Principal Lead, Service Management

About the role

Lead the IT Service Management function for First Abu Dhabi Bank, establishing governance, standards and assurance to deliver resilient, secure and business‑aligned technology services across the enterprise. The role partners with business, technology, risk, audit and strategic suppliers to ensure critical banking services remain stable, compliant and customer‑focused.

Key responsibilities

• Define and execute the enterprise ITSM strategy, roadmap and operating model aligned to business and resilience objectives.
• Lead service continuity and operational resilience, including disaster recovery governance, testing programmes and regulatory readiness.
• Establish governance, standards and oversight for Change Enablement, Configuration Management, Service Quality and Performance.
• Drive end‑to‑end service visibility, mapping and dependency management to strengthen resilience decisions.
• Represent ITSM, resilience and operational assurance in executive, governance, audit and regulatory forums.
• Identify, manage and escalate operational risks, control weaknesses and service vulnerabilities.
• Champion data‑driven service management using automation, observability, AI and AIOps.
• Lead and develop high‑performing teams, embedding FAB Values and a customer‑first mindset.

Required profile

• 12+ years of IT service delivery experience, with at least 5 years in senior leadership.
• Proven track record implementing ITIL‑based frameworks in large, complex organisations, preferably in banking.
• Strong stakeholder management experience with C‑level executives and cross‑functional teams.
• Demonstrated ability to manage high‑priority incidents, root‑cause analysis and risk‑controlled change.
• Experience leading third‑party vendors, ensuring SLA adherence and cost efficiency.

Required skills

• ITIL Foundation (v4) and advanced ITIL certifications.
• ServiceNow and PagerDuty (ITSM tools).
• Cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure) and automation tools.
• AI‑driven IT service solutions and AIOps.
• Agile/Scrum and DevOps methodologies.
• Relevant certifications such as CISM, CISA or PMP.