General Manager, Technology Strategy & Engineering

Pakistan International Airlines

Islamabad , Pakistan

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Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is seeking an experienced General Manager for Technology Strategy & Engineering to lead its technology division in Islamabad. Reporting directly to the Chief Information Officer (CIO), this full-time senior leadership role is pivotal in aligning technology initiatives with the airline’s overall business strategy. The successful candidate will be responsible for defining and executing a unified technology plan, establishing enterprise architecture standards, and managing the technology portfolio as a business function. This role serves as the central point for technology governance, ensuring all technology efforts across the company adhere to established standards, stage gates, and strategic priorities.

Key Responsibilities
- Define and present the enterprise-wide technology strategy and annual plan for executive approval and funding through the CIO.
- Establish and maintain the enterprise architecture practice, technology standards, and engineering methodologies, ensuring all significant designs and technology choices comply.
- Manage a governed technology portfolio by maintaining a consolidated view of all initiatives, overseeing stage gates, managing interdependencies, tracking benefits, and reporting progress via IT governance frameworks.
- Operate technology as a business by owning vendor and contract management through a centralized IT contract register, overseeing software licensing, technology asset management, and managing the full IT budget lifecycle including planning, allocation, and control.
- Benchmark IT expenditure against comparable airlines and enterprises to inform budget planning and optimize spend.
- Lead strategic vendor evaluations and negotiations in collaboration with Procurement and Legal teams, securing approvals through IT governance.
- Collaborate with the CFO and Finance teams on technology budgeting, investment business cases, and benefit realization tracking.
- Work closely with business unit leaders to prioritize the technology portfolio, sequence transformation initiatives, and prepare their teams for organizational change.
- Enhance engineering capabilities by raising skill levels and embedding standards across technology teams and line management.
- Maintain a clear distinction between assurance and delivery by setting standards and assuring compliance without direct responsibility for project delivery or budgets.

Required Qualifications
- A minimum of 15 years in senior technology leadership roles, with extensive experience in strategy, enterprise architecture, and portfolio management within large enterprises.
- Proven experience leading a technology function reporting to C-level executives.
- Demonstrated success in running IT as a business, including managing budgets, vendor and contract relationships, and software licensing at an enterprise scale.
- Experience establishing architecture governance, design authority, and engineering standards, with a track record of enforcing compliance.
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, or a related field is required; a master’s degree or MBA is preferred.

Preferred Qualifications and Benefits
- Experience in the airline industry or a similarly asset-intensive, operationally critical sector is highly desirable.
- Senior leadership role within a national flag carrier, offering significant influence over core technology functions.
- Competitive market remuneration package including company car, maintenance, and fuel allowances.
- Air tickets provided in accordance with company policy.
- PIA is committed to a fair, transparent, and merit-based recruitment process. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Applications are invited until 1st November 2026. Candidates should note that submission of an application does not guarantee shortlisting or appointment.