Manager Business System

Job Description/Specification:

Qatar Airways is seeking an experienced IT professional to lead technology delivery for an assigned business division in Doha. This role focuses on connecting business objectives with IT strategy, managing large work programs, coordinating projects and services, and ensuring technology initiatives are delivered efficiently, on time, and within budget.

The position is particularly relevant to experienced IT program managers with backgrounds in application delivery, vendor management, aviation technology, and large-scale business transformation.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and align IT strategy with the business division's operational priorities, growth plans, and future technology requirements.
• Manage an annual IT work program covering projects, programs, applications, and ongoing technology services.
• Coordinate project schedules, resources, dependencies, risks, budgets, and delivery priorities across the portfolio.
• Manage relationships with outsourced and hosted IT service providers and monitor agreed service levels.
• Ensure technology initiatives follow established IT governance, standards, processes, reporting requirements, and controls.
• Lead business cases and cost management activities, ensuring projects have accurate financial inputs and clear business objectives.
• Establish appropriate governance structures, including steering committees and working groups, to support effective program delivery.
• Consolidate and prioritize risks across projects and operational systems, focusing resources on areas with the greatest potential business impact.
• Monitor program KPIs and provide structured updates to senior management and relevant business stakeholders.
• Contribute to annual and rolling IT budgets while ensuring technology investments remain aligned with the agreed business strategy.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification.
• At least eight years of relevant professional experience.
• Proven experience leading IT projects and large-scale technology work programs.
• At least three years of successful experience delivering significant IT programs.
• Experience managing application development, implementation, and ongoing support.
• Strong program, team, and vendor management capabilities.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, influencing, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to delegate effectively, manage workflows, mentor employees, and develop team capabilities.
• Hands-on experience with airline crew management and flight operations systems.
• Demonstrated experience applying AI across different stages of the software development lifecycle.
• ITIL or project management certification and airline industry experience would be advantageous.

Why You'll Love This Opportunity

• Work on technology programs supporting a major international aviation business.
• Gain exposure to complex airline systems and operationally critical technology.
• Work across business and IT functions while managing strategic technology priorities.
• Develop experience in large-scale program governance, transformation, and service delivery.
• Contribute to technology initiatives involving AI adoption across the software development lifecycle.

Who Should Apply?

This position is best suited to a senior IT professional who has progressed beyond individual project delivery into broader program and portfolio responsibility.

The strongest candidates will combine technical understanding with commercial awareness, leadership ability, and stakeholder management skills. Experience working with business-critical applications is particularly valuable.

Professionals from aviation technology, enterprise IT, application management, digital transformation, or large-scale program environments may be well suited to the role. Airline experience is preferred but is not mandatory.

Skills That Will Help You Succeed

Success in this position requires more than project management knowledge. You should be able to translate business requirements into practical technology programs and keep multiple stakeholders aligned.

Important skills include:

• IT program and portfolio management
• Application development and implementation
• IT governance and service management
• Vendor and contract management
• Budgeting and financial planning
• Risk and dependency management
• Stakeholder communication
• Negotiation and influencing
• Team leadership and coaching
• AI adoption across SDLC processes
• Aviation and flight operations technology knowledge

How to Stand Out

Your CV should demonstrate scale, ownership, and measurable outcomes.

Instead of simply stating that you managed IT projects, highlight the size and complexity of the programs you delivered. Include information such as project budgets, team sizes, number of applications, implementation timelines, vendor relationships, cost savings, service improvements, or percentage improvements in delivery performance.

Candidates with airline systems experience should clearly identify the crew management, crew scheduling, flight operations, or related systems they have supported.

If you have introduced AI into requirements analysis, development, testing, deployment, support, or another SDLC phase, make this highly visible on your CV.

Interview Preparation

Prepare for questions such as:

• Tell us about the largest IT program you have successfully delivered.
• How do you prioritize competing business and technology requirements?
• How do you manage risks across multiple projects?
• Describe a difficult vendor or stakeholder situation and how you resolved it.
• How do you ensure projects remain within budget and schedule?
• How have you introduced AI into the software development lifecycle?
• What experience do you have with airline crew management or flight operations systems?

Use specific examples and explain the business outcome, not just the technology used.

Career Growth

This type of role can lead toward senior positions such as IT Senior Manager, Head of IT, Program Portfolio Director, Technology Transformation Lead, or CIO-level leadership. Experience managing business-critical aviation technology can also provide a strong foundation for broader enterprise technology leadership.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much experience is required?
A minimum of eight years of job-related experience is required, including at least three years delivering large IT work programs.

Is airline experience mandatory?
No. Airline experience is listed as an advantage, while hands-on experience with airline crew management and flight operations systems is specifically required.

What qualification is required?
A bachelor's degree or equivalent is required. Computer Science, Engineering, Commerce, or Sciences are preferred fields.

Are IT certifications required?
They are not mandatory, but ITIL and project management certifications are preferred.

What makes this role different from a standard IT project manager position?
The role has broader responsibility for an entire IT work program, including strategy alignment, multiple projects, operational services, budgets, vendors, risks, governance, and business outcomes.