A leading shipping and maritime services organization in Abu Dhabi, UAE is seeking an exceptionally experienced Manager – Digital Products, Marine Services — a senior technology leadership role responsible for the end-to-end development, integration, lifecycle management, and continuous enhancement of digital products and OT-enabled maritime solutions across shipping and maritime services including vessels, VTS, IoT, digital twin, CCTV, communications, and AI use cases. Requiring a minimum of 15 years of experience in digital products, maritime systems, and OT-enabled technology leadership, this role will lead the maritime digital transformation agenda at one of Abu Dhabi’s most strategically significant maritime organizations.
About the Role — Manager Digital Products Marine Services, Abu Dhabi UAE 2026
Role Type: Full-Time — Senior Technology Leadership — Abu Dhabi, UAE
Scope: End-to-end digital product ownership · OT maritime solutions · Vessels · VTS · IoT · Digital twin · CCTV · AI
Leadership: People management · Vendor governance · Agile delivery · Cross-functional stakeholder leadership
Technology Stack: OT/ICS · IoT · Digital twin · Edge computing · AI/ML · 5G · Computer vision · Cloud platforms
Languages: Excellent English required — Arabic is an added professional advantage
Why This Maritime Digital Products Manager Role in Abu Dhabi Is a Career-Defining Opportunity
Maritime Technology Leadership: Own the digital product and OT strategy for a major maritime services organization — one of the most technically complex and commercially significant leadership scopes in the UAE’s maritime sector
AI + OT Convergence Frontier: Lead AI, digital twin, IoT, and edge computing adoption across vessels and maritime assets — operating at the absolute cutting edge of maritime technology transformation
Abu Dhabi Maritime Hub: Abu Dhabi’s strategic maritime position, major port and logistics infrastructure, and national maritime investment programs make it one of the world’s most active maritime technology markets
Tax-Free Abu Dhabi: Competitive senior management compensation — zero personal income tax in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Position Overview
This Manager – Digital Products, Marine Services role in Abu Dhabi is a full-time, senior technology leadership position responsible for the comprehensive digital transformation of a major maritime services organization’s product and operational technology portfolio. You will lead the implementation and lifecycle management of OT-enabled digital solutions across maritime assets, drive IoT, CCTV, and communications deployments, oversee digital twin initiatives for vessels and maritime assets, manage Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) capabilities, identify and implement AI use cases for maritime operations, lead the full product lifecycle from ideation through deployment and enhancement, develop comprehensive digital product roadmaps, ensure seamless integration of digital solutions across systems, manage technology vendors and strategic partners, and lead and develop a team of digital technology professionals. This is a role for a maritime technology executive who combines deep technical knowledge of OT, IoT, and maritime systems with the product leadership, people management, and vendor governance experience that directing a complex maritime digital transformation program demands.
