IT Practice Lead (Cloud Optimisation Project / FinOps)

Cathay Pacific; Hong Kong; On-site; HKD 420,000 - 660,000; Full time

Job summary

Cathay Pacific is seeking an IT Practice Lead to drive the evolution and continuous improvement of practice methodologies, frameworks, and toolsets across its technology organisation.

You will coach, advise, and develop communities of practice, aligning with Planning & Governance and PMO processes, while overseeing the IT Graduate Trainee and Internship Programme and supporting Cathay's innovation initiatives like Hackathon.

Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related discipline.
• 6+ years as a practitioner within the IT practice and 10+ years in IT overall.
• Ability to coach, consult with, and advise individuals and teams effectively.
• Proven leadership capability and ability to influence decision-making.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills focused on process improvement.
• Build and manage relationships with diverse stakeholders and communicate effectively.
• Experience designing and delivering training; change management familiarity.
• Knowledge of end-to-end project delivery, lifecycles, and delivery methodologies.
• PM/Agile certifications and airline industry knowledge are beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Develop and continuously enhance IT practice methodologies, frameworks, processes, and toolsets to improve delivery quality.
• Identify industry best practices and innovations and assess applicability.
• Monitor practice performance and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Establish and execute quality management frameworks, health checks, and lessons learned analysis.
• Lead change adoption activities for new practices, processes, and ways of working.
• Coach practitioners, teams, and practice champions via advisory services and training.
• Align practice frameworks with other IT disciplines, Planning & Governance and PMO processes.
• Manage governance content repositories, communications, and meetings.
• Design and deliver capability development initiatives including training needs analysis.
• Oversee IT Graduate Trainee and Internship Programme including recruitment and engagement.

Skills

Coaching

Leadership

Analytical

Communication

Change management

Training delivery

Advisory services

Stakeholder management

Project delivery knowledge

Education

Degree in Computer Science / Information Systems

Job description

Reports to: IT Practice Manager

Lead the evolution of IT practices that enable high-quality outcomes and more effective delivery across Cathay's technology organisation. You will drive the development and continuous improvement of practice methodologies, frameworks, processes, and toolsets while ensuring alignment with other IT disciplines, Planning & Governance teams, and Enterprise Project Management Office processes.

Role Introduction

Lead the evolution of IT practices that enable high-quality outcomes and more effective delivery across Cathay's technology organisation. You will drive the development and continuous improvement of practice methodologies, frameworks, processes, and toolsets while ensuring alignment with other IT disciplines, Planning & Governance teams, and Enterprise Project Management Office processes.

Working closely with practitioners, delivery teams, and stakeholders, you will coach, advise, and develop communities of practice that strengthen capability and consistency across the organisation. From quality management and health checks to lessons learned, training programmes, and practice communications, you will play a central role in helping teams adopt better ways of working and achieve stronger results.

You will also oversee the IT Graduate Trainee and Internship Programme, leading recruitment, onboarding, development, rotations, and engagement activities while supporting innovation initiatives such as Cathay Moments and the annual Hackathon. Your work will influence both the effectiveness of today's teams and the development of tomorrow's technology talent, helping move Cathay forward through continuous improvement and capability growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and continuously enhance IT practice methodologies, frameworks, processes, and toolsets to improve delivery quality and effectiveness
• Identify industry best practices and innovations, assessing their applicability and implementation within the Cathay environment
• Monitor practice performance, gather stakeholder feedback, and drive continuous improvement initiatives
• Establish and execute quality management frameworks, including health checks, lessons learned analysis, and improvement actions
• Lead change adoption activities that support the successful implementation of new practices, processes, and ways of working
• Coach practitioners, teams, and practice champions through advisory services, training, and community engagement activities
• Align practice frameworks and processes with other IT disciplines, Planning & Governance teams, and Enterprise Project Management Office processes
• Manage practice governance activities, including content repositories, communication channels, and practice meetings
• Design and deliver capability development initiatives, including training needs analysis and skills uplift programmes for IT colleagues
• Oversee the IT Graduate Trainee and Internship Programme, including recruitment, onboarding, rotations, coaching, engagement activities, innovation initiatives, and annual Hackathon delivery.

Requirements

• Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related discipline
• Minimum of 6 years of experience as a practitioner within the relevant IT practice and a minimum of 10 years of related IT experience
• You demonstrate the ability to coach, consult with, and advise individuals and teams effectively
• You have proven leadership capability and the ability to influence decision-making
• You possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a focus on process improvement
• You can build and manage effective relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders and communicate effectively through verbal, written, and presentation formats
• You can motivate and inspire teams while supporting capability growth through training, coaching, and advisory services
• You demonstrate experience designing and delivering training sessions and have practical experience in change management
• You maintain an up-to-date understanding of industry trends and possess solid knowledge of end-to-end project delivery, system delivery lifecycles, and delivery methodologies
• You possess strong knowledge and experience in either project delivery or business analysis; knowledge of software development methodologies is required for Project Practice Leads, while Project Management and Agile certifications, as well as airline industry knowledge, are beneficial.

Personal & Application Information

Cathay Pacific is an Equal Opportunities Employer. Personal data provided by job applicants will be used strictly in accordance with our Applicant Personal Information Collection Statement and for recruitment purposes only. Candidates not notified within eight weeks may consider their application unsuccessful. We keep records of your data for no longer than is necessary for the purpose for which we obtained them and any other permitted linked purposes. If your application is unsuccessful, we will keep your details on file for as long as is necessary to process your application or for the purposes of further job opportunities if you agree to such longer periods.