System Engineering Manager

The System Engineering Manager is responsible for designing, engineering, implementing, and operating – directly or via managed resources and third-party vendors – scalable, secure, and high-performing workloads across GCGRA on-premise data centre and IaaS/PaaS private and public cloud environments. The System Engineering Manager must have a comprehensive and solid understanding of system engineering principles and configuration best practices across enterprise Linux OS distributions, and proven technical experience with RHEL core services, including system, networking, storage, applications, and security. Technical knowledge and professional experience on Microsoft Windows Server OS is highly desirable. This position involves the management and coordination of technical engineering resources – internal and external consultants – as well as hands-on technical configuration to translate GCGRA systems engineering strategy into operational deployments, ensuring resiliency, optimizing performance, and enhancing security.ResponsibilitiesDesign, lead, and optimize complex, enterprise-grade systems solutions — supporting infrastructure, platforms, data management, and CI/CD ecosystems — ensuring they meet the highest standards of resilience, security, scalability, and observability.Define, implement, and enforce system engineering standards, policies, and procedures across GCGRA on-prem, private, and public cloud IaaS/PaaS environments.Ensure systems are designed and operated according to best practices for reliability, scalability, security, and maintainability.Review and approve system designs, architecture documents, and operational runbooks to ensure compliance with engineering standards.Promote documentation, repeatability, and operational rigor across all system engineering activities.System Architecture, Availability & Resilience:Oversee the design, engineering, and operation of enterprise Microsoft Windows Server and RHEL Linux systems supporting GCGRA business application platforms, aligned with business requirements and SLAs.Ensure systems meet high-availability, disaster recovery, and business continuity requirements.Drive capacity planning and performance optimization initiatives for Microsoft Windows Server and RHEL Linux systems.Balance performance, scalability, cost, and risk in system architecture decisions.Serve as the technical authority for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) environments.Oversee RHEL systems architecture, engineering, configuration, hardening, and ongoing operations.Manage the full OS lifecycle, including provisioning, patching, upgrades, migrations, and decommissioning.Stay current with Red Hat technologies and the broader Linux ecosystem, proactively introducing improvements. Security and Compliance.Security, Compliance & Risk Management:Oversee OS hardening, vulnerability management, and secure configuration of Microsoft Windows Server and Linux systems.Ensure compliance with applicable UAE regulatory frameworks, industry standards (e.g., CIS benchmarks), and GCGRA organizational security policies.Support audits and compliance activities related to system infrastructure and operating systems.Collaborate with GCGRA InfoSec and Cyber Operations teams to design and operate secure system environments.Automation & Operational Efficiency:Drive automation and standardization using tools such as Ansible, scripting (Bash, Python), and Infrastructure-as-Code approaches.Establish best practices for configuration management and system consistency.Reduce operational risk and manual effort through repeatable, automated processes.Collaboration with Internal Teams and External Service Providers:Work with and support GCGRA IT, Application, Data/AI, DevOps, and internal business units to ensure secure application development, deployment, and maintenance.Support the Head of Cyber Security and Infrastructure in the supervision of third-party service providers to ensure the delivery of high-quality cybersecurity services.Provide technical leadership during system migrations and transformation projects.Evaluate vendor performance against SLAs and recommend improvements or changes as needed.Attend meetings with business and tech partners, note key requirements, support translation of basics into team guidance, promote respect.Innovation and Continuous Improvement:Drive innovation by recommending and adopting new infrastructure capabilities to enhance operational efficiency.Optimize systems resource allocation and cost management.Documentation and Reporting:Maintain comprehensive documentation of system architectures, processes, and configurations, also through collaboration with the GCGRA IT Application TeamProvide detailed reports on system performance, costs, and security metrics to the Head of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure, the CIO, and other stakeholders.QualificationsEducation:Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.Experience:Minimum of 15 (fifteen) y