Why This Maritime Digital Products Manager Role Is the Technology Leadership Career of 2026 in Abu Dhabi: Senior technology leaders with 15+ years of maritime digital products, OT systems, and maritime operations experience — who combine hands-on knowledge of vessel technologies, VTS platforms, IoT infrastructure, digital twin architecture, and AI use case implementation with proven product roadmap leadership, vendor governance capability, and people management skills — represent one of the most rare and strategically critical talent profiles in the global maritime technology sector. Abu Dhabi’s extraordinary maritime infrastructure investment pipeline makes this role one of the most professionally significant and technically consequential maritime technology leadership positions available in the UAE in 2026.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Technology (OT) & Maritime Asset Digital Leadership
- Lead the implementation and lifecycle management of OT-enabled digital solutions across maritime assets — covering vessel on-board systems, operational monitoring platforms, automation infrastructure, and shore-based OT systems that collectively determine the digital maturity, operational visibility, and safety performance of the maritime asset fleet
- Drive the deployment of IoT, sensor-based monitoring, CCTV, communication systems, and connected vessel technologies — building the instrumented, data-generating infrastructure that enables real-time operational visibility, remote performance monitoring, safety surveillance, and digital service delivery across vessels and maritime operations
- Oversee digital twin initiatives for vessels and maritime assets — leading the development of high-fidelity digital replica environments that enable real-time situational awareness, predictive maintenance insights, voyage simulation, operational optimization modeling, and data-driven decision support for vessel operations and asset management teams
- Manage and enhance Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) capabilities — overseeing the integration of maritime surveillance, AIS tracking, radar data, communication systems, and decision-support platform components that collectively enable safe, efficient vessel traffic management and operational coordination across the maritime organization’s operational zones
- Identify, prioritize, and implement AI use cases for maritime operations — including predictive maintenance, voyage and fuel optimization, anomaly detection, safety monitoring, computer vision applications, and operational automation — applying a structured AI use case evaluation methodology that assesses commercial value, technical feasibility, data availability, and implementation risk before committing to development investment
- Evaluate and adopt emerging technologies — edge computing, autonomous systems, advanced analytics, computer vision, 5G/next-generation connectivity, and intelligent automation — assessing their applicability to maritime asset modernization priorities and building adoption roadmaps that progressively introduce emerging technology capabilities as they reach production-readiness for maritime operational environments
Digital Product Development, Roadmap & Lifecycle Management
- Lead the full lifecycle of digital products from ideation and design through development, deployment, and continuous enhancement — owning the complete digital product portfolio with accountability for business value delivery at every stage of the product lifecycle, applying Agile development methodologies and DevOps practices to accelerate value delivery and maintain the quality and reliability of production digital products
- Develop a comprehensive digital product roadmap aligned with business needs and emerging maritime technology trends — creating a multi-year view of digital product evolution that balances near-term operational improvement priorities with longer-term strategic technology investments, maintaining stakeholder alignment across operations, IT, cybersecurity, commercial, and executive leadership audiences
- Oversee digital solution development, testing, and performance optimization — maintaining accountability for scalability, security, reliability, and maintainability across all digital products within the maritime services portfolio, establishing engineering quality standards and delivery governance processes that ensure consistently high-quality production releases
Technology Integration, API Development & Cybersecurity Compliance
- Ensure seamless integration of digital solutions with internal and external systems — designing and governing the integration architecture that enables maritime digital products to connect reliably with vessel OT systems, enterprise IT platforms, third-party data services, port community systems, and regulatory reporting platforms without creating fragile point-to-point dependencies
- Oversee API development and third-party integrations to enhance system connectivity and user experience — applying API governance standards and integration design principles that maximize reusability, maintainability, and future extensibility of the maritime digital product ecosystem
- Work closely with IT and cybersecurity teams to maintain compliance with security and data protection standards — applying maritime OT cybersecurity principles, IMO cyber risk management requirements, and applicable UAE data protection regulations to all digital product architectures, ensuring that maritime operational systems are protected against the specific cyber threat landscape facing connected maritime assets
People Management, Team Development & Leadership
- Manage the performance of direct reports across digital product development, OT systems, data analytics, and maritime technology disciplines — providing structured performance feedback, recognizing individual and team achievements, and holding team members accountable for delivery commitments with the fairness, consistency, and professional clarity that effective people leadership demands
