Executive Manager - Squad Cyber Technical Lead

About Us

Established in Abu Dhabi in 1985, our client provides personal and business banking services across retail banking, wealth management, commercial banking, corporate finance, investment banking and cash management. Its broad financial services platform supports customers and institutions through a complex, highly regulated operating environment where resilient technology, secure digital delivery and disciplined risk management are essential. The organisation continues to depend on strong cybersecurity practices to protect information, enable innovation and maintain regulatory confidence across its banking operations.

The Executive Manager will lead the technical delivery of a cybersecurity squad responsible for strengthening application security, AI governance, continuous security validation and compliance evidence across a major banking environment. This role combines strategic direction with technical oversight, translating approved security policies into practical controls, measurable service levels and reliable delivery outcomes.

Success will involve creating a coherent operating model across Dev Sec Ops , cloud security, AI and LLM security, governance and assurance. The position will also oversee the cybersecurity tooling ecosystem, guide integration and vendor-consolidation decisions, and ensure that evidence can be traced from identified defects through remediation, attestation and executive reporting. As a first-line-of-defence leader, you will work closely with second-line risk stakeholders and the AI centre of excellence while providing clear prioritisation, governance and technical leadership to the squad.

Based in Abu Dhabi, the role carries visible accountability for regulatory readiness, delivery quality and stakeholder confidence. Strong performance will be demonstrated through effective execution across multiple work streams, credible assurance evidence, improved control maturity and transparent reporting through the monthly Dev Sec Ops  Governance Dashboard.

• Set the technical direction and delivery priorities for application security, AI governance, continuous security validation and compliance-trail work streams.
• Convert approved second-line policies into operational controls, measurable service-level outcomes and repeatable delivery practices.
• Maintain ongoing readiness for supervisory review, including evidence quality, control traceability and timely remediation of identified gaps.
• Own the architecture, performance and lifecycle of the consolidated cybersecurity tooling environment, including Sonar Qube, Snyk, Service Now IRM, Security Agent, Claude, Codex, OPA, Microsoft Defender for Cloud and AWS Security Hub where relevant.
• Evaluate vendor consolidation opportunities and define integration patterns that improve visibility, efficiency and control consistency.
• Design and manage the evidence flow from Defect Dojo through attestation and into Power BI governance reporting.
• Serve as the first-line-of-defence technical counterpart to second-line risk, assurance teams and the AI centre of excellence.
• Lead the Security Champions Guild, strengthening secure engineering awareness and adoption across delivery teams.
• Resolve competing demands across the squad and make prioritisation decisions aligned with risk, regulatory obligations and business impact.
• Present the monthly Dev Sec Ops  Governance Dashboard, explaining trends, exceptions, remediation progress and emerging risks to senior stakeholders.

• Substantial experience leading cybersecurity engineering, security architecture or comparable technical security functions.
• Strong practical command of Dev Sec Ops , secure software delivery and security engineering across Azure and AWS environments.
• Demonstrable expertise in AI security, LLM security, AI governance or the implementation of controls for emerging technologies.
• Professional experience within banking, financial services or another closely regulated industry.
• Working knowledge of CBUAE Decree-Law 6/2025, the Enabling Technologies Guidelines and the AI/ML Guidance Note, with evidence of applying relevant requirements in practice.
• Familiarity with the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and ISO/IEC 42001, including their implications for governance, risk and control design.
• Experience operating effectively within a three-lines-of-defence model and delivering controls from a first-line-of-defence mandate.
• Confidence engaging second-line stakeholders on policy…