Head of Information Technology

Chief Information Officer - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Orange Antelopes, a dynamic Talent Consulting Organisation, is partnering with one of the largest real estate developers in Saudi Arabia to recruit a Saudi National for the role of Chief Information Officer. This strategic position will lead and manage the IT strategy across the organisation, ensuring alignment with business objectives and regulatory frameworks.

Key Responsibilities:

• Technology Strategy & Governance: Define and execute the IT strategy and multi-year roadmap, establish IT governance, architecture principles, policies, and standards, and ensure their consistent application.
• Infrastructure, Cloud & IT Operations: Own cloud and on-premise infrastructure, ensuring data residency within the Kingdom, guarantee 24/7 availability, performance, and capacity of systems, and run IT operations to defined SLAs.
• Core Systems, Applications & Integrations: Manage business-critical integrations, support partner and merchant onboarding, and enable API and Open Banking capability.
• Information Security & Cyber Resilience: Implement and maintain controls to regulatory frameworks, oversee identity and access management, and embed secure-by-design delivery.
• Risk, Compliance & Business Continuity: Ensure IT compliance with regulations, own IT business continuity, and support internal and external audits.
• Vendor & Outsourcing Management: Manage technology vendors and outsourcing arrangements in line with SAMA outsourcing rules.
• Data Governance & Analytics Enablement: Establish data governance, enable data and analytics capability, and support credit, risk, product, and Shariah-compliance functions.

Regulatory & Compliance Accountabilities: The role carries explicit accountability for IT compliance across various regulatory frameworks, including SAMA, NCA, PDPL, CITC, and Shariah-compliance considerations.

Candidate Profile:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field.
• Proven experience in a similar role, preferably within the finance or real estate sector in Saudi Arabia.
• Strong leadership, strategic planning, and stakeholder management skills.
• Deep understanding of IT governance, cloud computing, data security, and regulatory compliance.