Main Job Duties & Responsibilities:
- Digital Transformation Strategy & Departmental Alignment: Lead the development and management of a digital transformation strategy that aligns with the Ministry s long-term goals, ensuring initiatives meet regulatory standards and organizational needs.
- Governance & Compliance Management: Establish and enforce governance frameworks that align digital transformation projects with business objectives, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices.
- Project Portfolio & Team Resource Management: Oversee a diverse portfolio of digital projects, managing resources and tracking performance to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery.
- Financial Oversight & Procurement Management: Lead the financial management of digital initiatives, including budgeting, forecasting, procurement, and vendor management, ensuring alignment with financial goals.
- Enterprise Architecture & Systems Integration: Define and implement enterprise architecture standards and ensure seamless integration of systems to support operational efficiency.
- Stakeholder Collaboration & Departmental Engagement: Facilitate collaboration across teams and act as a liaison to align digital transformation goals with stakeholders, fostering engagement and strategic alignment.
- Strategic Leadership: Ability to develop and execute a forward-thinking digital transformation strategy that supports organizational objectives.
- Governance and Regulatory Compliance: Expertise in establishing governance frameworks and ensuring adherence to both internal policies and external regulatory standards.
- Project and Resource Management: Skilled in managing diverse project portfolios, with the ability to allocate resources effectively and deliver results.
- Financial Oversight: Experience in budgeting, financial forecasting, and procurement for large-scale technology initiatives.
- Enterprise Architecture: Strong grasp of enterprise architecture principles and systems integration to drive seamless operations.
- Team Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement: Proven track record of leading high-performing teams and fostering collaboration with stakeholders to achieve shared goals.
- Experience Setting Up Digital Transformation Sectors: Demonstrated experience in establishing and scaling a dedicated digital transformation sector, with the ability to drive innovation, lead cross-functional teams, and align initiatives with strategic goals.
Skills
- 15+ years of experience in Information Technology Digital Transformation.
- A master s or bachelor s degree within a relevant field: Computer Science, Data Science, Information Technology.
- Proven results in managing large and disparate technology projects, contracts, budgets, and procurement.
- Speaking, Reading & Writing (English & Arabic).
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