IT Program Manager – Infrastructure & IT Services Operations. Contract

Job Summary:

We are seeking an experienced and highly organized IT Program Manager to lead complex Infrastructure and IT Service Operations projects within the banking and financial services sector. This role will be instrumental in ensuring the reliability, scalability, and compliance of SAMA requirements and our BT systems and services, supporting mission-critical banking applications, core systems, and service platforms.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience managing IT infrastructure initiatives (data center transformation, cloud migration, endpoint security, etc.) and IT service delivery improvements (ITIL/ITSM, automation, performance monitoring) in a regulated financial environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Program Management & Delivery:
  Lead and manage multi-stream programs involving IT infrastructure modernization, network upgrades, server/cloud platforms, and service management optimization.
• Regulatory Compliance & Security:
  Ensure all infrastructure and IT service operations projects adhere to banking regulations  and internal BT  governance policies, including audit readiness and cybersecurity requirements.
• Stakeholder Engagement:
  Act as the liaison between BT, business stakeholders, risk/compliance teams, and vendors. Provide transparent communication on program status, issues, and milestones to senior executives.
• IT Service Operations Excellence:
  Drive improvements in service availability, incident/problem management, change control, monitoring, and ITSM process maturity.
• Private Cloud & On-Prem Infrastructure Oversight:
  Coordinate cloud enablement efforts while managing hybrid environments and critical legacy infrastructure often found in banking environments.
• Vendor & Risk Management:
  Manage relationships with third-party service providers. Enforce SLAs and ensure risk controls are embedded in third-party service delivery.
• Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery:
  Oversee infrastructure resiliency initiatives, ensuring robust backup, failover, and recovery plans aligned with banking BCP/DR standards.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering , Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in IT program/project management with at least 5 years in the banking or financial services industry.
• Deep understanding of IT infrastructure domains: networking, servers, cloud, databases, storage, end-user computing.
• Proven experience delivering ITSM improvements and operations projects (e.g., ServiceNow implementation, monitoring automation).
• Strong knowledge of banking regulatory requirements related to IT.
• Project management certifications: PMP, PgMP, or PRINCE2.
• ITIL v3/v4 certification (Foundation or higher).
• Experience working with Agile and Hybrid project delivery methodologies

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Experience leading data center migrations or cloud adoption in a regulated industry.
• Familiarity with core banking platforms, trading systems, or payment infrastructures.
• Experience interacting with internal auditors and regulatory bodies.
• Background in managing vendor performance, contract negotiation, and risk assessments.

Soft Skills:

• Strong leadership and decision-making abilities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication tailored to technical and non-technical audiences.
• High attention to detail with a strong sense of accountability and risk awareness.
• Ability to lead in a matrixed environment with global teams and time zones.

Reports To:

 BT PMO Manger / Technology Management Head