Company Description

Now it\'s your time to join the #1 bank in the Middle East and one of the most prestigious financial companies in the region. Shaking up the world of banking requires a lot of smarts and skill. We\'re looking for the brightest and best to help us reach our goals and we\'ll also help you reach yours.

Your success is our success as you grow stronger in your career. Join us and leave a legacy of your own, as a pioneer in both the company and the industry.

First Abu Dhabi Bank is an inclusive environment where each person values the experiences, perspectives, ideas and beliefs of others. We\'re in a unique position to learn from all our colleagues, combining international experience with deep cultural knowledge and local expertise.

At FAB, you\'ll have the support of your team and a strong relationship with your leadership, who will trust you with responsibility and recognize your expertise. As we embrace different ways of seeing the world, listening to each other and respecting different viewpoints, we grow stronger - together

As the largest bank in the UAE we are proudly building a team fit for the future, changing the perception of what a career in banking means and setting the standard of what a great workplace is and can be.

With an inclusive culture, excellent learning and development opportunities, and competitive rewards, there are plenty of reasons why FAB is a great place to work.



The Head of Data Architecture, Infra and Data Tooling will play a critical role in shaping the organization\'s data infrastructure and driving data-driven initiatives. This strategic leadership position requires a deep understanding of data architecture, data governance, and data tooling to ensure that our data ecosystem is scalable, efficient, and secure. The successful candidate will lead a team of data architects, solution architects, designers and tooling specialists and collaborate with cross-functional teams to optimize data workflows and enhance the overall data estate modernization, total cost of ownership and data management capabilities of the bank.

• Accountable for aligning the organizations data architecture, infrastructure and associated tooling to futuristic and modern data platforms in line with the overall data and business strategy.

• The role is a key enabler to put data and insight at the heart of everything they do, to unleash its potential across the business and enable data led decision-making that will increase the value of their services to clients, colleagues and communities.

• The successful candidate will lead on all aspects of data estate architecture and associated nonfunctional requirements ranging from TCO to Performance, Scalability, Elasticity, Availability, Maintainability and material outsourcing assessment and the associated teams and will be accountable for developing and delivering the technology aspects of the data strategy as well as creating an industry leading data architecture team.

• You will be responsible for coordinating data engineering to deliver data migrations, support change programmes with data dependencies as well as the build and decommission of legacy data / analytics platforms and associated applications.

• Evaluate business needs and objectives, being proactive and interest trends and architectural patterns as prevailing in the industry.

• Collaborate with data scientists and enterprise architects on several change, regulatory and innovative projects.

• Strategize and Drive future platform architecture for Data Warehousing and data lakes in the cloud world. Own the data architecture and associated roadmap of all Transformational Initiatives.

• Lead and Deliver scoping and execution of change initiatives including Group Programs and associate ARB (Architectural Review Boards) . Leading presentation of Change initiatives to tech stakeholders and ensure appropriate governance & Risk management.

• Bridge Technology and Business across multi-disciplinary teams to scale data architecture and cloud transformations and enable new innovations at pace.
• Build a sustainable team and capability to be future ready, coach and mentor the people in the team to build a world class data engineering team

Responsibilities:

Data Architecture Strategy:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive data architecture strategy aligned with the company\'s overall vision and objectives.
• Define and maintain data standards, best practices, and guidelines to ensure consistency and quality across all data-related projects and initiatives.
• Assess existing data architecture and identify opportunities for improvement, modernization, and optimization.

Data Governance and Compliance:

• Establish and enforce data governance policies and procedures to safeguard sensitive data and ensure compliance with relevant data regulations and industry standards.
• Collaborate with legal and compliance teams to address data privacy and security concerns effectively.

Data Tooling Selection and Integration:

• Evaluate, select, and implement cutting-edge data tools, technologies, and platforms that align with the company\'s data needs and objectives.
• Oversee the integration of data tooling solutions and ensure seamless interoperability within the existing data infrastructure.

Leadership and Team Management:

• Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of data architects and tooling specialists to deliver high-quality results and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
• Provide guidance and support in complex problem-solving scenarios related to data architecture and tooling.

Collaboration and Stakeholder Management:

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including data engineering, data science, and business intelligence, to understand their data requirements and design efficient data solutions.
• Work closely with business leaders to align data initiatives with strategic goals and to communicate the value of data architecture investments.

Data Quality and Performance Monitoring:

• Implement data quality monitoring processes to proactively identify and address data integrity issues.
• Define performance metrics and KPIs to assess the effectiveness of data architecture and tooling efforts.

Functional / Technical knowledge, skills and experience

• Proven track record and experience of data management or data engineering leadership
• Excellent knowledge of data management disciplines including data migration, business intelligence, data security and privacy, data integration, data governance and quality
• Experience in data engineering and executing cloud migration (Azure, Synapses, Purview, Data Factory, Power BI, Power APPS, AWS, Snowflake) and maintaining/decommissioning of legacy (on prem data warehouse (Teradata/ Oracle Warehouse, SSIS, Crystal BO, Tableau).
• Strong knowledge of industry and business data domains and processes
• Significant experience as product owner of technical tools and platforms
• Experience delivering data initiatives with commercial impact

Interpersonal skills

• Proven track record in communication and engagement up to CXO level
• Ability to build effective relationships and communicate complex, technical issues clearly and concisely
• Excellent leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate people at all levels and develop a high performing team
• Ability to engage, challenge and influence stakeholders to achieve productive solutions

Qualifications

• Bachelor\'s or Master\'s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• 15+ years of relevant experience in data architecture, data engineering, or data tooling, with at least 5 years in a leadership or managerial role.
• Strong knowledge of data management principles, data modeling, data integration, and data warehousing.
• Proven experience in selecting and implementing data tooling and technologies, such as data lakes, data catalogs, ETL/ELT frameworks, etc.
• Familiarity with data security, data governance, and data privacy best practices and regulations.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with a focus on innovation and continuous improvement.
• Experience in large financial institution with understanding of banking functions and processes
• Certifications in data management, data architecture, data architecture or related fields

First Abu Dhabi Bank