About the Role

This role will be part of Zain Bahrain's Subsidiary Fintech Company - "Bede"

Bede, the fintech arm of Zain Bahrain, is a dynamic startup revolutionizing personal finance through Bahrain’s first Shariah-compliant Islamic financing app. Licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain, Bede is committed to creating an inclusive platform that offers practical solutions tailored to real customer needs.

With a focus on customer centricity, strategic partnerships, and digital innovation, Bede aims to guide individuals toward growth and success by leveling the playing field for all.

The Head of IT in Bede is responsible for leading the overall technology vision, strategy, and execution for a cutting-edge fintech application specializing in microfinance, cards, and digital payment solutions. This role includes overseeing development, infrastructure, security, and support functions while ensuring high platform availability, scalability, and regulatory compliance. The head will work closely with executive leadership to align technology with business goals and drive innovation in financial services.

What We Need From You

This section will have bullet points containing the below information:

• Education

  Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science, Fintech or any related field.

  Fintech related Masters preferred.

• Experience

  10-15+ years of experience in a similar role.

  Fintech Experience is highly preferred.

• Technical Skills

  Technology Strategy & Leadership: Strong strategic thinking, leadership, and experience with emerging technologies like AI, blockchain, and data analytics.

  Cloud & Infrastructure Management: Expertise in cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), microservices, and ensuring high availability and scalability.

  Security & Compliance: Knowledge of PCI-DSS, ISO, cybersecurity frameworks, and financial regulations.

  DevOps & Agile Practices: Ability to drive agile methodologies and DevOps for efficient product development.

  Team & Vendor Management: Leadership in managing tech teams and vendor relationships, alongside budgeting and cost optimization.

  Innovation: Ability to integrate new payment technologies like open banking, digital wallets, and AI-driven risk models.

• Competencies

  • Critical Thinking

  • Customer Focus and Support

  • Innovation

  • Vendor Management

  • Application Management

  • Market Analysis and Knowledge

  • Problem Analysis and Resolution

Responsibilities

Technology Strategy & Leadership

• Define and execute the technology roadmap to support business objectives and drive innovation in microfinance, card services, and digital payments.

• Establish and maintain a scalable, secure, and high-performance fintech platform, ensuring reliability, efficiency, and compliance with financial regulations.

• Drive digital transformation by leveraging emerging technologies such as AI, blockchain, and data analytics to enhance financial products.

• Ensure alignment between business, product, and technology teams, optimizing digital service delivery.

• Establish agile and DevOps best practices to accelerate product development and deployment cycles.

Development & Infrastructure Management

• Build and lead a high-performing technology team, including software engineers, infrastructure specialists, and security experts.

• Oversee the architecture, development, and deployment of fintech products, ensuring seamless integration of microfinance, payment, and card processing solutions.

• Ensure high platform availability (99.99% uptime), robust disaster recovery mechanisms, and high-load scalability to support transaction-heavy services.

• Champion the use of cloud-native architectures (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerized microservices for operational resilience.

• Lead initiatives to automate processes, improve deployment efficiency, and enhance system observability.

Security, Compliance & Risk Management

• Implement and maintain bank-grade security standards, ensuring compliance with PCI-DSS, ISO, and financial regulations in fintech.

• Develop a cybersecurity framework to protect user data, prevent fraud, and mitigate risks related to payment transactions.

• Ensure regulatory compliance with central banks, financial authorities, and payment networks, working closely with legal and compliance teams.

• Oversee incident response management and security audits to continuously improve platform security posture.

Support Functions & Operational Excellence

• Establish 24/7 monitoring, support, and IT operations teams to ensure continuous service availability and rapid issue resolution.

• Implement ITSM (IT Service Management) best practices to enhance user support, system maintenance, and platform reliability.

• Oversee SLA (Service Level Agreements) and uptime commitments, ensuring seamless financial transactions for customers.

• Direct the deployment of customer support automation tools, including AI chatbots and self-service portals, to enhance the fintech experience.

Innovation & Digital Ecosystem Integration

• Explore and integrate new payment technologies, including open banking APIs, digital wallets, BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later), and blockchain-based solutions.

• Oversee the adoption of AI-driven risk assessment models to enhance credit scoring and fraud detection in microfinance.

• Evaluate the reduction of physical financial service centers by leveraging digital-first strategies and customer self-service platforms.

Financial & Vendor Management

• Define budgeting and cost optimization strategies for technology investments and infrastructure expansion.

• Manage relationships with technology vendors, cloud service providers, and third-party payment processors.

• Optimize cost per transaction and per channel, ensuring efficiency in digital customer acquisition and service delivery.

Service Delivery Enhancement & Technology Utilization

• Evaluate and enhance service providers' SLAs, ensuring high-quality technical development and adherence to performance standards.

• Oversee IT setup processes to ensure seamless integration of new technologies and efficient deployment of systems.

• Continuously improve Network Operations Center (NOC) services to ensure real-time monitoring and rapid resolution of technical issues.

• Ensure application stability and efficiency by monitoring system performance and implementing effective solutions.

• Lead the planning and implementation of the Bede IT department setup, ensuring compliance with regional regulations and operational efficiency.

• Develop a roadmap for sprint development, optimizing resource utilization, timelines, and prioritization of tasks.

• Foster a fast, agile, and adaptive approach to technological adoption and system improvements.

• Address customer journey issues by collaborating with relevant teams to enhance user experiences and streamline processes.