IT Demand Manager-Banking

We are looking for an IT Demand Manager to establish and manage a structured pipeline for demand originating within the IT organization. 

The role covers technology-driven demand, including infrastructure upgrades, architecture initiatives, technical debt remediation, operational improvements, platform and tooling requirements, software licenses, cloud services, and Managed Services. Business-initiated demand is managed separately by the existing Business Demand Manager. 

You will manage internal IT demand from intake through assessment, prioritization, and approval, ensuring that technology requirements are clearly defined, appropriately assessed, and aligned with strategic priorities, budgets, and available capacity. 

Working closely with IT Strategy and Architecture, Service Leads, IT Finance, the Business Demand Manager, the Capacity Manager, and external service providers, you will help establish a transparent and disciplined approach to IT portfolio planning and decision-making. 

Key Responsibilities:

Demand Intake & Qualification:  

• Capture and classify all internally initiated IT demand in a central demand pipeline  

• Validate the scope, ownership, expected outcomes, and completeness of each demand  

• Guide demand owners in preparing the information and justification required for assessment  

• Identify duplicate, overlapping, or interdependent requirements at an early stage 

Demand Assessment:  

• Assess qualified demand against strategic alignment, operational value, regulatory relevance, risk, cost, benefits, dependencies, and urgency  

• Coordinate the preparation and review of investment cases for significant technology requirements  

• Consolidate input from Architecture, Finance, Security, Risk, Procurement, Service Leads, and the Capacity Manager
• Determine whether demands are sufficiently mature to proceed to prioritization and decision-making  

Prioritization & Portfolio Planning :

• Apply consistent scoring and prioritization criteria across the internal IT demand portfolio  

• Prepare recommendations and decision materials for IT prioritization forums  

• Align internal IT demand with business demand, technology roadmaps, budgets, available capacity, and delivery plans  

• Facilitate prioritization discussions and maintain a transparent record of approvals, rejections, deferrals, and changes in priority  

• Support periodic portfolio reviews and re-prioritization based on changing requirements and constraints 

Demand Performance & Improvement:

• Maintain end-to-end visibility of demand status from intake through implementation handover  

• Track demand volumes, backlog, cycle times, intake quality, and decision status  

• Produce regular dashboards and management reporting on the internal IT demand portfolio  

• Identify process bottlenecks and continously improve demand management standards, workflows, tools, and reporting 

Functional Expertise: 

• 5+ years of experience establishing or operating IT demand management, portfolio management, technology planning, or comparable governance processes  

• Strong understanding of demand qualification, assessment, prioritization, and portfolio planning  

• Experience evaluating technology investments, investment cases, costs, benefits, risks, and dependencies  

• Broad understanding of applications, infrastructure, architecture, cloud services, and Managed Services operating models 

Tools & Methods:

• Experience with ServiceNow Demand Management, ServiceNow SPM, or a comparable portfolio management tool is preferred  

• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills  

• Experience with Power BI or comparable reporting tools is an advantage  

• Familiarity with prioritization methods such as WSJF and relevant frameworks such as ITIL, COBIT, or SAFe is preferred 

Stakeholder & Ways of Working:

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and coordinate input from different stakeholders 

• Ability to challenge demand constructively and build alignment across different IT functions  

• Structured, analytical, and outcome-oriented approach  

• Ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders  

• High level of ownership, independence, and accountability 

Domain / Context: 

• Experience in banking, financial services, or another regulated environment is preferred  

• Experience in a complex multi-vendor or Managed Services environment is an advantage 

Qualifications & Additional Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field  

• Fluent in Arabic and English 

• Ability to work in a complex, fast-paced, and transformation-driven environment