Head of Enterprise Data Platforms

To lead the strategic design development simplification modernization and governance of the banks enterprise data platforms ensuring it serves as a robust scalable and secure foundation for data-driven decision-making advanced analytics AI & agentic initiatives. The role is pivotal in enabling the banks digital transformation by delivering a modern data architecture that supports real-time insights multi disciplinary autonomous AI agents  regulatory compliance and innovation across all business units.

Key functions:

Define and execute the enterprise data platform strategy in alignment with the banks digital agentic and AI roadmap.

Lead the design and implementation of a modern cloud-based data architecture (e.g. data lakehouse data fabric).

Strategize lead and execute the data estate simplification agenda and seamlessly decommission the redundant obsolete and non scalable data platforms and duplicate tooling

Oversee the integration of structured and unstructured data sources across the enterprise.

Ensure high availability scalability and performance of the data platform.

Establish and enforce data governance metadata management and data lineage practices along side Data Governance unit.

Collaborate with data science analytics and business / OPS teams to enable self-service data access and advanced analytics.

Drive the adoption of DevOps and DataOps practices for continuous delivery and automation.

Manage vendor relationships and evaluate emerging technologies for platform enhancement.

Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and internal audit standards

Lead mentor and develop a high-performing team of data engineers architects and platform specialists.

Develop and manage the data platform budget ensuring cost-effective operations.

Report on platform performance adoption/ usage metrics and value delivery to executive leadership.

Foster a culture of innovation agility and continuous improvement within the data function.

Represent the bank in industry forums and contribute to thought leadership in data platform strategy.

Qualifications :

Strategic Thinking & Vision Ability to align data platform strategy with business goals platform-based architecture data estate modernization and digital transformation initiatives for AI enablement.

Technical Expertise Deep knowledge of cloud-native data platforms (e.g. Azure AWS GCP) data lake houses (Data Bricks) data mesh and real-time data streaming (Confluent Kafka).

Leadership & Influence Proven experience in leading cross-functional teams and influencing senior stakeholders.

Data Governance & Security Strong understanding of data privacy regulations (e.g. UAE Central Bank GDPR) data quality frameworks and security best practices.

Program & Change Management Expertise in managing large-scale data platform programs and driving organizational change.

Collaboration & Communication Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to work across business IT and regulatory functions.

TCO & Operational Efficiency Mindset Proven track record in optimizing TCO for data estate with FINOPS implementation and tooling simplification strategies and execution

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time