Director - Service Operations

Talent Leaders is a Canadian federally incorporated Executive Search and HR Consulting firm, with a strong presence in the Middle East and a proven track record of sourcing exceptional leadership talent across the GCC. We have been exclusively mandated by one of our prestigious clients in Qatar to headhunt a highly qualified Director – Service Operations to lead a mission-critical function that drives digital infrastructure excellence and managed service maturity in a 24x7 environment.

Role Overview

The Director – Service Operations will develop strategies, set goals, and oversee the operational functions of the department, ensuring seamless delivery of quality services that meet contractual commitments. The position requires strong commercial acumen, technical knowledge, leadership skills, and the ability to work under high pressure while maintaining strong relationships with clients and internal stakeholders. The role involves managing major escalations, leading service improvements, and aligning day-to-day operations with long-term transformation goals.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop the department's strategy, goals, initiatives, and plans, and provide guidance to subordinates during execution of major initiatives
• Lead the department's operations, ensuring alignment and collaboration with key stakeholders
• Develop and manage the department's annual budget, controlling expenditure effectively
• Monitor operational performance and drive improvement initiatives based on identified gaps
• Establish, maintain, and enforce departmental policies, processes, and guidelines
• Lead, motivate, and develop the team while promoting company culture, values, and behaviors
• Implement standardized operating models, performance dashboards, and client experience frameworks using ITIL v3+ principles
• Drive automation, process modernization, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Operationalize the ITS Operations playbook across all functions under service operations

• Oversee Service Centre operations (Service Desk, Network Operations Centre, Workplace Services) and Service Management (Client Services, Service Control, Operational Transition Management)
• Deliver fit-for-purpose, quality, profitable, and on-time services in line with contractual commitments
• Contribute to the strategic development of new or existing services
• Produce management reports for executive review
• Manage major client escalations and approve actions as directed by the Chief Technology Officer
• Participate in solution design and bid approvals
• Manage assigned service processes and ensure outputs align with defined objectives
• Train, assess, and guide team members for success in service operations leadership
• Support internal and external relationship management, including vendors and partners
• Work with PMO to deliver and transition complex technology solutions to in-life support
• Ensure solutions are delivered within budget, timelines, and SLAs

Job Requirements

Academic and Professional Qualifications

• University degree in Technology or Engineering 
• Leadership Training Program similar to HEC Paris or INSEAD or MIT Leadership Programs

Experience

• 15+years in technology services, with Managed Service Provider in a multi-tenant environment
• 10+ years as a service delivery, client manager in Data Centre, IT Services, BPO, or Managed Services

• Specialized knowledge of Bidding Processes at National & International Environment 
• ITIL practitioner certification required; Manager certification preferred, Change Management Professional 
• Strategic thinking, decision-making under pressure, stakeholder management, and change leadership skills
• Knowledge of ITIL, ISO 20000, LEAN/Six-Sigma, CMMI, TIA-942, Zachman, and The Uptime Institute
• Strong understanding of incident, change, problem, and service level management
• Experience running 24x7 operations and managing infrastructure/security towers
• Familiarity with cloud, data centers, Splunk, SMAX, Lansweeper, and monitoring tools
• Skilled in dashboard creation (Power BI) and resource/budget forecasting
• Excellent executive communication, negotiation, and influencing skills
• Arabic speaking preferred