Chief Information Officer

About the Role

Virtucruit is conducting a confidential search for a Chief Information Officer for a large, established Saudi organization with significant scale across the Kingdom. This full-time senior executive role, based in Riyadh, involves owning and leading the entire technology agenda as a peer to the executive team, with full ownership of the company's technology function. The salary for this position is not disclosed.

Technology Strategy and Execution

The Chief Information Officer will define and execute the multi-year technology strategy across infrastructure, enterprise applications, data, integration, and security. This includes setting the target architecture for the group, encompassing ERP, core operational systems, data and analytics, and the integration fabric. The role requires accountability for the reliability, security, and commercial relevance of the entire technology estate, with a focus on delivering value in quarters rather than years.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute the multi-year technology strategy across infrastructure, applications, data, integration, and security.
• Set the target architecture for the group, including ERP, core operational systems, data and analytics, and the integration fabric.
• Make and defend build, buy, and partner decisions that shape the technology estate.
• Run a modern, reliable enterprise systems environment supporting core business operations.
• Lead ERP modernization or migration programs to support unified reporting, real-time decision-making, and operational scale.
• Establish integration and middleware capabilities to ensure core functions operate from a single source of truth.
• Build the data foundation, warehouse, governance, and analytics layer for commercial, operations, and finance teams.
• Embed data-led decision-making across senior leadership.
• Hold full accountability for the company's cybersecurity posture and ensure compliance with regulatory obligations.
• Own business continuity, disaster recovery, and controls required by internal and external audit.
• Run a service-oriented IT operation with measurable uptime, response, and cost commitments.
• Lead the technology program management office, ensuring clear quarterly delivery, transparent governance, and disciplined vendor management.
• Shape the IT operating model, balancing in-house capability, managed services, and strategic partners.
• Sit on the executive committee and act as a peer to senior leadership.
• Translate technology into commercial language for the Chief Executive Officer and the board.
• Manage the technology budget with rigor, including capital allocation, vendor consolidation, and total cost of ownership.

Qualifications and Experience

• Fifteen years or more in enterprise technology, with at least five years at Chief Information Officer, Group CIO, or equivalent level in a complex, multi-site organization.
• A track record of leading a full technology stack end-to-end, ideally in a regulated or institutionally governed environment.
• Direct, hands-on experience with at least one major ERP transformation or core systems re-platforming program, from business case to go-live.
• Deep fluency in enterprise technology, including ERP platforms, integration platforms, cloud infrastructure, data and analytics, and modern security architecture.
• Strong commercial instinct, with the ability to challenge and partner with operating leaders.
• Proven cybersecurity and data privacy leadership at the level expected of a major Saudi organization.
• Vendor management discipline, with a history of consolidating estates, renegotiating contracts, and holding partners to outcomes.

Application Process

Candidates meeting the specified qualifications are invited to apply for this Chief Information Officer position.