Expert IT Financial Management

Job purpose

Play a SME role in shaping OQ's IT financial governance, ensuring transparency, benchmarking, and cost optimization while enabling long-term value realization from IT investments. This role will influence executive decision-making by providing insights that align IT spending with business priorities and industry competitiveness. This role ensures transparency of IT costs, accurate chargeback/show back mechanisms, effective IT budgeting & forecasting, benchmarking of IT costs against industry peers, and delivery of cost optimization initiatives. The role will play a pivotal role in enabling value-based IT spend management and supporting strategic initiatives such as digital transformation and AI governance.

The position will act in accordance with the Group's Mission, Vision, Values & Strategies, as well as, policies, guidelines and international standards, supported by an IT Technology platform, HSE standards, Omani's government & other legal justifications, and best international practices in consonance with national objectives.

Main tasks and responsibilities

• Strategic Planning
  :
• Develop and implement strategic initiatives to optimize financial performance, including
  budgeting, forecasting, pricing, benchmarking, and cost optimization
  in alignment with business and technology objectives.
• Collaborate with senior management to define financial policies, procedures, and best practices within the ITFM framework.
• Champion ITFM maturity development, introducing automation, advanced reporting, and industry-standard practices.
• Act as a strategic advisor to the CIO/IDS leadership, ensuring IT financial strategies are tightly linked with OQ's corporate and digital transformation agenda.
• Drive ITFM maturity roadmap and position OQ as a benchmark in IT cost competitiveness within the oil & gas sector
• Financial Benchmarking and Analysis
  :
• Lead benchmarking initiatives to compare IT cost structures against peer organizations and industry standards.
• Oversee cost analysis to measure, control, and optimize expenses within IDS, enabling data-driven decision-making and resource allocation.
• Develop and maintain chargeback and showback models to drive transparency in IT cost allocations.
• Lead the development of the annual IT budget (CAPEX and OPEX).
• Oversee and report on Corporate IT financial spending to senior management.
• Oversee the development of Corporate IT initiatives' Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Return on Investment (ROI).
• Establish KPIs and dashboards to track ITFM performance and cost optimization results.
• Regularly present benchmarking insights to the leadership team to influence cost optimization strategies and competitive positioning.
• Proactively identify emerging trends in IT spend models (cloud economics, MSP outsourcing, digital platforms) and recommend strategies for OQ.
• Investment Oversight and Value Realization:
• Oversee the distribution of financial resources within IDS, assessing the financial viability of IT investments, projects, and initiatives.
• Support the evaluation of strategic IT projects, ensuring feasibility, value realization, and alignment with corporate goals.
• Partner with the PMO function to provide insights into IT investments, cost/benefit analysis, and financial impact on organizational objectives.
• Ensure IT investments are evaluated not only for cost efficiency but also for their contribution to business growth, innovation, and digital resilience.
• Establish a value realization framework that tracks benefits beyond financial returns, such as agility, innovation, and risk mitigation.
• Development:
• providing guidance, support, and professional development opportunities to the IDS Governance & Excellence team.
• Foster a collaborative and high-performance culture within the IDS Governance & Excellence, promoting innovation, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement.
• Stakeholder Management
• Maintain periodic communication with OQ senior management and IDS clients to ensure visibility and transparency of ITFM activities.
• Act as a trusted advisor to stakeholders, enabling informed financial decision-making across IT and business units
• Enhance stakeholder influence by shaping narratives on IT cost as an enabler of business value, not just a cost center.
• Engage with external partners and benchmarking networks to bring best practices into OQ

Key interactions

Internal: Corporate IDS & OQ SAOC Streams

External: Corporate IDS Clients

Notable Working Conditions.
Office environment, intensive computer screen use.

Education requirements

•Bachelor's degree in finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related field;

Master's degree preferred. Fluency in IT financial principles and tools is a plus

Language

Excellent knowledge of written, read, and spoken English (required) Arabic - Native (desirable)

Background and experience

Competencies and skills

• A minimum of 8-10 years of experience in a similar role
• Proven experience in IT Financial Management, strategic planning, financial analysis, benchmarking, chargeback/showback, and cost optimization, preferably in a large-scale organization in a similar industry.
• Oil & Gas, Energy & Resourcing experience preferred.
• Experience in an IT as a shared-service within a holding ecosystem is preferred.
• Experience in advising or influencing C-level executives on ITFM strategies and cost optimization initiatives.
• Exposure to industry benchmarking forums or global TBM/Apptio councils is desirable.
• Strong understanding of ITFM processes, methodologies, and tools, with proficiency in financial modeling, benchmarking, and forecasting techniques.
• Knowledge of ITFM platforms such as Apptio, SAP, or equivalent preferred.
• Excellent leadership and communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills with the ability to balance cost optimization and business value delivery.