Infrastructure Practice Lead

About the Role / About the Job
We are seeking an Infrastructure Practice Lead to join the CTO Infrastructure team. This role is pivotal in driving operational excellence, fostering innovation, and ensuring our infrastructure aligns with the organization’s strategic objectives. You will collaborate closely with Architecture, Product Owners, Product Engineering, and Operations teams to enhance observability, automate operational processes, and maintain high service availability. Additionally, you will play a key role in shaping and advancing the Infrastructure Practice to provide reliable, efficient, and forward-looking infrastructure capabilities.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve best practices, standards, and methodologies for infrastructure management.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the infrastructure team, promoting collaboration, knowledge sharing, and continuous skills development.
• Oversee the delivery of infrastructure projects, ensuring alignment with business objectives, timelines, and expected outcomes.
• Plan and allocate resources effectively to support operational priorities and project delivery.
• Drive the adoption of automation tools, including Puppet and Ansible, implementing automation initiatives across the group in line with the defined strategy.
• Lead process-improvement initiatives to achieve faster, higher-quality outcomes through increased automation, reduced manual activity, and enhanced operational efficiency.
• Ensure infrastructure solutions adhere to required standards for quality, security, resilience, and compliance.
• Build effective relationships with business and technology stakeholders, understand their requirements, and provide clear, timely updates.
• Identify opportunities to optimize infrastructure processes, improve service delivery, and adopt innovative technologies.
• Manage budgets and monitor costs associated with infrastructure initiatives, ensuring effective financial resource utilization.
• Assess, manage, and mitigate risks related to infrastructure operations and projects, and escalate significant issues promptly where appropriate.
• Promote a culture in line with Group Values, encouraging excellence, dependability, openness, and transparency.
• Follow established processes and controls to identify and mitigate risks, ensuring timely escalation of control weaknesses and reputational risks per the company's Risk Management Framework.
• Inspire and empower the team to uphold high professional standards and effectively deliver against business objectives.

Experience & Qualifications:

• A full-time graduation degree of at least three years is essential for obtaining a UAE visa and work permit. For degrees obtained outside the UAE, valid attestations and equivalency are also mandatory.
• 14 years of experience in technology infrastructure and related functions.
• A university degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a relevant discipline.
• Strong understanding of infrastructure practices and automation tools.
• Good knowledge of AI tools and prompt engineering.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent written and spoken English, with the capability to perform effectively in a multicultural, global environment.
• Practical experience working with Agile methodologies.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a diverse, cross-functional team.

Benefits & Work Environment:

• Flexible and alternative ways of working are supported, including options for remote work and adjustable hours subject to approvals.
• Commitment to fostering a culture where all employees are valued, respected, and heard, with a focus on personal and professional development.
• Opportunities for growth within an inclusive and diverse environment.
• Personal data related to employment applications will be handled in accordance with the organization's Privacy Statement.