IT System Administration Lead

Arab Banking Corporation Manama, Bahrain Posted 5 days ago Permanent Competitive The IT System Administration Lead plays a critical role within the Bank’s IT Department and is tasked with overseeing the administration and maintenance of critical IT infrastructure components. This position is essential for ensuring the reliability, security, and performance of IT systems, which are foundational for banking operations across multiples geographies and vital for enhancing the resilience of the Bank’s IT environment. The job holder is responsible for protecting our critical systems and assets, building solutions, implementing new software and hardware, assisting in the implementation of the IT strategy, and leading a team of collaborative and results-orientated IT team members. The IT System Administration Lead is in charge of scaling, increasing performance, and providing great team member experience in order to help drive forward IT and business success based on world class IT system administration. Scope of the Job Technical Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and optimization of virtualization technologies, including hypervisors (e.g., VMware), virtual machines, and virtual infrastructure, to maximize resource utilization, enhance scalability, and streamline management of IT resources.
• Lead the design, implementation, and maintenance of operating systems (e.g., Windows, Linux), databases (e.g., Oracle, SQL Server), and other infrastructure components to ensure optimal performance, reliability, and security, adhering to best practices and industry standards.
• Oversee the management and provisioning of storage resources, including storage area networks (SANs), network-attached storage (NAS), and cloud storage solutions, ensuring data availability, integrity, and performance meet business requirements.
• Develop and implement robust disaster recovery strategies, including data replication, failover, and failback mechanism, to minimize downtime and data loss in the event of system failure or disasters.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design and implement on-premises cloud technologies, such as private cloud infrastructure and hybrid cloud environments, leveraging virtualization, automation, and orchestration tools to optimize resource allocation and facilitate self-service provisioning.
• Develop and execute strategies for managing system configurations, software installations, and upgrades, mitigating risks and vulnerabilities while maintaining system integrity and availability.
• Coordinate patching and vulnerability management activities, ensuring timely updates and patches are applied to all systems and software to safeguard against emerging security threats and vulnerabilities.
• Directly participate in IT System Administration and support as required (i.e., be hands-on).
• Proactively manage and support IT and cyber incident response efforts, actively collaborating with relevant teams to identify, assess, and manage technology incidents in a timely and effective manner.

IT Transformation Responsibilities

• Identify opportunities for process improvements and optimization within IT System Administration, driving initiatives to streamline workflows, reduce complexity, and enhance service delivery.
• Continuously improve processes like Patch Management, Vulnerability Management, Data Replication, Data Management, Incident, Problem, Change, Configuration and Release Management to achieve operational excellence and higher levels in process maturity.
• Closely partner with the Cyber & Information Security team to assess and address security vulnerabilities within the IT infrastructure, implementing robust controls and measures to protect against cybersecurity threats and breaches, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align IT System Administration strategies with business objectives, ensuring IT services meet the evolving needs of the Banks and its customers.
• Champion technology innovation and continuous improvement with the IT System Administration Team, fostering a culture of experimentation, learning, and knowledge sharing.
• Support the adoption of cloud technologies and facilitate the migration of on-premises systems to cloud-based platforms, optimizing infrastructure and systems for scalability, agility, and cost-effectiveness.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and industry trends, assessing the potential impact on IT System Administration and recommending strategic investments and initiatives to maintain competitiveness and relevance.
• Work with IT Operations and IT Resilience to keep DRC systems ready for any eventuality.