- Mentor and develop staff using a supportive and collaborative leadership approach — identifying individual development opportunities, assigning stretch accountabilities that build capability, setting clear objectives and priorities, and monitoring results with the servant leadership philosophy that empowers team members to perform at their best rather than constraining them with micromanagement
- Foster a non-hierarchical culture of transparency, trust, and cross-squad collaboration — building the psychological safety and professional openness that enables multi-disciplinary digital product teams to surface problems early, share knowledge freely, and maintain the collective performance standards that complex maritime digital transformation programs require
Vendor & Partner Management
- Manage technology vendors, system integrators, OEMs, and strategic partners across OT, IoT, VTS, digital twin, CCTV, communications, and AI initiatives — establishing clear scope definitions, delivery accountability frameworks, service quality metrics, and value realization expectations for all vendor relationships that support maritime digital product delivery
- Establish and monitor vendor performance against SLAs, contract deliverables, technology roadmaps, and continuous improvement plans — maintaining the commercial rigour, relationship management quality, and performance governance that keeps critical maritime digital and OT platform vendors accountable for the service quality and delivery commitments they have made
Qualifications & Requirements
Educational Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a closely related field — mandatory minimum educational qualification for this senior maritime digital products leadership role
- Master’s Degree in a relevant discipline is a valued plus — candidates with postgraduate qualifications in maritime technology, computer science, engineering management, or digital transformation are particularly well-positioned for the technical depth and business leadership scope of this role
- Professional certifications or training in maritime technology, OT/ICS, IoT, AI, cybersecurity, product management, or vendor governance are an added advantage
Experience Requirements
- Minimum 15 years of experience in digital products, technology delivery, maritime systems, OT-enabled solutions, or a similar senior technology leadership role — with demonstrated progression into executive or senior management positions with accountability for complex digital transformation programs
- Hands-on or leadership experience with maritime OT systems, vessel technologies, VTS, IoT platforms, digital twin solutions, CCTV, communications systems, and operational data platforms
- Experience in Shipping and Maritime Services and deep understanding of technologies and market trends within the maritime industry — the domain expertise that distinguishes a maritime digital products leader from a generalist technology manager
About Maritime Digital Transformation in Abu Dhabi 2026
Abu Dhabi’s maritime sector is undergoing a profound digital transformation — driven by the emirate’s strategic ambition to operate one of the world’s most advanced and efficiently managed maritime infrastructure networks, encompassing port operations, vessel traffic management, fleet management, maritime logistics, and coastal services. The convergence of Operational Technology (OT), Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital twin platforms, and advanced connectivity technologies is redefining how maritime assets are managed, monitored, and optimized — creating both extraordinary operational improvement opportunities and complex technology integration, cybersecurity, and change management challenges that require the most experienced and capable maritime digital technology leaders to navigate successfully. Senior digital products managers with the rare combination of maritime domain expertise, OT technology depth, AI implementation experience, and the people and vendor leadership skills to drive complex maritime digital transformation programs are among the most sought-after and strategically consequential technology executives in the UAE’s maritime and logistics sector in 2026.
Your Career Growth Path: Manager — Digital Products, Marine Services → Senior Director of Maritime Digital → Chief Digital Officer — Maritime → Chief Technology Officer → Chief Operations Officer — a globally recognized, technically distinguished, and commercially exceptional maritime technology leadership career trajectory at the heart of Abu Dhabi’s most strategically significant maritime digital transformation program.
Who Should Apply?
- Maritime Digital Technology Leaders (15+ Years): With senior leadership experience across maritime OT, IoT, VTS, digital twin, and AI use case implementation who want to own the digital transformation agenda for a major Abu Dhabi maritime organization
- Senior Product Managers — Maritime / OT: With maritime technology product roadmap, lifecycle management, and cross-functional delivery leadership experience who want a comprehensive end-to-end digital product ownership role in the UAE’s maritime sector
- OT/IT Convergence Specialists (Maritime): With deep maritime OT systems, ICS, and connected vessel technology experience alongside IT integration, API governance, and cybersecurity compliance knowledge who want a senior technology leadership role in Abu Dhabi
- AI & Digital Twin Maritime Leaders: With experience leading AI use case identification and implementation for maritime operations — predictive maintenance, voyage optimization, or anomaly detection — alongside digital twin deployment experience for maritime asset management
- Maritime Technology Vendor & Program Leaders: With strong vendor governance, system integrator management, and large-scale technology program delivery experience in shipping or port operations who want a comprehensive maritime digital products leadership role at a major Abu Dhabi maritime organization
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