Head of Information and Communications Technology (ICT)

Company : Sterling Oil Group

Location : Lagos, Nigeria (On-site / Full-time)

Industry : Oil & Gas (Upstream / Midstream)

Experience Level : 15 - 30+ Years

Job Purpose :

As the Head of ICT, you will lead the strategic vision, architecture, implementation, and governance of Sterling Oil Group's entire technology ecosystem. Operating at a multi-billion-dollar corporate and industrial scale, you will bridge the gap between corporate Enterprise IT and industrial Operational Technology (OT). This role is critical to accelerating our digital transformation, safeguarding high-value energy assets from cybersecurity threats, and driving automation across our upstream and midstream operations.

Key Responsibilities :

- Align the overarching ICT roadmap with Sterling Oil Group's multi-year business growth and production milestones.

- Drive industrial modernization projects, including Industrial IoT (IIoT) initiatives, Digital Twin technology, and cloud-first migrations.

- Act as a key advisor to the executive leadership team on emerging technologies, risk mitigation, and tech-driven cost optimization.

- Oversee corporate IT networks, high-availability data centers, and multi-cloud architectures (AWS / Azure).

- Partner with engineering teams to ensure seamless integration and security of industrial SCADA, Distributed Control Systems (DCS), and plant automation networks.

- Ensure robust field telecommunications connectivity (VSAT, LTE, radio networks) across remote operational sites and offshore/onshore assets.

- Formulate and enforce a zero-trust cybersecurity posture covering both corporate networks and critical industrial assets.

- Establish comprehensive, tested Business Continuity (BC) and Disaster Recovery (DR) frameworks.

- Maintain strict alignment with global energy data standards and local regulatory compliances.

- Manage and optimize multi-million-dollar CAPEX and OPEX ICT budgets.

- Lead strategic negotiations and manage relationships with global Tier-1 system integrators, technology vendors, and telecommunication providers.

- Implement strict Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to guarantee minimal business downtime.

Required Candidate Profile :

- Experience : Minimum of 15 years in IT management, with at least 5+ years in a senior leadership role (Head of IT, IT Director, or VP ICT) specifically within a large-scale Oil & Gas, Energy, Refinery, or Heavy Petrochemical enterprise.

- Education : Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field. An MBA is highly advantageous.

- Technical Domain : Proven experience managing heavy ERP transformations (e.g., SAP S/4HANA) alongside industrial automation architectures (IT/OT convergence).

- Certifications (Preferred) : PMP, ITIL, CISM/CISSP, or enterprise architecture frameworks (TOGAF).

- Leadership Style : Exceptional cross-functional stakeholder management skills; a proven track record of mentoring and scaling diverse, multi-cultural engineering and support teams.

- Geographical Flexibility : Willingness to operate full-time out of Lagos, Nigeria, with occasional travel to production fields or international corporate offices.

What We Offer :

- Highly competitive, tax-efficient executive remuneration package.

- Executive benefits including comprehensive global healthcare, housing assistance, and performance-driven bonuses.

- A definitive opportunity to spearhead the digital future of one of the region's fastest-growing energy giants.