Program Manager – MDM & DG

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Planning, execution, and successful delivery of data engineering projects

• Project initiation and planning: Define project scope, objectives, timelines, budget, resources, and risks.
• Resource management: Allocate, manage, and track the performance of the data engineering team.
• Communication and collaboration: Facilitate communication between stakeholders, including data engineers, data scientists, business analysts, and executives.
• Risk management: Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks proactively.
• Issue resolution: Address project challenges and issues promptly and effectively.
• Monitoring and reporting: Track project progress, measure performance against targets, and report findings to stakeholders regularly.

Key Responsibilities:

• Program Leadership:
• Develop and execute a comprehensive Data Governance strategy aligned with the organization’s objectives and regulatory requirements.
• Act as a liaison between senior leadership, stakeholders, and cross-functional teams to ensure program alignment and success.
• Drive organizational change to establish a culture of data governance and stewardship.
• Great focus on program risk identification and timely reporting and devising action to address it.
• Cost benefit analysis and justification to investments.

• Planning and project management:
• Project planning, scheduling & tracking
• Work prioritization and resource planning
• Risk identification and reporting
• Team planning and management
• Status reporting
• Governance Framework Implementation:
• Establish and manage a robust Data Governance framework, including policies, standards, roles, and responsibilities.
• Implement data cataloging, metadata management, and data lineage tools to enhance data visibility and accessibility.
• Oversee the creation of workflows and processes to ensure adherence to governance policies.
• Stakeholder Engagement:
• Reports to CXO level executives with program status update, risk management and outcomes.
• Collaborate with business units, IT teams, and compliance officers to identify governance priorities and resolve data-related challenges.
• Facilitate the Data Governance Council meetings and ensure effective decision-making.
• Serve as a point of contact for internal and external auditors regarding data governance-related queries.
• Compliance and Risk Management:
• Ensure adherence to industry regulations and banking-specific compliance requirements.
• Identify and mitigate risks related to data usage, sharing, and security.
• Monitoring and Reporting:
• Develop key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to measure the effectiveness of the Data Governance Program.
• Provide regular updates to CXO level executive leadership on program status, risks, and outcomes.
• Prepare and present audit and compliance reports as required.
• Team Leadership and Mentorship:
• Lead cross-functional teams, including data stewards, analysts, and governance professionals.
• Provide training and mentoring to promote awareness and understanding of data governance practices.

Technical Expertise:

• Understanding data engineering principles and practices: Good understanding of data pipelines, data storage solutions, data quality concepts, and data security is crucial.
• Familiarity with data engineering tools and technologies: This may include knowledge of ETL/ELT tools, Informatica IDMC, MDM, data warehousing solutions, Collabra data quality, cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), and data governance frameworks

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Data Management, Business Administration, or a related field; MBA or equivalent experience preferred.
• 16+ years of experience in program management, with at least 6+ years focused on data governance or data management with MDM in the banking or financial services sector.
• Strong knowledge of data governance frameworks, principles, and tools (e.g., Collibra, Informatica, Alation).
• Experience with regulatory compliance requirements for the banking industry, such as GDPR, CCPA, BCBS 239, and AML/KYC regulations.
• Proven track record of successfully managing large, complex programs with cross-functional teams.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and align diverse groups.
• Familiarity with data analytics, data quality management, and enterprise architecture concepts.
• Certification in program or project management (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2) or data governance (e.g., DGSP, CDMP) is a plus.

Key Competencies:

• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities.
• Exceptional leadership and interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency in program management tools and methodologies.
• Strong analytical and decision-making capabilities.

Job Type: Permanent