Director - Smart City and ICT (DEL 3)

The Director of City IT Operations will lead the development and operational readiness of all IT systems for a 360+ sq km smart city in Saudi Arabia. This includes overseeing smart infrastructure across multiple districts and working with a wide range of stakeholders—from city planning units to cybersecurity teams and technology vendors.

Responsibilities cover the full lifecycle of smart systems delivery—requirements, procurement, implementation, and commissioning. The role also includes establishing an integrated City IT Systems Support Model (L0–L4) to support Day 1 operations and ensure SLA compliance between the City Services IOC and City IT IOC.

The ideal candidate brings strategic vision, strong technical knowledge, and leadership experience in smart city projects, ideally in the GCC.

1. Key Responsibilities

a. Strategic Leadership

• Develop and implement the City IT Operations strategy to drive digital transformation and operational readiness.
• Align IT operations with the city’s Master Plan, Smart City vision, and Saudi Vision 2030.
• Lead the design and rollout of an integrated IT Systems Support Model across all city and district smart systems.
• Establish governance frameworks, including SLAs, SOPs, escalation paths, and performance dashboards.
• Develop and manage the annual business plan and budget.

b. Acquisition of Smart City Systems

• Review and approve Smart City Systems RFPs to ensure strategic alignment, stakeholder engagement, and clear business outcomes.
• Ensure compliance with governance, risk, legal, privacy, and security requirements.
• Enforce Qiddiya Technology design and Enterprise Architecture principles.
• Align City technology SLAs with City Operations SLAs and exit strategy provisions that ensures business continuity
• Negotiate and manage vendor contracts, ensuring adherence to SLAs, KPIs, and timelines.

c. City IT Systems Operations and Management

• Develop and enforce Qiddiya City IT operating standards aligned with QIC Technology Standards; audit compliance regularly.
• Manage City IT requirements, feature priorities, and delivery schedules with Qiddiya IT, ensuring minimal business impact and overseeing UAT.
• Prepare operational briefs for new assets, expansions, and seasonal activities; oversee transition planning for end-of-life products.
• Provide operational input on new systems and integrations across procurement, design, testing, and deployment.
• Evaluate third-party technologies for alignment with strategic goals and seamless integration.
• Support pre-opening onboarding and transition to City IT Operations.
• Oversee daily operations of city-wide IT systems, including ICT infrastructure, IoT/OT systems, and smart city applications.
• Ensure high availability, resilience, and security of all mission-critical systems.
• Drive operational excellence through proactive monitoring, incident prevention, and continuous improvement.
• Enforce data governance across all platforms.

d. Support Model Delivery

• Design, implement, and operationalize a multi-tier CITY IT Integrated L0 to L4 Support Model
• Recruit, train, and manage cross-functional operational support teams.
• Implement workforce development programs to build local talent capacity

e. Security & Risk Management

• Actively support the enforcement of robust cybersecurity and data privacy practices across ICT, IoT, and OT layers.
• Ensure compliance with Saudi National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) regulations and global standards such as ISO 27001.
• Collaborate with the city’s Security Operations Center (SOC) for proactive threat detection, incident management, and disaster recovery planning.
• Conduct periodic risk assessments and resilience testing.

1. Required Qualifications

a. Education

• Bachelor’s degree relevant to Smart Cities or equivalent
• Master’s degree is preferrable to be in one of the following fields :

o Smart Cities / Urban Informatics

o Computer Science / Information Systems

o Cyber-Physical Systems / Cybersecurity

o Electrical / Electronics / Systems Engineering

b. Certifications (Preferred)

• Smart Cities Professional Certification (IEEE, GCF, or equivalent)
• CISSP / CISM / CISA / ITIL

2. Experience

• Total Experience:12–15 years in IT operations, systems integration, or large-scale ICT program delivery.
• Smart City Domain: 10+ years in smart city, urban infrastructure, or mission-critical ICT projects.
• GCC Region: Preferably 5+ years, with knowledge of local regulations and standards.
• City IT Systems Support Model: Minimum 5 years designing and managing L0–L4 support structures for public infrastructure.
• City/District Smart Systems: Proven track record delivering and operating integrated systems across large-scale urban environments.
• Team Leadership: Experience leading multidisciplinary, cross-organizational teams, including vendor-managed resources.

3. Skills & Competencies

• Fluency in English (mandatory); Arabic proficiency desirable.
• Expertise in smart city technologies, IoT/OT systems, and ICT infrastructure.
• Advanced knowledge of cybersecurity for urban environments.
• Strong leadership, stakeholder engagement, and negotiation skills.
• Exceptional problem-solving and crisis management abilities.
• Familiarity with Saudi Vision 2030, urban innovation frameworks, and local cultural dynamics.

4. Location & Travel

• Location: On-site within the designated city development zone, Saudi Arabia.
• Travel: Periodic travel across city districts and GCC countries as required.