Global Senior Manager, Automation Platform

About the role

DP World is looking for a Global Senior Manager for its Automation Platform in Dubai. The role establishes and governs a standardized IT/OT automation platform architecture used across the terminal portfolio, connecting individual automation solutions into a smart terminal based on Industry 4.0 principles. It leads the move from individually automated machines to a connected ecosystem of autonomous equipment, robots and systems, and owns the terminal automation architecture from Level 0 to Level 3 under the TIC 4.0 topology, including the control layer, monitoring and supervision, and operational management.

Key responsibilities

• Define and maintain the target IT/OT architecture for Levels 0 to 3 and its interfaces, setting internal standards, specifications and policies on interfaces, data, connectivity and cybersecurity, and define testing and validation strategies for integrations and updates.
• Act as business product owner for selected systems such as the Fleet Management System, IoT and the Digital Twin, defining functional specifications, business requirements, interfaces and roadmaps, and steering internal and external teams and suppliers.
• Partner with business units to prototype solutions, run proofs of concept and mature each system over successive generations.
• Own the data strategy and governance model, including data collection, retention and sharing rules, and support the translation of data into operational and business insights.
• Define OT network, edge and private 5G requirements, and translate business needs into prescriptive OT cybersecurity requirements for secure data exchange, remote control and remote management.
• Hold the Digital Twin concept for the automation domain, define its scope and value, position it in the architecture and chair working groups coordinating the workstreams.

Required profile

• Degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering, automation, control engineering, computer science or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in IT/OT architecture, industrial automation or control systems, including architecture responsibility in complex, live operational environments.
• Proven experience defining or implementing target, reference or solution architectures for connected industrial systems, ideally across multiple sites or business units.
• Experience turning an architectural vision into standards, technical requirements, roadmaps and a portfolio of initiatives.
• Platform or technical product-management experience, owning requirements, roadmaps and backlogs and coordinating development teams or suppliers.
• Ability to act as a technical authority in a supplier-led environment and to influence senior stakeholders and lead cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Relevant experience in ports and terminals, logistics, automotive, manufacturing, mining, warehousing, aviation or robotics, or with control-system suppliers, systems integrators or technology partners.

Required skills

• Strong understanding of PLCs, control systems, SCADA, industrial IoT, edge computing, industrial networks and OT/IT integration.
• Practical understanding of OT cybersecurity and resilience in industrial environments.
• Desirable: Fleet Management Systems, equipment control systems, autonomous-system orchestration, robotics, digital twins, industrial simulation, private 5G and industrial IoT.
• Desirable familiarity with IEC 62264/ISA-95, IEC 62443, OPC UA and TIC 4.0.