IT Lead Central Europe, Middle East & Africa (m/f/d)

Meliá Hotels International; Ratingen; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Meliá Hotels International is seeking an IT Lead for Central Europe, Middle East & Africa based in Ratingen, Germany. You will partner with hotels and corporate offices to deliver aligned IT services, manage vendors, and drive regional technology initiatives.

The role requires strong stakeholder management, SLAs, risk management, and effective collaboration across countries and cultures. Travel across the region is expected.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in IT/CS or related field.
• Experience with IT service delivery and regional governance.
• Fluency in English and German; other languages a plus.

Responsibilities

• Act as regional IT business partner for hotels and corporate office, aligning with global IT strategy.
• Define local service requirements and manage external IT providers.
• Own vendor performance through governance, SLAs, and improvement actions.
• Lead commercial discussions and negotiations in the company’s best interests.
• Translate hotel requirements into clear service expectations for internal and external teams.
• Ensure global IT solutions are adapted to local regulatory needs and market conditions.
• Plan and lead regional technology projects, including openings and takeovers.
• Promote compliance with IT policies, security standards and brand service levels.
• Represent IT in regional committees and provide clear reporting.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Vendor management

IT governance

Project delivery

Negotiation

English & German fluency

Education

Degree in IT/CS

Job description

Career Opportunities: IT Lead Central Europe, Middle East & Africa (m/f/d) (41327)

Requisition ID41327-Posted08/25/2026-Germany-Ratingen-IT and Telecommunications-Corporate Offices

Continuing you journey at Meliá is an opportunity to learn, grow and keep building your career within a global team. Here you can take on new challenges and access experiences and access experiences in different destinations, while remaining part of our family.

Are you ready to take the next step in your career with us?

REMEMBER: Before applying, you must inform your direct supervisor and/or Hotel Director, and your HR manager of your interest in participating in the internal selection process . Your line manager will not have the authority to authorize or halt your application, but must be properly informed.

The Mission

Ensure that technology services and projects across the region’s business units remain aligned with the defined global IT strategy, while meeting local operational, regulatory, security and scalability requirements.

What will you do?

• Act as the regional IT business partner for hotels and the corporate office, maintaining close dialogue with operational leaders and key functions to identify and prioritise technology needs.
• Define local service requirements and manage external IT providers to ensure reliable, secure and scalable services for the hotels across the region.
• Own vendor performance through clear governance, service reviews, SLA monitoring, escalation management and agreed improvement actions.
• Build productive relationships with technology partners and lead commercial discussions and negotiations in the company’s best interests.
• Translate hotel requirements into clear service expectations and coordinate the appropriate internal teams and external providers to deliver effective solutions.
• Ensure global IT solutions are implemented consistently while being adapted to local operational needs, regulations and market-specific requirements.
• Plan and lead regional technology projects, including local implementations, innovation initiatives, openings, takeovers and disaffiliations in coordination with the relevant teams and PMO.
• Promote and monitor compliance with Meliá Hotels International IT policies, security standards, process guidelines and brand service levels across business units and providers.
• Represent IT in regional operating committees, provide clear reporting and facilitate focused decision-making sessions with stakeholders, internal teams and suppliers.
• Conduct regular visits to hotels and corporate centres to strengthen relationships, understand local realities and proactively identify risks and improvement opportunities.

What we are looking for?

• Degree, technical qualification or equivalent professional experience in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Information Systems or a related field.
• Several years of experience in IT service delivery, vendor management, technology operations or a comparable regional role, ideally within hospitality or another multi-site service environment.
• Proven ability to manage external providers, service contracts, SLAs, escalations and performance improvement plans.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to build trusted relationships with hotel leaders, corporate functions, technical teams and suppliers across different countries and cultures.
• Experience translating business and operational requirements into clear, scalable and commercially viable technology services or solutions as well as solid project and programme delivery skills, including prioritisation, resource coordination, risk management and implementation across multiple locations.
• Good understanding of IT governance, information security, regulatory compliance, business continuity and global technology standards.
• Confident communication, influencing and negotiation skills, with the ability to represent IT in management committees and communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences.
• Structured, accountable and solution-oriented working style, combined with sound judgement, conflict-resolution skills and a strong service mindset.
• Fluency in English and German is mandatory; Spanish language skills are of advantage.
• Willingness to travel regularly across Central Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

At Meliá Hotels International, we are committed to equal opportunities between women and men in the workplace, with the commitment of management and the principles contained in Human Resources policies. We also prioritize disseminating throughout the entire staff a corporate culture committed to effective equality, and raising awareness about the need to act jointly and globally.

We promote our commitment to equality and diversity , avoiding any kind of dicrimination, especially related to reasons of disability, race, religion, gender, or age. We believe that diversity and inclusion among our employees are essential for our success as a global company .

Additionally, we support the sustainable growth of our industry through a socially responsible team . In this sense, our motto is " Towards a sustainable future, from a responsible present ". Thanks to al our collaborators, we make it possible.

To protect yourself and avoid fraud in selection processes, we invite you to consult our recommendations on the " Protect Your Application " page.

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