Head, IT Service Management

About the Role

The Electronic Government Authority (EGA) is the central body responsible for driving Ras Al Khaimah's Emirate-wide digital transformation, providing unified technology services, governance, and innovation across all RAK government departments. EGA's mandate extends across digital service delivery, IT infrastructure, information security, data and analytics, and enterprise applications.

We are hiring a Head of IT Service Management to establish and lead a centralized, government-wide IT service desk serving all RAK government departments. This is a foundational leadership role with a clear transformation mandate. The successful candidate will design the operating model from the ground up, define the SLA governance framework, consolidate fragmented departmental support functions into a single shared service, and build a team capable of scaling beyond internal government users to eventually serve residents, visitors, and investors on RAK's digital platform.

Reporting directly to the CTO, this role operates as a peer to the Heads of Infrastructure, Solution Development, and Information Security. The service desk will serve as the single point of entry for all IT demand across government, routing incidents, service requests, and escalations to the appropriate resolver groups while maintaining end-to-end accountability for resolution quality and timeliness.

What You Will Do

• Design and implement EGA's centralized IT service management operating model, consolidating departmental support functions into a unified, SLA-driven shared service across all RAK government entities.
• Establish the service desk as the single system of record for all IT demand, covering incidents, service requests, problems, change coordination, and operational intake of new services.
• Define, negotiate, and operationalize SLA frameworks for all service tiers, including internal resolver group SLAs and external vendor commitments, with quantitative performance management throughout.
• Introduce and embed an ITSM framework covering incident management, request fulfillment, problem management, change enablement, and service level management, with a maturity roadmap to move the function from reactive to proactively managed.
• Own and lead Major Incident (P1) management, coordinating resolver groups, leading executive communications, and ensuring post-incident reviews and root cause analysis are completed and acted upon.
• Establish a service catalog, service portfolio, and SLA/OLA framework ensuring all live services have defined ownership, support models, and measurable performance targets.
• Evaluate and make a recommendation on the optimal delivery model for the service desk, including the potential for full or partial outsourcing, and define the governance framework to manage any outsourced components effectively.
• Govern relationships with managed service providers and outsourcing partners, ensuring contractual obligations and performance commitments are actively managed.
• Produce regular, structured performance dashboards and reports for the CTO and leadership, translating operational data into actionable insight and driving continuous improvement.
• Build, lead, and develop the IT service management team, fostering a culture of accountability, service excellence, and continuous improvement.

What You Will Bring

• 10 or more years of experience in IT service management or IT operations, with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing a service desk or IT support function at scale.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing ITSM frameworks and transitioning organizations from reactive to process-driven operations.
• ITIL v4 Foundation certification is required; ITIL v4 Managing Professional or Strategic Leader designation is strongly preferred.
• Proven experience managing multi-tiered service delivery with formal SLA governance across internal resolver groups and external vendors simultaneously.
• Experience in a shared services or managed services environment serving multiple client organizations.
• Experience evaluating outsourcing options and managing outsourced service delivery.
• Strong quantitative orientation; able to define metrics, build reporting frameworks, and manage a function through data.
• Proficiency in ITSM tooling platforms such as ServiceNow, Freshservice, ManageEngine, or equivalent.
• Government or public sector experience is an advantage; GCC regional experience is a further plus.
• English fluency is essential; Arabic is strongly advantageous given the government-wide relationship nature of the role.