Chief Technology Officer

Team:
Technology

Activity:
Full-time

Role grade:
Chief Officer (9)

Direct reports: 3

Indirect reports: 6

Reporting to: COO

Role location:
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Job Purpose:The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is responsible for defining and leading the Esports Foundation's technology, platform, data, AI and digital strategy as a core driver of business transformation, scalability and long-term institutional value.

The role will build the permanent technology, data and AI capabilities that can be reused across the Esports World Cup, Esports Nations Cup and future products and programmes, reducing fragmentation and enabling the Foundation to operate more effectively  CTO owns technology architecture, engineering, core platforms, data, enterprise technology and the technical foundations supporting digital products, media and competition.

The role requires a strong understanding of the business the technology must enable - including live events, media and production, distribution, audiences, commercial objectives and international operations - and the ability to translate those needs into scalable technology capabilities.

Reporting to the COO, the CTO will work closely with the CEO and Executive Leadership Team to provide the systems, data, automation and technology capabilities that enable better decision-making and organisational performance.

Technology & Platform Strategy

• Own the Foundation's strategy & technology-enabled transformation, using technology, data, AI and automation to redesign how the organisation operates, scales and creates value.

• Partner with functional leaders to redesign workflows and operating models, with each functional leader accountable for adoption and business outcomes within their function.

• Lead the technology, data and automation dimension of the shift from project-based delivery toward permanent, reusable capabilities.

• Establish common platforms, APIs and reusable capabilities across events, products and programmes.

• Translate strategic priorities into scalable technology capabilities and advise the CEO, Executive Leadership Team and relevant oversight bodies on major technology decisions.

• Partner with Digital Products, while they own the customer proposition, roadmap priorities and product outcomes;
  Technology owns architecture, engineering, technical delivery and lifecycle, with build/buy/partner decisions made jointly where relevant.

• Lead build, buy or partner decisions based on strategic value, scalability, total cost of ownership and long-term capability needs.

Data & Artificial Intelligence

• Own the Foundation's AI strategy, infrastructure, platforms, governance, and practical adoption, with a focus on measurable productivity improvements, reduced cycle times, and better decision-making.

• Provide the shared AI infrastructure, tools, data access, standards and enablement required for adoption across the Foundation.

• Partner with functional leaders to identify and scale high-value AI use cases, with functional leaders accountable for changing how their teams work and delivering the resulting business outcomes.

• Scale AI and automation across functions to enable a lean organisation to operate effectively at greater scale.

• Establish the Foundation's authoritative data layer for the entities and activities it operates and has rights to, including players, clubs, teams, competitions, matches, media assets, partners and other core entities relevant to Foundation products.

• Ensure consistent identities, schemas and data standards across platforms and products.

• Secure reliable and independent access to critical data where contractually and technically possible.

• Govern data as a strategic asset, ensuring appropriate stewardship, quality, accessibility and use in decision-making.

Media, Competition & Event Technology

• Own the architecture, standards, systems and integrations supporting the Foundation's media and competition technology environment.

• Ensure media assets and competition data are connected through common identity and data structures.

• Partner with Media, which owns the media product, editorial requirements, production proposition and distribution objectives, while Technology owns the underlying architecture, standards, systems, integrations and technical lifecycle.

• Establish standing technology architecture, standards and mission-critical technology governance for EWC and ENC, with event teams and partners responsible for operational execution against those standards.

• Ensure mission-critical competition and live environments meet appropriate standards of reliability, integrity, resilience and operational continuity.

Enterprise Technology

• Own and continuously improve the Foundation's enterprise technology environment, including workplace technology, enterprise applications, integrations and collaboration capabilities.

• Simplify and integrate the technology landscape to improve user experience, efficiency and scalability.

• Enable a globally distributed organisation and its partners to operate…