Associate Director - Cyber Security
KPMG
Role:About KPMG Qatar
KPMG has had a presence in Qatar for nearly 47 years. We opened for business in Qatar in 1977 and are now one of the largest and most prestigious professional services firms in the country.
KPMG in Qatar employs over 350 professional staff and partners. We recruit the best and brightest from around the world and currently employ 28 nationalities. For our clients, this means we provide Audit, Tax and Advisory services locally, drawing on the latest thinking and best practice from around the world.
Business Unit Overview
KPMG's Advisory practice is one of the largest Advisory businesses worldwide and the major growth area for our organization. Our services are focused on Finance Function, and we work with clients in identifying and tackling their challenges in Growth, Governance and Performance. Our Advisory teams support businesses as they restructure and expand, whether organically or by acquisition. We help them to become more efficient and provide support as they adapt to the challenges posed by a rapidly changing business environment
Role Overview
The Associate Director (AD) – Cybersecurity (mainly Government Sector) is a senior executive role dedicated to shaping, driving, and delivering robust cybersecurity advisory and large-scale transformation engagements for KPMG clients, primarily within the public sector. This position requires 12+ years of diverse experience spanning strategy, architecture, roadmap development, implementation, and operations, seamlessly blended with deep hands-on technical expertise to address complex, sector-specific security challenges.
Operating as both a seasoned business developer and an authoritative technical leader with a proven track record of building and leading teams in the Qatari market, the AD is directly responsible for shaping and executing the local go-to-market strategy, overseeing the evolution of cybersecurity offerings, and serving as the primary client-facing lead on strategic pursuits and key projects. This includes complete commercial ownership over pipeline development, proposals, and pursuits, ensuring all delivered solutions strictly align with public sector priorities, sector mandates, and the client’s enterprise operating models.
Primary Job Responsibilities & Accountabilities:
Go-to-Market Execution & Commercial Growth
Drive the commercial strategy for the government and public sector cybersecurity practice in Qatar to meet or exceed annual pipeline, sales and revenue targets.
Lead the end-to-end capture process for large-scale public sector opportunities, including bid strategy, proposal writing, technical solution scoping, pricing models and oral presentations to C-level evaluation committees.
Identify, qualify and close new business opportunities within Qatari ministries, public authorities, state-owned enterprises and critical infrastructure entities.
Establish, nurture and leverage strategic joint go-to-market alliances with major cybersecurity vendors (OEMs), local distributors and system integrators to enrich KPMG's ecosystem offerings.
Strategic Client Advisory & Subject Matter Prominence
Serve as the primary, high-visibility cybersecurity advisor to senior government officials, CIOs, CISOs and regulatory bodies across the Qatari market.
Advise clients on interpreting and implementing and international compliance frameworks, including QCSF, NIA, PDPPL and QCB mandates.
Elevate KPMG's brand presence in the region through published thought leadership, strategic market deliverables and keynote representation at security conferences.
Translate technical vulnerabilities, threat vectors and architectural risks into clear, actionable, risk-adjusted insights for non-technical public sector executives.
Program Leadership & Technical Delivery Authority
Govern the delivery of multi-disciplinary, multi-phase cybersecurity transformation programs, with accountability for project margins, quality assurance and on-time execution.
Act as the definitive technical authority during initial project phases, architecting solutions across SIEM/SOAR, IAM/PAM, Zero Trust, Cloud/Hybrid Security and OT/IoT infrastructures.
Oversee quality, risk and compliance reviews for all client deliverables, ensuring alignment with government security protocols and contractual obligations.
Act as executive sponsor for marquee accounts, managing stakeholder relationships, mitigating escalations and identifying cross-selling and renewal opportunities.
Practice Innovation, Capability Development & Team Leadership
Monitor global threat landscapes and emerging technologies (AI-driven security, post-quantum computing, advanced threat hunting, managed detection and response) to evolve and scale KPMG's cybersecurity service lines.
Recruit, mentor and retain a high-performing team of cybersecurity consultants and technical architects, fostering a culture of high performance and continuous development.
Track and report KPIs — consultant utilization, pipeline value, win rates and customer satisfaction — to regional leadership.
Qualification and Experience
Education: Bachelor’s degree in information security, Computer Science, Engineering or a related technical discipline.
12–15+ years of progressive experience in IT services, cybersecurity and technology risk management.
4+ years directly serving government or public sector clients within the GCC, with proven success closing and delivering large-scale security transformations or emblematic client accounts, preferably in Qatar.
Hands-on background in solution architecture and implementation.
Technical Expertise: Architecture-level knowledge of IAM/PAM, Cloud Security, Network Infrastructure, AI Security, Industrial OT/ICS Security, IoT ecosystems and secure IT modernization.
Regulatory Compliance: Understanding of GRC methodologies and international frameworks (ISO 27001, CRISC, NIST), with fluent operational familiarity with Qatar's frameworks (QCSF, NIA, PDPPL and QCB IT Security Standards).
Certifications: At least two active credentials from:
Management & Strategy: CISSP, CISM, CISA, CRISC, CGEIT
Architecture & Cloud: TOGAF, CCSP, Azure/GCP/AWS Certified Solutions Architect
Technical & Tactical: CEH, GIAC or advanced vendor-specific certifications (Palo Alto Networks, Microsoft Security, Google Cloud Security)
Languages: Professional working proficiency in Arabic and English is a must have
Core Competencies
Strategic Thinking & Balance: Secures short-term tactical business development wins while architecting long-term technology and capability roadmaps.
Leadership & Ecosystem Influence: Inspires technical confidence across internal delivery teams and sophisticated public sector clients; commands authority without structural friction.
Executive Communication: Elite negotiation and presentation skills, translating granular technical risk metrics into strategic business insights for non-technical government leaders.
Cultural Agility: Nuanced understanding of Qatari business etiquette, regulatory interactions, executive protocol and GCC market dynamics.
Entrepreneurial Mindset & Resilience: Proactive, self-driven operator with high commercial resilience in navigating lengthy public sector procurement cycles and multi-stakeholder approval matrices.
