Senior Program Manager - Resiliency - IT

Role: Senior Program Manager - Resiliency

Type: Full-Time

Experience: 17+ Years

Industry: Banking & Financial Services

About the Role

We're looking for a seasoned professional to lead the bank's Data Centre (DC) and Disaster Recovery (DR) strategy. The Senior Program Manager - Resiliency will be responsible for ensuring operational continuity, minimizing downtime, and maintaining full compliance with internal and regulatory standards.

The role calls for strong program management expertise, a solid understanding of DC/DR frameworks, and the ability to collaborate with senior business and technology stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

- Define and execute the enterprise-wide DC/DR and resilience roadmap aligned with business continuity objectives.

- Oversee all phases of DC/DR programs - from planning and risk analysis to testing and post-review.

- Ensure compliance with UAE Central Bank and other relevant regulatory guidelines.

- Establish and monitor Recovery Time (RTO) and Recovery Point (RPO) objectives for critical systems.

- Conduct regular DR drills and readiness assessments to ensure preparedness.

- Partner with Technology, Operations, Cybersecurity, and Business teams to embed resilience across processes.

- Lead modernization, infrastructure upgrades, and data centre migration initiatives.

- Prepare dashboards, reports, and documentation for leadership and audits.

- Manage vendor relationships and ensure adherence to contractual and SLA commitments.

- Build governance structures and foster awareness around DC/DR and resilience practices.

Requirements

- 17+ years of experience in IT Program/Project Management, primarily in DC/DR and resilience programs within Banking or Financial Services.

- Minimum 12 years of BFSI experience; UAE banking exposure (6-7 years) preferred.

- Proven background in business continuity, risk management, and regulatory compliance.

- Strong knowledge of infrastructure, cloud, virtualization, and data replication technologies.

- Skilled in managing multi-site, multi-vendor environments.

- Excellent leadership, stakeholder engagement, and communication skills.

- Certifications such as PMP, PRINCE2, ITIL, or ISO 22301 preferred.

Preferred Skills

- Experience in data centre migration, cloud transformation, or hybrid infrastructure.

- Familiarity with cyber resilience and IT security frameworks.

- Strong analytical, documentation, and coordination abilities.

- Comfortable working in dynamic, high-pressure environments.