MEA Head of Applications Engineering

Cigna; Dubai; On-site; AED 350,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Cigna in Dubai is seeking a technology leader to drive agile delivery and operational excellence across the MEA region. You will partner with MEA CIO leaders, regional CIOs and global teams to evolve the technology operating model and ensure scalable, secure customer-facing solutions.

You will oversee portfolio strategy, architecture, and delivery, support governance, manage budgets and vendor investments to maximize business value, and foster a strong engineering culture within a matrix

Qualifications

• 10 years of technology leadership experience across multi-country landscapes.
• Proven ability to execute regional technology strategies and roadmaps.
• Strong experience in Agile, DevOps, and product-centric delivery.
• Background in Health Insurance, Insurance or Financial Services.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering excellence across Agile Release Trains.
• Drive regional technology strategy aligned with global priorities.
• Influence regional teams and collaborate with global counterparts.
• Govern delivery, support, operations, and governance for scalable solutions.
• Embed cybersecurity, risk management, and regulatory compliance.

Skills

Agile leadership

DevSecOps

Engineering excellence

Stakeholder management

Technology strategy

Job description

Role Summary

Partnering closely with the MEA CIO business leaders MEA Head of Transformation regional CIOs the global Service Line teams the role drives the technology evolution through world class Agile delivery engineering leadership and reliable technology operations across the Middle East and Africa regions nbsp The role provides technology operating model leadership and maturity across the application management lifecycle including application portfolio strategy architecture delivery support operations and governance It is accountable for building scalable and resilient technology capabilities strengthening production support optimizing technology investments and ensuring solutions meet business customer operational and regulatory needs The strong technology and engineering know-how must be applied in a balanced manner between delivering the Product Owners backlog as efficiently as possible while also managing the technology debt backlog nbsp nbsp

Key Responsibilities

• Engineering Excellence across Agile Release Trains
• Execute the regional technology and application strategy in alignment with business objectives and global and local technology strategy and priorities
• Lead regional technology teams and influence global teams to drive delivery excellence engineering discipline and operational effectiveness
• Govern technology delivery application support and operations to ensure scalable resilient and customer-focused solutions
• Ensure compliance with cybersecurity risk regulatory and governance requirements nbsp Agile Release Train ART EnablementPartner with Release Train Engineers RTEs agile coaches and change managers to drive adoption of Agile SAFe DevOps and modern engineering practices to improve speed quality and reliabilitySupport Product Owners Scrum masters and System Architects in deliveryRemove systemic delivery bottlenecks Ensure capacity planning supports business priorities Enable cross-ART and cross portfolio collaboration nbsp DevSecOps and Continuous DeliveryImplement Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery practices Enable automated testing and quality controls Embed security into engineering workflows Improve release automation and deployment frequency nbsp Product-Centric Delivery SupportSupport Product Managers and Product Owners in the definition of their product roadmap and ensuring both strategic and tech debt investments are made Improve customer-centric delivery practices Encourage outcome-based planning and measurement Manage budgets resources and vendor investments to maximize business value and cost efficiency nbsp

Requirements

• 10 years of technology leadership experience managing complex multi-country technology landscapes supported by regional and global teams Proven ability to execute on regional technology strategies roadmaps and measurable outcomes Broad experience across technology strategy architecture engineering delivery support technology operations risk management and customer facing applications Strong understanding of enterprise technology modern engineering practices data platforms cybersecurity and emerging technologies including AI Strong experience operating within Agile Operating Models DevOps and product-centric delivery environments Background in Health Insurance Insurance or Financial Services Strong understanding of technology economics Tech total cost of ownership and strategic and tactical cost levers Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders including C-level business and technology leaders Broad experience in people management building tech leadership and high-performance tech delivery organisations Proven success working across global teams and delivering outcomes in a matrix organization through collaboration and influence Strong cultural awareness and understanding of Middle East and Africa business environments and market dynamics nbsp