Cluster Manager - Digital Technology Services

Aldar Education; Abu Dhabi Emirate; On-site; AED 279,000 - 391,000; Full time

Job summary

Aldar Education recruits a Cluster Manager - Digital Technology Services to lead IT strategy, service delivery, and infrastructure across its premium school network in Abu Dhabi. You will manage budgets, governance, and cross-site projects to sustain reliable technology for teaching, exams, and administration.

The role requires 5–7 years progressive IT experience with a minimum of 3 years in leadership, knowledge of ITIL, cybersecurity, and enterprise platforms (Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Azure).

Qualifications

• Senior IT leadership with multi-site responsibility across schools.
• Strong knowledge of ITIL, cybersecurity controls, and enterprise architecture.
• Experience managing budgets, vendors, and performance across complex IT environments.

Responsibilities

• Translate enterprise technology strategy into actionable plans for multiple schools.
• Maintain technology availability, performance, and user experience across the cluster.
• Lead risk management, cybersecurity, and incident response with central teams.

Skills

IT service delivery

Multi-site IT operations

Technology strategy

IT leadership

ITIL

Incident management

Problem management

Change management

Service request management

SLA management

OLA management

Service desk management

Major incident management

Microsoft 365

Microsoft Entra ID

Microsoft Azure

Endpoint management

Identity and access management

Privileged access management

Network infrastructure

Wi-Fi infrastructure

Cloud services

Backup management

Disaster recovery

Business continuity

Cybersecurity

Vulnerability management

Security incident response

Data protection

Device lifecycle management

Patch management

CMDB

IT asset management

Jira

Confluence

Technology procurement

Software licensing

Supplier management

IT budget management

Project management

Infrastructure upgrades

Technology roadmaps

Educational technology

Classroom technology

AI-enabled technology

Technology risk management

KPI dashboards

Technical documentation

Team coaching

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, or related discipline

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Cluster Manager - Digital Technology Services Job Snapshot Role: Cluster Manager - Digital Technology Services Location: Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates Industry: Education Management Function: Information Technology Experience: 5-7 years progressive IT experience including minimum 3 years in a leadership role Job Type: Full-time

Cluster Manager - Digital Technology Services in Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates is a senior Education Management opportunity with Aldar Education responsible for technology strategy, IT service delivery, infrastructure, cybersecurity, digital operations, and technology-enabled improvement across its Super Premium Schools. The role leads multi-site IT teams and works with school leadership and central Digital and Enterprise Services to maintain secure, reliable, scalable technology supporting teaching, learning, examinations, administration, and wider school operations.

Job Details Country: United Arab Emirates City: Abu Dhabi Emirate Industry: Education Management Function: Information Technology Salary: 25000-35000 Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the job city; please confirm the final offer with the employer. Gender: Any Candidate Nationality: Any Job Type: Full-time

Role Context The Cluster Manager provides strategic and operational ownership of digital technology services across multiple premium school environments. The position translates enterprise technology standards into practical school-level delivery while maintaining visibility of infrastructure health, cybersecurity exposure, service performance, technology assets, budgets, projects, and future requirements. Technology availability has a direct impact on classroom learning, examinations, admissions, school events, communications, and administrative continuity. The manager therefore operates as both a senior technology adviser and an escalation leader, ensuring technical decisions support educational priorities while remaining aligned with enterprise architecture, governance, security, and financial controls.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate enterprise digital service strategy and annual technology priorities into an actionable delivery plan for assigned schools.
• Maintain accountability for technology availability, performance, reliability, and user experience across the cluster.
• Develop technology roadmaps covering infrastructure, applications, devices, classroom systems, cybersecurity, and lifecycle replacement.
• Maintain an accurate view of technology risks, dependencies, capacity constraints, and future requirements across each school.
• Advise Principals and senior leadership teams on technology strategy, investment requirements, operational risks, and sustainable technical solutions.
• Represent school technology requirements within relevant group governance and planning forums.
• Lead, coach, develop, and performance-manage school-based IT teams.
• Establish clear service objectives, responsibilities, escalation arrangements, and development plans for technology staff.
• Plan team capacity, rota coverage, and support availability across assigned school sites.
• Standardise IT processes, operating procedures, technical documentation, and controls across the cluster.
• Implement ITIL-aligned incident, request, problem, and change-management practices.
• Establish and monitor appropriate SLAs, OLAs, escalation paths, and service expectations.
• Analyse service desk performance, recurring incidents, workloads, customer satisfaction, and operational risks.
• Act as the senior escalation point for major school technology incidents.
• Coordinate incident resolution with central technology teams, vendors, and other stakeholders.
• Maintain clear stakeholder communication during outages, significant incidents, and planned service changes.
• Ensure reliable technology support for teaching, examinations, school events, leadership, administration, and critical operational periods.
• Monitor wired and wireless networks, internet connectivity, servers, cloud platforms, telephony, printing, backups, and audio-visual systems.
• Oversee staff and student device provisioning, endpoint configuration, monitoring, patching, and lifecycle management.
• Maintain accurate technology asset inventories covering ownership, location, operational status, warranty, and replacement lifecycle.
• Coordinate preventative maintenance, capacity planning, upgrades, and approved equipment replacement programmes.
• Ensure technical environments remain documented, maintainable, and aligned with approved architecture and vendor standards.
• Implement cybersecurity policies, technical controls, and remediation requirements across assigned schools.
• Maintain effective identity and access management processes, including privileged-account controls and timely access removal.
• Coordinate vulnerability remediation and cybersecurity incident response with central security teams.
• Support security awareness activities and evidence gathering for cybersecurity investigations or assurance requirements.
• Maintain tested backup, business continuity, and disaster recovery arrangements for critical technology services.
• Ensure technology practices comply with UAE data protection requirements and relevant organizational policies.
• Lead approved infrastructure upgrades, system deployments, technology projects, and new-site readiness activities.
• Establish appropriate project scope, governance, risk controls, budgets, testing, communications, and service handover arrangements.
• Develop technical requirements and business cases for technology investment.
• Support compliant technology procurement, licensing, contract, and renewal processes.
• Manage delegated technology budgets and identify opportunities to improve value for money.
• Monitor suppliers against contractual deliverables, service levels, security requirements, and commercial commitments.
• Maintain accurate records for contracts, licences, warranties, renewals, and end-of-life technology risks.
• Partner with educational technology leaders to ensure classroom systems reliably support teaching and learning.
• Support governed adoption of emerging technologies, including AI-enabled educational and operational tools.
• Coordinate technology readiness for examinations, inspections, admissions cycles, major events, and other business-critical periods.
• Collaborate with safeguarding, facilities, and security teams where technology systems affect student safety or site operations.
• Maintain technology risk, project, asset, and compliance registers for the cluster.
• Develop dashboards covering service performance, cybersecurity posture, budget position, project delivery, and technology lifecycle exposure.
• Support internal and external audits, inspections, and assurance reviews and track corrective actions through completion.
• Maintain current network diagrams, inventories, procedures, recovery documentation, and standard operating guides.

