Section Head – IT Operations (UAE Nationals Only)

About the role

The confidential Government Entity in Abu Dhabi is seeking an experienced Section Head to lead IT Operations, ensuring reliable, secure and efficient technology services. This role is open to UAE nationals only.

Key responsibilities

• Lead IT infrastructure and operations across on‑premise and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, OCI).
• Oversee IT Service Management, including service desk, incident, problem, change and request management.
• Ensure high availability, business continuity, disaster recovery and operational resilience.
• Direct day‑to‑day IT security operations in line with Abu Dhabi Government information security standards.
• Manage production application support, patching, upgrades and operational handovers.
• Control IT vendors, contracts, SLAs, licensing, assets and cloud cost governance.
• Monitor service performance, risks, KPIs and drive continuous improvement initiatives.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science, Engineering or related field (Master’s preferred).
• 8–12 years of IT operations, infrastructure, cloud or service‑management experience with proven leadership.
• Experience managing critical infrastructure, production applications, service desk and enterprise‑wide vendor relationships.
• Government or large‑enterprise background is highly desirable; relevant certifications (ITIL, PMP, AWS/Azure/OCI, CISSP, CISM) are an advantage.

Required skills

• Cloud platforms: AWS, Azure, OCI.
• IT Service Management (ITSM) frameworks.
• ITIL and PMP methodologies.
• Information security standards (CISSP, CISM).
• Vendor and contract management.