IT Manager

On behalf of our client, we are looking for an IT Manager to join their team in Riyadh. Job Summary To own and drive the full spectrum of Information Technology and Digital Services for Orgnization's operations in Saudi Arabia. The post-holder is the single point of accountability for strategy, delivery, support, and continuous improvement across infrastructure, applications, cybersecurity, venue technology, and innovation—while orchestrating close alignment with Orgnization’s regional stack and EpicXP shared-service platform. Responsibilities Strategy & Governance • Develop and maintain a 3-year Saudi IT road-map aligned to group objectives and local business needs. • Establish and enforce policies, standards, and KPIs in line with ITIL 4, COBIT, ISO 27001, NCA regulations, and KSA PDPL. • Prepare and manage annual OPEX/CAPEX budgets; implement FinOps practices to optimise cloud and SaaS spend. Programme / Project Leadership • Lead the full life-cycle of ICT, digital-workplace, and venue-tech projects using PMP/PRINCE2 methodology. • Oversee schedules, risks, quality gates, and stakeholder reporting; achieve ≥ 90 % on-time, on-budget delivery • Direct EpicXP deployments, upgrades, and integrations. Enterprise & Business Applications • Act as local product owner for ERP (Finance, SCM, HR), CRM (ticketing, fan-engagement), and Epic XP modules. • Convert business requirements into functional designs, lead configuration, testing, data migration, release & change management. • Manage software-asset and license compliance. Infrastructure & Cloud Platforms • Design, implement, and operate resilient networks (LAN, Wi-Fi 6E, SD-WAN) and secure Azure environments. • Maintain Tier-1/2 data-centre, edge, and DR/BCP capabilities with ≥ 99.9 % availability. Cybersecurity & Risk • Embed Zero-Trust architecture, SOC operations, and vulnerability management; coordinate red-team / pen-tests. • Own incident-response playbooks and ensure zero critical audit findings. • Oversee OT/IoT security for venue systems, broadcast/AV, BMS, and scoring. Service Delivery & Operations • Operate an ITIL-aligned service desk (incidents, service requests, problem, change, release). • Deliver modern workplace services (M365, Teams, Intune, endpoint analytics) • Track asset lifecycle, refresh programmes, and e-waste compliance. Data, Analytics & AI Enablement • Partner with regional Data teams to deliver BI dashboards and predictive analytics. • Support AI/ML pilots (dynamic pricing, chatbots, demand forecasting) and transition successful PoCs to production. Innovation & Emerging Tech • Scout global venue-tech, AR/VR, digital-twin, smart-parking, and contactless-payment trends; run two pilots per year. • Promote sustainability by integrating energy-efficient hardware and green-IT initiatives. Vendor & Commercial Management • Draft technical scopes, evaluation matrices, and commercials for RFPs; negotiate contracts and govern SLAs. • Cultivate strategic partnerships with telcos, hyperscalers, and specialist venue-tech providers. Stakeholder & Change Management • Act as trusted advisor to the Management, Venue & Event Ops, Commercial, Finance, and Legal. Translate technical metrics into business insights via concise dashboards and executive briefings. Requirements Education Bachelor’s in IT, Computer Engineering, or related field (Master’s / MBA preferred). Experience 8-12 years in enterprise IT; minimum 3 years in a leadership capacity delivering ERP/CRM, infrastructure, and live-event technology within GCC markets. Certifications (Required) PMP or PRINCE2 Practitioner · ITIL 4 Managing Professional · One cloud credential (Azure Administrator / Architect or AWS Solutions Architect) · One cybersecurity credential (CISSP, CISM, or ISO 27001 Lead Auditor). Certifications (Advantageous) TOGAF · CCNP/CCIE · FinOps Practitioner · SRE Foundations. Language Skills Fluent English; professional Arabic highly preferred. Nationality Open (Saudi nationals encouraged in support of Saudisation targets).