Ideal Profile Candidates should hold a Bachelor 's Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, or a closely related discipline. Professional certifications such as ITIL, Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA, PRINCE2, PMP, or equivalent credentials are highly desirable. Applicants should bring at least 5-7 years of progressive experience across IT service delivery, infrastructure, or technology operations, including a minimum of 3 years in a leadership capacity. Experience supporting multiple locations or a complex customer-facing organisation is important, while previous technology leadership within education is strongly preferred. Candidates should have demonstrated responsibility for IT teams, budgets, suppliers, infrastructure platforms, technology projects, and service performance. Practical experience managing critical incidents, cybersecurity risks, business continuity, disaster recovery, and service improvement is required. Strong technical knowledge should include Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Azure, endpoint management, identity and access management, wired and wireless networking, backup technologies, and cloud services. Candidates should understand vulnerability management, cybersecurity controls, incident response, data protection, and technology resilience. Strong working knowledge of ITIL practices covering incident, request, problem and change management, service desks, SLAs, OLAs, CMDB, and asset management is important. Experience with Jira, Confluence, or comparable service-management and knowledge platforms is valuable. The role requires the ability to present technology roadmaps, risks, investment requirements, and performance information clearly to senior non-technical stakeholders. Strong leadership, discretion, resilience, customer focus, commercial awareness, and decisive incident-management capability are essential.

Skills Set

• IT service delivery
• Multi-site IT operations
• Technology strategy
• IT leadership
• ITIL
• Incident management
• Problem management
• Change management
• Service request management
• SLA management
• OLA management
• Service desk management
• Major incident management
• Microsoft 365
• Microsoft Entra ID
• Microsoft Azure
• Endpoint management
• Identity and access management
• Privileged access management
• Network infrastructure
• Wi-Fi infrastructure
• Cloud services
• Backup management
• Disaster recovery
• Business continuity
• Cybersecurity
• Vulnerability management
• Security incident response
• Data protection
• Device lifecycle management
• Patch management
• CMDB
• IT asset management
• Jira
• Confluence
• Technology procurement
• Software licensing
• Supplier management
• IT budget management
• Project management
• Infrastructure upgrades
• Technology roadmaps
• Educational technology
• Classroom technology
• AI-enabled technology
• Technology risk management
• KPI dashboards
• Technical documentation
• Team coaching

Why Join Us

This position offers substantial technology leadership responsibility across some of Aldar Education 's premium schools within Abu Dhabi Emirate 's Education Management sector. Rather than focusing on a single campus or technical discipline, the role combines multi-site IT leadership, cybersecurity, infrastructure, service management, digital transformation, procurement, projects, and educational technology. It also provides an opportunity to influence how emerging technologies, including AI-enabled tools, are introduced responsibly into school environments. With responsibility for both strategic roadmaps and operational service quality, the position can provide strong progression toward broader digital transformation, enterprise technology, IT operations, or technology director leadership roles.

About the Company

Aldar Education is a leading education group in Abu Dhabi operating a diverse network of schools and educational institutions across the United Arab Emirates. Its technology environment supports teaching, learning, administration, safeguarding, communications, and school operations, with continued investment in secure digital infrastructure, service improvement, innovation, and professional development.