Head of Technology - Data and AI

About the Role

This senior executive role carries the responsibility of expanding a sovereign, trustworthy, and technically unique technology consulting practice. The position entails full commercial and strategic oversight of the Technology Practice Unit, which spans multi-cloud platforms, enterprise data architecture, AI solutions, and cybersecurity-focused infrastructure. The ideal candidate blends comprehensive expertise in multi-cloud and enterprise technology with strong leadership skills and business acumen. This role will significantly influence Qatar's sovereign technology strategy, grow a large-scale project portfolio, and develop a top-tier consulting team to handle complex, mission-critical initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Craft and lead the strategic vision for the Technology Practice, encompassing sovereign architecture, multi-cloud, data platforms, AI infrastructure, and cybersecurity integration.
• Drive revenue growth and broaden the company's technology consulting presence within Qatar’s government and enterprise sectors.
• Explore and capitalize on emerging technology trends such as edge AI, sovereign cloud, private LLM infrastructure, and zero-trust architectures.
• Set profit and loss objectives, justify technological investments via business cases, and present performance updates to senior leadership and the board.
• Build strategic technology advisory engagements, manage complex RFPs and commercial negotiations, and foster partnerships to deliver secure, scalable multi-cloud solutions.
• Steer the sovereign Data & AI technology vision aligning with Qatar’s national digital strategy and regulations.
• Advise clients on multi-cloud strategies, sovereign cloud adoption, private AI infrastructure, and enterprise data architecture decisions.
• Establish and nurture trusted relationships with CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, and critical government and enterprise stakeholders, including regulators on sovereign AI and cybersecurity compliance matters.
• Develop strategic collaborations with hyperscalers, tech vendors, and sovereign infrastructure providers while closely working with advisory and delivery teams for client-ready solutions.
• Oversee technical leadership aspects including architecture assessments, platform selections, solution designs, and proof-of-concept implementations for major programmes.
• Create and commercialize technology offerings focused on multi-cloud platforms, enterprise data ecosystems, and AI infrastructure capabilities.
• Enhance organizational technology capabilities by identifying skill gaps and leading hiring, training, and development initiatives.
• Develop reusable technical assets such as reference architectures and solution blueprints to improve output quality and efficiency.
• Establish and manage vendor and training partnerships to strengthen expertise in emerging platforms and tools.
• Handle critical escalations and deliver direct intervention to resolve complex technical or program-related challenges affecting client outcomes.
• Ensure all engagements comply with cybersecurity regulations, data privacy policies, and sovereign infrastructure requirements.
• Manage resource allocation and workforce planning effectively across concurrent technology projects.
• Monitor financial performance of the practice, including billing, profitability, utilization, and cost control, implementing corrective actions as needed.
• Approve statements of work, resource plans, delivery models, and financial terms for technology engagements.
• Implement governance, architecture assurance, quality control, and compliance standards across all projects, and report regularly on performance, pipeline, and capabilities to leadership.
• Promote a culture aligned with organizational values and ways of working.
• Support employee career progression through regular performance feedback, coaching, and development planning.
• Participate actively in recruitment and retention efforts, including succession planning for key roles.
• Provide dynamic leadership that motivates and engages employees, driving delivery excellence and high levels of staff retention.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Economics, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Master’s degree such as MBA or MSc from an accredited institution is highly preferred.
• Relevant professional certifications in cloud platforms and enterprise architecture are important assets.
• At least 15 years of experience in enterprise technology consulting with expertise in multi-cloud architecture, data platform delivery, and AI technologies.
• Minimum 6 years in senior leadership roles managing sizeable managed services operations and medium to large teams.
• Strong knowledge of sovereign architecture and multi-cloud strategies across Azure, AWS, GCP, private cloud, Oracle, and Informatica platforms.
• Proven background in cybersecurity-aligned architecture and compliance with data sovereignty and security frameworks.

Essential Skills

• Mastery of enterprise technology architecture, cloud computing, and data & AI platform ecosystems
• Experience leading large, transformative technology initiatives in government and enterprise sectors
• Deep understanding of data governance, AI governance, cybersecurity controls, and secure AI deployment
• Track record of developing, commercializing technology products, accelerators, and reusable frameworks
• Technical prowess including sovereign architecture, multi-cloud strategy, enterprise data architecture with Informatica, zero-trust models, AI adoption frameworks, and cloud AI platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP)
• Strong commercial skills in P&L management and deal structuring