Fractional Head of IT in the UAE

Fractional Head of IT in Dubai and the UAE: the judgement and ownership of an IT leader on an agreed number of days a month instead of a full-time salary. I offer it to UAE and GCC companies from running the whole IT function of a plastics manufacturing group across six sites in five countries since December 2015, reporting directly to the owner, with Odoo ERP and AI in production.

Deployments

1. The whole IT function of a manufacturing group since December 2015: six sites, five countries, around 150 users, a team of six plus outsourced developers, the IT budget and every vendor contract.
2. One operating platform for the group, kept upgradable.
3. PostgreSQL 9.5 to 16 with no unplanned downtime at any site, with automated backups, point in time recovery, off-site replication and monitoring built around it.
4. Five AI systems in daily production: document OCR into the ERP, automated document verification, a WhatsApp and web sales agent, an AI voice agent on Grandstream telephony, and one multi-channel chat platform.
5. Google Workspace single sign-on, two factor authentication and role based access across the group, and one security standard across five countries.
6. Biometric attendance and a geo-verified security patrol application integrated with the ERP, and the complete IT setup for each new factory the group has opened.

Who needs one

Companies of roughly 50 to 600 people with an IT support person or an outsourced provider but nobody who owns the function: nobody deciding what to buy, nobody accountable for backups and access, nobody directing the ERP roadmap, nobody translating between the owner and the vendors. Also companies between two full-time heads of IT, or preparing for one.

Fractional CIO, part-time CIO, virtual CIO: one role, several names

Companies in Dubai and the wider Gulf ask for this under different titles: fractional CIO, part-time CIO, virtual CIO, interim Head of IT, interim IT director. They all describe the same arrangement, one accountable technology leader on an agreed number of days a month instead of a full-time salary, and I take the work under whichever name your board uses. What separates it from advisory work is ownership: an advisor recommends, a fractional head decides, holds the vendors to it and answers for backups, access and the budget. I use Head of IT because that is the job I do full time, at a manufacturing group, rather than a title adopted for consulting.

What it covers

Vendors, contracts and IT purchasing. Budget and priorities. Security, identity and backups that are actually tested. The ERP roadmap and direction for in-house or outsourced developers. AI projects chosen for payback. Hiring the full-time person when the time comes. A weekly cadence, a standing priority list, written decisions, and a monthly review with the owner or managing director.

What I bring

Since December 2015 I have owned the IT function of a plastics manufacturing group: six sites, five countries, around 150 users, a team of six plus outsourced developers, reporting directly to the owner. Five AI systems in production, one Odoo ERP for the group, a PostgreSQL migration across eight major versions with no unplanned downtime, Google Workspace single sign-on across the group, and the IT for each new factory built from nothing.

How it runs

A monthly retainer of two or four days, booked in advance: on-site in Dubai, Sharjah and across the UAE, or remote for the wider Gulf. A short IT function review comes first, so the priority list reflects what is actually there rather than what the org chart says. Decisions are written down as they are made, so the company keeps them when the engagement ends. Work is done outside my employer's hours or by arrangement, and never for a competitor of my employer. Fees are quoted in writing before anything is paid, and the retainer can end with a month's notice on either side, with no lock-in beyond that.

Read the evidence

• Service: fractional or part-time Head of IT
• Case study: identity and access rebuild
• Case study: PostgreSQL 9.5 to 16 with no unplanned downtime
• Article: bringing a new factory online, the order of operations
• Skills, with the evidence for each

Questions people ask

How is a fractional Head of IT different from an outsourced IT provider?

The provider does the work: tickets, servers, licences. The fractional head decides what work should be done, holds the provider to it, and answers to the owner for the result. Most companies need both.

How many days a month?

Two days a month covers vendors, priorities and a monthly review. Four days adds hands-on direction of an ERP or AI project. More than that and you should hire a full-time head, and I will help you do it.

Can you start quickly?

Usually within two weeks, with a short IT function review first so the priority list is based on what is actually there.

Do you work with companies outside the UAE?

Yes, remotely, on Dubai time. Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Pakistan are the usual ones.

Is a fractional CIO the same thing?

In practice, yes. Fractional CIO, part-time CIO, virtual CIO and interim Head of IT all describe one accountable technology leader on an agreed number of days a month. If your board writes the role as CIO, the work is the same and so is the arrangement.

What does it cost?

A monthly fee set by the number of days, quoted in writing before anything is agreed, with the short IT function review priced separately. No lock-in beyond a month's notice on either side.

Do you work with SMEs and family businesses in Dubai?

Those are most of the enquiries. A growing Dubai SME or family group usually has support covered, by a technician or an outsourced provider, and ownership missing. That gap is what this fills, and it is cheaper to fill part-time than to hire for it too early.

Talk to me

Email with a few lines about your situation, or message me on LinkedIn. I reply within one working day, Dubai time. Fees are quoted in writing before anything is paid.