IT Program & Compliance Lead

Confidential; Dubai; On-site; AED 450,000 - 750,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential is seeking a senior IT governance and PMO professional to lead end-to-end governance, compliance, and financial planning for the IT function across geographies. You will draft policies, track regulations, manage budgeting, and standardize SOPs and knowledge management.

The role requires strong documentation skills, multi-country exposure, and familiarity with ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR or regional equivalents. Excellent written communication across time zones is essential.

Qualifications

• 5-15 years in IT governance, compliance, IT operations management, or technology PMO roles ideally with exposure to multi-country/multinational environments.
• Strong policy/procedure writing (clear, structured, audit-ready documentation)
• Process mapping and SOP development (interview stakeholders and document workflows)
• Familiarity with ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR or regional equivalents
• Budgeting and financial modelling (Excel/Sheets proficiency)
• HR/staffing benchmarking data and cost modelling
• Excellent written communication across time zones and regulatory contexts
• Certifications: CISA or ISO 27001 Lead Implementer
• Prior experience as IT PMO Lead or Compliance Lead

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end governance, compliance, financial planning, business process documentation, and knowledge infrastructure for the IT function across all countries of operation.
• Draft, maintain, and version-control IT policies (security, data handling, access control, vendor management, BYOD, incident response, etc.)
• Track applicable IT/data regulations per operating country and maintain a compliance calendar (audits, renewals, filings)
• Build and maintain the IT department budget (capex/opex) across geographies; flag variances
• Benchmark IT staffing ratios, roles, and compensation against industry/regional standards
• Map existing IT and cross-functional workflows; standardize SOP template/notation for consistency across countries
• Own the central repository for all IT documentation (policies, SOPs, architecture diagrams, compliance records)

Skills

Policy writing

Process mapping

Budgeting

Compliance awareness

Excel/Sheets

Education

CISA certification

ISO 27001 Lead Implementer

Job description

.6Role & responsibilities

Own the end-to-end governance, compliance, financial planning, business process documentation, and knowledge infrastructure for the IT function across all countries of operation, acting as the CTO's direct operational partner

1.IT Policies & Procedures

Draft, maintain, and version-control IT policies (security, acceptable use, data handling, access control, vendor management, BYOD, incident response, etc.)

2.Multi-Country Compliance

Track applicable IT/data regulations per operating country (e.g., data protection laws, labour-tech compliance, industry-specific mandates)

Maintain a compliance calendar (audits, renewals, filings, certifications e.g., ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR, local data residency laws)

3. Budgeting & Financial Planning

Build and maintain the IT department budget (capex/opex) across geographies

Track actual spend vs. budget; flag variances

4. Staffing Benchmarking & Per-Employee Cost

Benchmark IT staffing ratios, roles, and compensation against industry/regional standards

Maintain per-employee cost models (salary, tools, infrastructure, overhead) by country

5. Business Process Documentation & SOPs

Map existing IT and cross-functional workflows (onboarding/offboarding, access

Standardize an SOP template/format and process-mapping notation (e.g., flowcharts, RACI) for consistency across countries

6.Digital Documentation & Knowledge Management

Own the central repository for all IT documentation (policies, SOPs, architecture diagrams, compliance records, contracts)

Preferred candidate profile

5-15 years in IT governance, compliance, IT operations management, or technology PMO roles ideally with exposure to multi-country/multinational environments.

Strong policy/procedure writing (clear, structured, audit-ready documentation)

Process mapping and SOP development (able to interview stakeholders and turn tacit knowledge into documented workflow)

Working knowledge of relevant compliance frameworks (ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR, or region-specific equivalents)

Budgeting and financial modelling (Excel/Sheets proficiency at minimum)

Familiarity with HR/staffing benchmarking data and cost modelling

Excellent written communication this role lives in documents

Comfortable working across time zones and cultural/regulatory contexts

Certifications: CISA or ISO 27001 Lead Implementer

Prior experience as IT PMO Lead or Compliance Lead