IT Manager

Job Purpose: The job holder is responsible for defining, governing, and continuously improving company's enterprise and solution architecture across applications, data, integration, and infrastructure domains. The role ensures that IT initiatives are aligned with business strategy, adhere to architecture standards, and enable secure, scalable, and cost‑effective solutions for the insurance business. The job holder leads the architecture team in shaping target architectures, evaluating solutions, and guiding project delivery teams, while fostering innovation and best practices in line with company's digital and transformation agenda. Strategic Responsibilities: Contribute to the definition and maintenance of company's IT architecture vision, principles, standards, and roadmaps aligned with corporate strategy and regulatory requirements. Partner with business and IT leadership to ensure architecture considerations are embedded in portfolio planning, solution selection, and technology investments. Description: Architecture Governance & Structure: Contribute to the definition and maintenance of company's IT architecture vision, principles, standards, and roadmaps aligned with corporate strategy and regulatory requirements. Partner with business and IT leadership to ensure architecture considerations are embedded in portfolio planning, solution selection, and technology investments. Solution Design and Oversight: Lead the end-to-end solution architecture for key initiatives, ensuring optimal use of company's core platforms (e.g. core insurance systems, CRM, Datamart, integration layer, cloud services). Provide guidance to project teams during analysis, design, build, testing, and deployment to ensure solutions remain aligned to approved architectures and non‑functional requirements. Enterprise and domain architecture Develop and maintain current‑state and target‑state architecture views, including application landscape, data flows, integration maps, and technology stack. Identify simplification, consolidation, and modernization opportunities (e.g. decommissioning legacy systems, re‑use of shared services, migration to cloud/SaaS) and drive their implementation. Risk, security, and compliance Work closely with Information Security and Risk functions to ensure architectures address security, privacy, business continuity, and regulatory obligations (e.g. UAE/central bank guidelines). Proactively identify architectural risks and technical debt and propose remediation plans as part of the IT roadmap. Stakeholder management and collaboration Collaborate with business stakeholders, IT Operations, Application Development, Data & Analytics, and external vendors to ensure coherent, integrated solutions. Provide architecture input into RFPs, vendor evaluations, solution assessments, and contracts for major platforms and services. Continuous improvement & innovation Monitor technology trends and insurance industry practices, recommending innovations that can enhance customer experience, operational efficiency, and data‑driven decision making. Promote re‑use, standardization, and automation in architecture practices, documentation, and tools. People management responsibilities Lead, coach, and develop architecture and design resources to build strong enterprise and solution architecture capabilities within the company. Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and knowledge sharing across IT teams and with business stakeholders. External Relationship Management: Maintains relationship between internal departments/functions as well as Service providers continue to work well and high level of communication and efficient & timely transfer of information takes place. Continuous Improvement: Performs Continuous reviews and identifies improvement opportunities by taking into account 'international best practice', changes in international standards and changes in the business environment. Reports: Prepares periodical MIS and progress reports for the Department, to keep top management informed about the progress of various initiatives and to facilitate decision-making. People Management Responsibilities: Lead, coach, and develop architecture and design resources to build strong enterprise and solution architecture capabilities within the company. Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and knowledge sharing across IT teams and with business stakeholders. FRAMEWORKS, BOUNDARIES & DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY: Operates within company's IT policies, standards, budgetary limits, and governance framework, with significant influence on technology direction and solution choices. Provides recommendations and approvals on solution architectures and standards, escalating major technology and investment decisions to Sr. Manager, Architecture & Integration and IT leadership. Internal Relationships: Business units, IT Operations, Application Development, Data & Analytics, Information Security, PMO, Procurement, and senior management to align on requirements, priorities, and solution decisions. External Relationships: Technology vendors, implementation partners, and consultants to evaluate, design, and deliver solutions in line with company's architecture and quality expectations. QUALIFICATIONS, RELEVANT CERTIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field; a Master’s degree is an advantage. TOGAF or equivalent enterprise architecture certification; cloud certifications (e.g. Azure, AWS); relevant domain or solution certifications. 8–10+ years of IT experience with at least 4–5 years in solution/enterprise architecture roles, preferably in the insurance or financial services industry. Proven experience designing and governing complex, integrated solutions across core insurance systems, CRM, analytics/Datamart, integration platforms, and cloud environments