Director City OPS IT/OT Network and Security Operations📣 Job Ad

About the Role

Qiddiya is seeking a Director - City OPS IT/OT Network and Security Operations to lead the end-to-end management, reliability, and security of the city's converged IT and Operational Technology (OT) infrastructure. This full-time position is based in Riyadh, within the Riyadh Province.

Role Context and Responsibilities

As Qiddiya transitions from construction to operations, this leadership role will oversee operational readiness, infrastructure acceptance, and the ongoing management of city-wide digital platforms. This includes fiber networks, active network equipment, smart city systems, and physical security networks such as Video Management Systems (VMS), Access Control Systems (ACS), and Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV).

The Director will act as a key liaison between enterprise IT and industrial OT environments, ensuring seamless integration, high availability, and a robust cybersecurity posture across all city operations. This requires deep technical expertise in network architecture and security, coupled with strong vendor management and cross-functional leadership skills to collaborate effectively with QTECH, MDU, District Master Developers, and third-party operators.

Key Operational Responsibilities

• Lead the IT/OT Network and Security Operations function for Qiddiya City Operations IT.
• Define and execute the operational strategy for converged IT/OT environments, aligning with the City Operations Target Operating Model (TOM) and Qiddiya’s digital vision.
• Establish and manage interfaces with the Network Operations Center (NOC) and Security Operations Center (SOC) for city-level infrastructure.
• Define, monitor, and enforce Service Level Agreements (SLAs), Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and performance metrics across internal teams and external service providers.
• Oversee day-to-day operations, maintenance, and optimization of city-wide network infrastructure, including fiber backbone, MMRs, MDCs, and active network components.
• Manage the operational lifecycle of OT networks supporting smart city use cases across utilities, transportation, and facility management.
• Ensure high availability, resilience, and redundancy of critical network topologies supporting city operations.
• Lead incident management, root cause analysis, and resolution of complex IT/OT network issues.

Security Operations and Transition Management

• Oversee operational security systems and their supporting network infrastructure.
• Implement and monitor cybersecurity controls across OT environments, including network segregation, access control, and threat detection, in alignment with QTECH cybersecurity standards.
• Coordinate vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and security audits for city infrastructure.
• Ensure compliance with national cybersecurity regulations (*, NCA) and internal Qiddiya policies.
• Act as the primary City Operations IT authority for the acceptance and handover of network and security infrastructure from QTECH, MDU, and District Master Developers.
• Define operational readiness criteria, testing protocols, and documentation standards for onboarding new assets.
• Participate in design reviews to ensure operational, maintainability, and security requirements are embedded early in the lifecycle.

Vendor and Stakeholder Engagement

• Manage relationships and operational contracts with neutral hosts, data center operators, and managed service providers.
• Collaborate closely with QTECH Design teams to ensure alignment on architecture, shared services, and governance frameworks.
• Engage with Business Units (*, Transport, Utilities, Security) to ensure IT/OT infrastructure meets operational and use-case requirements.

Qualifications and Experience

Candidates should possess a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Telecommunications, Cybersecurity, or a related engineering discipline. A minimum of 10 years of progressive experience is required, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role. This experience should include managing large-scale, mission-critical infrastructure within complex environments such as smart cities, giga-projects, utilities, or industrial sectors. Extensive experience bridging IT and OT environments, with a strong understanding of industrial control systems (ICS), SCADA, and IoT network architectures, is essential. Demonstrated experience in transitioning infrastructure from construction and delivery phases into stable, live operations is also required.

Technical expertise in network routing, switching, and topology design (*, Cisco, Juniper, or equivalent) is critical. Strong knowledge of OT cybersecurity standards and frameworks (*, IEC 62443, NIST) and experience with physical security network infrastructure (CCTV, VMS, ACS) are necessary. Relevant industry certifications such as CCIE, JNCIE, CISSP, CISM, GICSP, or ITIL v4 are highly desirable.

Core competencies include strategic thinking, strong problem-solving and decision-making capabilities, excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, and the ability to influence cross-functional teams and executive leadership. The candidate must be able to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-paced, and evolving environments, with strong vendor management and contract negotiation expertise.