Associate Director - Data Platform and Operations

PureCS; Dubai; On-site; AED 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading talent solutions company in Dubai is seeking an Associate Director – Data Platform & Operations to lead the strategy and delivery of a hybrid enterprise data platform. Candidates should have over 8 years of experience in platform engineering and strong leadership skills. Responsibilities include optimizing infrastructure and enforcing best practices in DevOps and DataOps. Competitive compensation and relocation support are offered.

Benefits

Competitive compensation

Relocation support

Opportunity for personal growth

Qualifications

• 8+ years in platform engineering or DevOps roles.
• 4+ years leading platform or DevOps teams.
• Strong understanding of self-service platforms and observability frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategy and design of hybrid enterprise data platform.
• Manage and optimize hybrid infrastructure.
• Drive DevOps and DataOps best practices across the platform landscape.

Skills

Platform engineering

Hybrid cloud expertise

DevOps practices

Collaboration with leadership

Performance tuning

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or Data Engineering

Tools

Spark

Kafka

Terraform

Kubernetes

Azure DevOps

Job description

Overview

Job Title: Associate Director – Data Platform & Operations

Location: Dubai, UAE

PureCS is a leading talent solutions and advisory company, helping global organizations attract and retain top-tier technology and data leaders. We work with cutting-edge enterprises to enable innovation and transformation in areas like AI, Cloud, Data Engineering, and Digital Platforms. At PureCS, we value curiosity, collaboration, and a growth mindset, providing a platform for professionals to thrive.

Role Overview

We are seeking an Associate Director – Data Platform & Operations to lead the strategy, design, and delivery of our hybrid enterprise data platform. This platform powers AI, Data Engineering, BI, and Analytics functions across the organization. The role requires both strategic vision and hands-on expertise in hybrid cloud / on-premises architectures, big data frameworks, and operational analytics engines. You will ensure the platform is secure, scalable, observable, cost-efficient, and enables self-service for downstream teams. You will also drive DevOps and DataOps best practices, automation, and operational excellence across the platform landscape.

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership: Architect, manage, and optimize hybrid infrastructure (Azure, OpenShift, VAST on-prem storage).
• Orchestrate services with Kubernetes / OpenShift for resilience, scalability, and efficiency.
• Integrate Apache Spark, Kafka, Delta Lake, Parquet, and SingleStore for batch and streaming workloads.
• Implement self-service frameworks for AI, BI, and Data Engineering teams.
• Lead CI / CD automation and enforce Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform / Ansible).
• Drive observability, monitoring, alerting, and lineage tracking for platform reliability.
• Optimize platform costs and resource utilization in hybrid environments.
• Delivery & Dependency Management: Own end-to-end delivery of platform services with predictable quality and scalability.
• Manage cross-team dependencies, ensuring platform readiness aligns with business priorities.
• Implement QA processes, production readiness reviews, and performance benchmarking.
• Collaborate with Data Engineering and project teams to support ETL / ELT workloads.
• Capability Uplift & Change Leadership: Embed DataOps and DevOps best practices across platform and adjacent teams.
• Mentor platform engineers, DevOps specialists, and operations analysts.
• Standardize deployment practices, version control, and automated testing.
• Drive adoption of cloud-native and automated workflows across the organization.
• Communication & Engagement: Serve as a technical advisor to CTO, CDO, and AI leadership.
• Present platform roadmaps, operational metrics, cost analysis, and performance updates to executives.
• Ensure compliance with security, RBAC, and regulatory standards.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or related field.
• 8+ years in platform engineering, hybrid cloud / on-prem infrastructure, or DevOps roles.
• 4+ years leading platform or DevOps teams.
• Hands-on expertise with Spark, Kafka, SingleStore, Delta Lake, Parquet, VAST, Kubernetes, OpenShift, and Azure DevOps CI / CD pipelines.
• Experience implementing DataOps and DevOps automation (IaC, Terraform, Ansible).
• Strong understanding of self-service platforms, observability frameworks, and performance tuning.
• Proven ability to collaborate with senior leadership on strategy and delivery outcomes.
• Preferred Certifications: Kubernetes (CKA / CKAD) or OpenShift Administrator certification; Azure DevOps Engineer Expert or equivalent; Databricks, Kafka, Terraform, or cloud certifications (Azure / AWS / GCP).

Why Work with Us

• Work on cutting-edge data and AI platforms powering enterprise-scale solutions.
• Collaborate with top industry experts and executive leadership.
• Opportunity for personal growth, mentoring, and capability building.
• Competitive compensation and relocation support for Dubai-based roles.

Diversity & Inclusion

At PureCS, we value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and encourage a variety of perspectives in building innovative solutions.

Apply Now to join a team shaping the future of enterprise data platforms and operations.

Seniority level: Director

Employment type: Full-time

Job function: Information Technology

Industries: IT Services and IT Consulting

Note: This refined description retains the core responsibilities, qualifications, and context while removing unrelated boilerplate and extraneous listings. It uses only allowed tags and presents a clean, job-focused format.