IDB2936 - Senior Solution Operations Specialist

Job Purpose

The Senior Solution Operations Specialist is responsible to design and manage the implementation of solution platforms and database infrastructure for on-premise and cloud environments, including provisioning, administering, operating, monitoring and supporting in alignment with IsDB vision and strategy to meet the business requirements of internal and external business stakeholders. The Senior Solution Operations Specialist manages the operations of the solution and database platforms to ensure compliance to standards and procedures and maintain service quality according to defined SLAs and KPIs related availability and performance that are required to support business operations in IsDB HQ and in Regional Hubs The Senior Solution Operations Specialist performs both the strategic oversight and day-to-day management of the third parties to ensure that solution operations services meet the organizational needs.

Key Accountabilities

• Design and lead the implementation of the overall solution landscape for solution platforms and databases including provisioning, administering, operating, monitoring and supporting to support the operational needs of the developed solutions to meet availability and performance expectations of business stakeholders with target SLAs and KPIs
• Continuously evaluate and develop architectures and technology roadmaps for solution and database platform components to manage the transition of the as-is landscape to a to-be landscape aligned with the overall IT strategy that takes advantage of new technology developments and capabilities and enhances operational efficiency, resiliency and security 
• Ensure appropriate tools, solutions, processes and procedures are developed, maintained and implemented to achieve performance targets, service levels and operational continuity.
• Drive the selection, coordination, partnership and consultation with solution vendors to ensure appropriate third parties are selected for the implementation of solution technical architecture and solution operations
• Manage third parties delivering solution operations and monitoring services to ensure compliance to SLA’s, process adherence and innovation to achieve operational objectives for availability and performance with agreed service levels
• Oversee the technical integration of solution components based on the solution architecture and integration standards agreed upon by the Solution Architects and the Enterprise Architect to ensure secure and reliable exchange of data between solutions
•  Design, develop and maintain appropriate security roles and profiles for each solution and coordinate with the Infrastructure and Security operations User Access Management team to provide technical support for both user and privileged access requirements related to solutions
• Develop the standards, processes and tools to enable the transition from development of solutions to the solution operations, with all the prerequisites required to operate the solution including support roles and responsibilities, SLA and KPI targets, availability and continuity requirements and other operations processes
• Lead the transition from the solution development to the solution operations teams to provision the required solution platforms that ensure a smooth handover from the development phase to the operations and support phases 
•  Ensure that appropriate processes are implemented and managed to control the implementation of the changes to solution platforms and databases to minimize the risk of disruption to production systems and ensure operational continuity
• Participate as a standing member of the Change Advisory Board to ensure all changes within the IsDB technology environment are complying with solution platform and database policies and standards
• Develop and manage the Quality Assurance plans related to the solution platforms and databases to ensure adherence to standards and best practices 
• Manage the processes and relevant stakeholders to ensure detailed analysis of IsDB solution platforms and databases performance to recommend solutions that enhance and tune performance to meet SLAs and KPIs
• Architect and design disaster recovery solutions for solution platforms and databases to ensure that IsDB maintains the ability to maintain business operations that depend on critical solutions in case of a major incident
• Design backup and recovery strategies aligned with IT policies and procedures and business requirements and ensure compliance with operations requirements for testing of backups for solution platform and databases in order to protect IsDB data and provide assurance of recoverability from major incidents
• Monitor and ensure that incidents and problem resolution related to the IsDB solution platforms and databases comply with IT policies, procedures and standards and are performed within agreed upon SLAs
• Ensure that security standards including security architecture, security hardening, security patching, security monitoring, privileged access controls are implemented and maintained for solution and database platforms in alignment with adopted cybersecurity frameworks and operation standards to mitigate associated risks
• Lead the end-to-end procurement of solution platforms and services to ensure the best value for IsDB
• Develop and maintain procedures, work methods and standards for solution operations such as back-up, security, monitoring, patching, program release and control, and for how modifications to solutions and databases are deployed in order to ensure availability and performance of solution platforms and databases
• Lead the communication with senior management, business stakeholders and department management through presentations and reports on plans, performance, SLAs, KPIs and incidents related to solution platform and database operations

Education and Experience

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, Information Technology or similar field.

 

Experience:

• 8+ years of experience in managing solution platforms and databases.

 

Languages

• English(mandatory)
• Arabic(preferred)
• French (preferred) 

Skills and Necessary Knowledge

• Strong knowledge and experience in end-to-end solution platform and databases management and operations 
• Specific knowledge in managing major, industry-leading enterprise resource planning and financial application technology platforms 
• Strong knowledge and experience in IT Service Management including incident, problem, configuration, availability and continuity management 
• Knowledge and experience in enterprise-level solution integration 
• Strong knowledge and experience in security, roles and profiles for solutions 
• Experience in implementing security controls according to industry standards for solution platforms and databases 
• Knowledge and experience in implementing high availability, backup and recovery and disaster recovery for solution platforms and databases 
• Experience in managing and coordinating with third-party solution and database service providers