Data & AI Platform Section Head

Saudi Air Navigation Services; Jeddah; On-site; SAR 200,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Saudi Air Navigation Services is seeking a senior leader to drive the engineering, delivery, and operational management of its data and AI platforms. You will ensure scalable, reliable and secure platforms aligned with enterprise digital priorities and provide regular updates to the Enterprise Platform, Apps & Analytics Manager.

You will lead roadmaps, oversee platform provisioning, and enable analytics and AI workloads while maintaining high data availability and security across systems.

Qualifications

• Minimum 6 years of experience in data/IT related field.
• Bachelors degree in Engineering, CS, IT or equivalent required.
• Preferred certifications: CDMP, TOGAF, Agile, cloud platform certs.

Responsibilities

• Lead data and AI platform strategy, roadmaps and enablement plans.
• Oversee engineering, deployment, and operational support for platforms.
• Ensure security, resilience, and enterprise standards compliance.
• Enable analytics, AI, and reporting capabilities for the business.
• Manage data integration across enterprise applications and systems.
• Provide guidance and mentoring to subordinates; drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Data platform management

Analytics enablement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, IT or equivalent

DAMA CDMP; TOGAF; Agile; Cloud platforms (GCP/AWS) certifications

Tools

Google Cloud - Professional Cloud Architect

Amazon Web Services - Solutions Architect Professional

Databricks - Data Engineer

Job description

Role Purpose

Lead the engineering, delivery, and operational management of SANS enterprise data and AI platforms to enable analytics, AI, and enterprise reporting ,Ensure platforms are scalable, reliable, secure, and aligned with enterprise digital priorities, while providing consistent reporting and updates to the Enterprise Platform, Apps & Analytics Manager.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES & ACTIVITIES

Data & AI Platform Strategy & Roadmap Execution

• Translate enterprise data and AI strategies into actionable engineering roadmaps and platform enablement plans.
• Ensure platforms support analytics, AI, and enterprise data needs in line with business and digital priorities.

Platform Engineering & Operations Oversight

• Lead engineering, deployment, and operational support for data and AI platforms, ensuring reliability, performance, and scalability.
• Oversee platform provisioning, monitoring, and optimization to enable business critical analytics and AI workloads.
• Ensure platforms meet enterprise standards for security, resilience, and performance.

AI/Analytics Enablement & Adoption

• Enable advanced analytics, AI, and reporting capabilities by ensuring data platforms provide high-quality, reliable, and accessible data.
• Support business teams and data scientists with platforms, tools, and environments to accelerate AI model development and adoption.
• Partner with analytics teams to optimize platform usage and measure adoption effectiveness.

Integration & Data Flow Management

• Ensure seamless integration of data across applications, platforms, and enterprise systems.
• Oversee API/middleware support for data ingestion, transformation, and distribution across systems.
• Maintain high data availability, integrity, and flow across the data & AI landscape.

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Provide regular updates to the Enterprise Platform, Apps & Analytics Manager on roadmap execution, risks, and modernization priorities.
• Apply enterprise standards and best practices for platform engineering, monitoring, and maintenance.
• Maintain accurate documentation for platform configurations, integrations, and operations to support compliance and audit readiness.
• Capture lessons learned, embed automation, and continuously improve data and AI platform maturity.

Policies, Processes and Procedures

• Support in monitoring day-to-day activities to ensure compliance with stipulated policies and procedures
• Contribute to the identification of opportunities for continuous improvement of systems and processes taking into account leading practices, changes in business environment, cost reduction and productivity improvement

People Management

• Actively participate in on-the-job training, mentoring and coaching of subordinates
• Provide clear direction, prioritize tasks, assign and delegate responsibility and monitor the workflow
• Promote a high-performance working environment embracing SANS's values

QUALIFICATIONS / REQUIREMENTS

Knowledge and Experience

• Minimum 6 years of experience in a related field or equivalent is required.

Education and Certifications

• A bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology (IT), or equivalent is required.
• Preferred Certifications: DAMA International – Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP), TOGAF for enterprise architecture alignment and Agile certifications such as Scrum Master, PMI-ACP, or SAFe , Cloud & Platform Certifications such as Google Cloud – Professional Cloud Architect, Amazon Web Services – Solutions Architect Professional, Databricks – Data Engineer
• Professional.