Senior Patch Management Lead

About the Role

Our client is seeking a Senior Patch Management Lead to join their team in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This full-time on-site position requires at least 10 years of experience in patch management. The role involves complete responsibility for the enterprise patch management lifecycle, covering infrastructure, applications, databases, network, security, and end-user computing systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and oversee all patch management activities enterprise-wide.
• Create and update policies, standards, procedures, and governance frameworks related to patching.
• Coordinate patch deployments for multiple platforms including Windows, Linux, AIX, VMware, databases, applications, network, and security.
• Review security advisories and vulnerabilities to prioritize patch application based on risk levels.
• Plan monthly and quarterly patching schedules and deployment strategies.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, application, database, network, security, and business units to ensure smooth patch implementation.
• Ensure thorough testing of patches before they are deployed to production environments.
• Track patch compliance and remediation efforts against established SLAs.
• Handle patch exceptions, risk acceptances, and implement compensating controls as necessary.
• Create management dashboards and reports to maintain visibility on compliance and status.
• Lead incident management related to patching, conduct root cause analysis, and trigger remediation actions.
• Align patch management procedures with organizational security policies and regulatory demands.
• Promote continuous enhancement and automation of patch management processes.

Required Skills and Experience

• Extensive experience in enterprise patch management with an understanding of vulnerability management and remediation.
• Proven ability managing large-scale infrastructure environments.
• Familiarity and hands-on expertise with Microsoft SCCM (MECM), WSUS, Linux patching, VMware, databases, and application patching.
• Solid knowledge of ITIL framework and change management processes.
• Experience using ServiceNow or comparable IT Service Management platforms.
• Strong skills in managing stakeholders and vendors.
• Experience in regulated sectors, particularly banking or financial services, is an advantage.