IT Lead Central Europe, Middle East & Africa (m/f/d)

Job description

The Mission  Ensure that technology services and projects across the region’s business units remain aligned with the defined global IT strategy, while meeting local operational, regulatory, security and scalability requirements. What will you do?  • Act as the regional IT business partner for hotels and the corporate office, maintaining close dialogue with operational leaders and key functions to identify and prioritise technology needs. • Define local service requirements and manage external IT providers to ensure reliable, secure and scalable services for the hotels across the region. • Own vendor performance through clear governance, service reviews, SLA monitoring, escalation management and agreed improvement actions. • Build productive relationships with technology partners and lead commercial discussions and negotiations in the company’s best interests. • Translate hotel requirements into clear service expectations and coordinate the appropriate internal teams and external providers to deliver effective solutions. • Ensure global IT solutions are implemented consistently while being adapted to local operational needs, regulations and market-specific requirements. • Plan and lead regional technology projects, including local implementations, innovation initiatives, openings, takeovers and disaffiliations in coordination with the relevant teams and PMO. • Promote and monitor compliance with Meliá Hotels International IT policies, security standards, process guidelines and brand service levels across business units and providers. • Represent IT in regional operating committees, provide clear reporting and facilitate focused decision-making sessions with stakeholders, internal teams and suppliers. • Conduct regular visits to hotels and corporate centres to strengthen relationships, understand local realities and proactively identify risks and improvement opportunities. What we are looking for? • Degree, technical qualification or equivalent professional experience in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Information Systems or a related field. • Several years of experience in IT service delivery, vendor management, technology operations or a comparable regional role, ideally within hospitality or another multi-site service environment. • Proven ability to manage external providers, service contracts, SLAs, escalations and performance improvement plans. • Strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to build trusted relationships with hotel leaders, corporate functions, technical teams and suppliers across different countries and cultures. • Experience translating business and operational requirements into clear, scalable and commercially viable technology services or solutions as well as solid project and programme delivery skills, including prioritisation, resource coordination, risk management and implementation across multiple locations. • Good understanding of IT governance, information security, regulatory compliance, business continuity and global technology standards. • Confident communication, influencing and negotiation skills, with the ability to represent IT in management committees and communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences. • Structured, accountable and solution-oriented working style, combined with sound judgement, conflict-resolution skills and a strong service mindset. • Fluency in English and German is mandatory; Spanish language skills are of advantage. • Willingness to travel regularly across Central Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Requirements