Senior Program Manager - Resiliency

Senior Program Manager - Resiliency

Description:

Role Overview
We are seeking an accomplished Senior Program Manager Resiliency to lead enterprise-wide initiatives covering Data Centre (DC) operations, Disaster Recovery (DR), Business Continuity, and Operational Resilience for a leading banking institution in the UAE.
This role requires deep expertise in BFSI technology environments, regulatory compliance, and resilience governance, along with strong leadership and program management capabilities.
Key Responsibilities:
Data Centre & Disaster Recovery Strategy
- Develop, implement, and continuously enhance the banks Data Centre (DC) and Disaster Recovery (DR) strategies aligned with business continuity and resilience goals.
- Lead end-to-end planning, execution, and governance of DC/DR programs, including design, implementation, risk assessments, testing, and post-implementation analysis.
- Ensure compliance with UAE Central Bank regulatory guidelines, internal audit standards, and global resilience frameworks.
Business Continuity & Recovery Management
- Maintain and update Business Continuity Plans (BCP) to ensure rapid recovery of critical banking services.
- Define, monitor, and manage RTO (Recovery Time Objective) and RPO (Recovery Point Objective) for mission-critical systems.
- Conduct periodic DR drills, failover/failback testing, and coordinate cross-functional readiness reviews.
- Drive continuous improvement across DR processes, infrastructure resilience, and operational risk mitigation.
Operational Risk & Stakeholder Collaboration
- Collaborate closely with Technology, Cybersecurity, Operations, and Business Units to identify operational risks, gaps, and resilience dependencies.
- Establish governance frameworks, escalation structures, and reporting mechanisms for DR and resilience operations.
- Manage service providers, ensure SLA compliance, and oversee multi-vendor, multi-site delivery programs.
Infrastructure Modernization & Migration
- Lead infrastructure modernization, DC transformation, and data centre migration initiatives.
- Support cloud, hybrid, and virtualized environment adoption while ensuring resilience is embedded into architectural decisions.
Reporting, Audits & Compliance
- Prepare executive dashboards, regulatory submissions, status reports, and audit artefacts for internal and external stakeholders.
- Serve as a point of contact during regulatory inspections, internal audits, and operational risk reviews.
Culture & Governance
- Promote a strong culture of operational resilience, proactive risk identification, and collaborative problem-solving across teams.
- Ensure alignment of resilience strategy with enterprise goals, governance frameworks, and compliance obligations.
Required Qualifications & Skills:
- 17+ years of IT Program/Project Management experience in complex technology environments.
- Strong exposure to Data Centre, Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity, and Operational Resilience within BFSI.
- Minimum 12 years of BFSI experience; 6 to 7 years of UAE banking experience preferred.
Deep understanding of:
- Banking operations, risk, and control frameworks
- Resilience methodologies and operational risk management
- Infrastructure, cloud, virtualization, backup systems, and data replication
- DC/DR architectures, failover strategies, and recovery models
- Proven success in multi-site, multi-vendor, and large-scale program delivery.
- Strong stakeholder communication, leadership presence, and executive reporting skills.
- Preferred Certifications: PMP, PRINCE2, ITIL, ISO 22301 (Business Continuity).
Preferred Attributes:
- Experience with DC migration, hybrid/cloud adoption, and cyber resilience programs.
- Strong leadership, influencing, decision-making, and conflict-resolution skills.
- Excellent documentation, presentation, and communication abilities, especially for senior leadership