Head of IT Planning & Governance

Empresa Confidencial; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 350,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

Empresa Confidencial is seeking an IT governance and enterprise architecture leader in Saudi Arabia to formulate and drive the IT strategy aligned with business expansion in fintech and remittance sectors.

The role requires strong experience in SAMA audits, data governance, and vendor governance, with a track record of reducing architectural debt and ensuring data privacy. A suitable professional certification is expected, and the position is based on-site in Riyadh.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of overall IT experience.
• At least 4 years in IT governance, enterprise architecture, or data governance leadership.
• Experience in the KSA banking, fintech, or financial services sector.
• Successfully faced or managed SAMA IT or Cyber Security audits.
• Data governance framework aligned with NDMO/SNDP guidelines.
• Hold at least one active professional certification (TOGAF, COBIT, CGEIT, or CDMP).

Responsibilities

• Formulate and execute IT corporate strategy.
• Ensure regulatory compliance with SAMA, NDMO, and NCA guidelines.
• Govern technology stacks, frameworks, and integration blueprints.
• Champion data governance, data catalogs, and data lineage.
• Implement IT risk controls and manage audit inquiries.
• Oversee IT CAPEX/OPEX planning and vendor governance.

Skills

IT governance

Enterprise architecture

Data governance

Regulatory compliance

Risk & controls

Education

Bachelor’s degree (CS / Engineering / Business Admin)

Tools

TOGAF

COBIT

CGEIT

CDMP

Job description

• Strategic Alignment: Formulate and execute the IT corporate strategy, aligning the technology roadmap with business expansion goals in the remittance and digital wallet space.
• Regulatory Compliance: Ensure all IT architectures, data practices, and governance frameworks comply strictly with SAMA (Saudi Central Bank) regulations, SNDP (National Data Management Office / NDMO) mandates, and local cybersecurity frameworks (NCA).
• Enterprise Architecture Oversight: Govern the selection of technology stacks, application frameworks, and integration blueprints to eliminate architectural debt and maximize system agility.
• Data Governance & Management: Champion the establishment of a robust data governance framework, creating data catalogs, defining data lineage, and ensuring data privacy/security protocols.
• IT Risk & Controls: Implement and monitor IT controls, managing technical risks, IT internal/external audit inquiries, and continuous compliance reviews.
• Financial & Vendor Governance: Oversee IT CAPEX/OPEX planning, portfolio optimization, and strategic vendor contract governance.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.

EXPERIENCE

• 10+ 10 years of overall IT experience, with at least 4 years specifically managing IT Governance, Enterprise Architecture, or Data Governance leadership role.
• experience working within the KSA banking, fintech, or financial services sector
• successfully faced or managed SAMA (Saudi Central Bank) IT or Cyber Security audits in your previous roles
• designed or implemented a Data Governance framework that aligns with NDMO/SNDP guidelines
• hold at least one active professional certification in these domains (e.g., TOGAF, COBIT, CGEIT, or CDMP