Leadership and People Management

• Foster customer-centricity in IT System Administration, manage a responsive IT team, focusing on banking operations and end-user satisfaction.
• Provide strategic leadership and direction to the IT Administration team, setting clear objectives, priorities, and performance expectations to drive accountability and excellence.
• Coach, mentor, and develop team members, fostering a supportive and collaborative work environment where individuals can grow and succeed.
• Attend regular meetings to present on IT System Administration in the bank.
• Develop meaningful dashboards/presentation to present what’s happening in IT System Administration.
• Measure, monitor, and maintain team’s ability to meet agreed SLAs and OLAs
• Make sure all IT System tasks adhere to pre-defined timelines and finishes on time.
• Work with System Administrators and Database Administrators to manage shifts and the staff manning that shift.
• Promote a culture of diversity, equality, and inclusion within the IT Administration teams, championship diversity initiatives and fostering a sense of belonging and respect for all team members.
• Collaborate with GIT Management and HR to recruit and onboard top talent, ensuring the IT Administration teams has the skills, capabilities, and resources needed to achieve its goals and objectives

Job Context The System Administration Lead operates in a dynamic and mission-critical environment withing the Bank’s IT department. In this role, the job holder will be responsible for overseeing the administration and maintenance of critical IT infrastructure components, including operating systems and databases, which are essential for the Bank’s daily operation, cybersecurity, and resilience. Within the Bank, IT system administration plays a fundamental role in ensuring the availability, reliability, and security of systems and services that underpin banking operations. The team is responsible for managing operating systems, ensuring they are properly configured, optimized, and maintained to support the bank’s applications and services. Additionally, database administrators are tasked with managing databases, ensuring data integrity, availability, and performance meet regulatory requirements and business needs. Moreover, with the growing prevalence of cyber threats targeting financial institutions, the role of IT system administration is essential for cybersecurity and resilience. The team is responsible for following security policies and implementing robust security measures to protect against cyber threats and unauthorized access to sensitive data. Additionally, the team plays a key role in disaster recovery and business continuity planning, ensuring the bank can recover quickly from disruptions and maintain critical services in the event of outages and disasters. As such, the IT System Administration Lead plays a critical role in setting priorities and driving initiatives to enhance efficiency, optimize infrastructure performance, and strengthen IT resilience posture. By fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement within the IT administration function, the team Lead ensures that the Bank remains agile, responsive, and resilient in the face of evolving challenges and opportunities in the financial industry. Areas of Knowledge, Qualification and Experience

• Strong technical expertise in operating systems (e.g., Windows, Linux), databases (e.g., Oracle, SQL Server), and virtualization technologies, with a deep understanding of system architecture, configuration, and optimization.
• Proven track records of managing medium-large scale IT environments, including cloud and on-prem, disaster recovery, and cloud migration/implementation projects.
• Comprehensive knowledge of Cobit and/or ITIL frameworks, IT service management principles, and industry-standard practices.
• Experience working in financial services or other fast paced 24x7 highly regulated organizations.
• Excellent troubleshooting, root cause analysis and permanent problem resolution skills,
• Demonstrated experience with cloud platforms, preferably AWS.
• Experience of various Banking Applications will be added advantage.
• Well versed in in various IT tools, like Project, Visio, Excel, Power-BI etc.
• Hands-on experience with automation tools and technologies, such as scripting languages and configuration management tools
• Demonstrated experience in designing, implementing, and maintaining data backup and disaster recovery solutions, including back up strategies, replication mechanisms, and failover procedures, to ensure data integrity and IT resilience.
• Strong knowledge of cloud computing technologies and migration strategies, with experience in evaluating, selecting, and implementing cloud-based solutions and services.
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements and compliance standards relevant to IT operations, such as GDPR, PCI-DSS, SWIFT CSP, and SOC 2, with experience ensuring compliance and implementing necessary IT controls.
• Bachelor’s degree in Cloud Computing, Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field.
• AWS relevant certifications (e.g., Solutions Architect, SysOps, DevOps, Advanced Networking, etc.) will be highly advantageous.
• Other relevant Technology Certifications also preferred.
• 14+ years of IT experience
• 5+ years in IT system administration management
• At least 5 years in a managerial and leadership role.
• Proven leadership skills
• Strong attention to detail
• Results orientated and proactive mindset.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work independently and under pressure.
• Effective communicator in verbal and written form
• Ability to deliver multiple initiatives while maintaining high quality of work.

Data Protection Manager Arab Banking Corporation Manama, Bahrain

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