UAE National-Product Owner – Database

Now is the right moment to join EGA! Be part of our bold ambition to become a digital lighthouse for the region and our industry worldwide. As our Product Owner – Database, you are end-to-end responsible for all our database solutions. Your role will involve strategic planning, functional team leadership, and cross-functional collaboration to drive operational excellence and innovation. Some of the key topics will be to optimise the database landscape, to adopt a hybrid model of traditional and cloud databases, and to evolve the product offering together with developer requirements. You will be responsible for the multi-year product vision that maximises current and future business value across all areas of the organisation.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

● Lead the strategic planning and execution of database installations, configurations, and maintenance.

● Ensure optimal performance, high availability, and robust security of database systems.

● Oversee performance monitoring, change management, and the application of patches and upgrades.

● Develop and enforce comprehensive database standards, policies, and best practices.

● Guide data modelling and advanced database design efforts to support organizational objectives.

● Lead, mentor, and manage a high-performing team of database administrators (DBAs)

● Conduct regular performance reviews and manage team dynamics to ensure high productivity and engagement

● Ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, and in alignment with business goals.

● Ensure databases comply with industry standards, regulatory requirements, and organizational policies

● Lead regular security audits, risk assessments, and mitigation strategies

● Develop, implement, and oversee comprehensive database backup and recovery strategies.

● Ensure the organization has effective disaster recovery plans and business continuity processes in place

● Lead regular testing and validation of recovery plans to ensure data protection and rapid restoration

● Foster strong relationships with software developers, network administrators, and other IT professionals to ensure seamless database operations

● Advocate for database needs and priorities within the broader IT and business strategy.

AUTHORITY/ DECISION MAKING:

• Key decisions having significant impact on the department are referred to the reporting manager for approval before implementation.

• Develop and manage the database management budget.

• Develop, approve, and enforce database-related policies, procedures, and standards.

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field from a university accredited by UAE authorities.

• Advanced degree or relevant certifications (e.g., Oracle DBA, Microsoft Certified Database Administrator) is a plus.

Minimum Experience:

• Proven experience as a Database Manager or similar role.

• Extensive experience with database management systems (e.g., Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL).

• Experience in managing a team of DBAs.

• Good experience profile leading agile projects as a product owner and as a scrum master.

• Formal project management qualification such as PMP, PRINCE2, Agile Project Management or equivalent

• Proven understanding of project management techniques in an agile environment

• Excellent project coordinator that can plan 2-3 steps ahead of the team and surface hidden risks 2-3 levels deep within the team.

• Excellent knowledge on tracking and analytics setup

• Proficient with drawing storyboards, creating wireframes, creating / ‘grooming’ product backlogs, writing user stories and developing acceptance criteria.

• Relentless prioritization and alignment with business and IT stakeholders to ensure highest value capture.

• Strong collaborator with cross-functional teams from tech, design, and business

• Demonstrable experience of managing a diverse change portfolio with concurrent initiatives underpinned by proven dexterity, creativity and the efficient use of resources.

• Solid experience of all stages of the project delivery

• Experience of engaging and managing third parties (vendors, consultants etc.)

• Experience working with design team to deliver top user experience (UX) and user interface (UI)

• Good to have experience delivering advance analytics, digital, automation and robotization project experience.

• Good to have IT, automation & control system experience and training in similar fields.

Skills:

Technical:

• Strong understanding of database structure, theories, principles, and practices.

• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.

• Strong leadership and team management abilities.

• Effective communication and interpersonal skills.

Agile/Digital Experience:

• Experienced in facilitating agile ceremonies, managing a backlog/release plan, tracking team level metrics, removing blockers (burndown chart, release burn up, etc.)

• Deep experience leading with teams in an agile setting.

• Strong people management skills