Information Technology Infrastructure Specialist at Kaplan Middle East & North Africa, GCC Region, £Freelance Rate

Role Overview

We are looking for subject matter experts who are Freelance or Associate Trainer and will deliver all IT Infrastructure Track modules in a live or in-person format. Working with high-potential banking and financial professionals, the Trainer is responsible for facilitating technical instruction, guiding virtual lab exercises, assessing participant progress, and supporting learners through action learning projects and a final programme Hackathon. This role demands both deep technical expertise and the ability to connect complex infrastructure concepts to a regulated financial services environment. The Trainer is not simply a subject matter expert — they are a programme ambassador, expected to reflect the quality and rigour the client organisation demands from a premium training partnership. The training can take place in the GCC regions.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver IT Infrastructure Track modules at a high instructional standard, managing pace, depth, and learner engagement across intensive in-person training.

• Facilitate hands-on virtual lab sessions, guiding participants through real-world configurations in vSphere, Windows/Linux OS hardening, database clustering, Cisco network engineering, and storage architecture environments

• Contextualise all technical content within the banking and financial services operating environment, drawing on regulatory frameworks and industry best practice to demonstrate the business relevance of each topic

• Administer pre- and post-module assessments and scenario-based exercises; provide structured, actionable feedback on participant performance through the programme's LMS platform

• Submit Trainer Feedback Reports to the Programme Team covering content effectiveness, cohort performance observations, engagement levels, and recommended content or delivery adjustments

• Mentor participants through action learning projects and capstone assignments, providing technical guidance that builds independent problem-solving capability without substituting the participant's own analysis

• Support the programme's Internal Hackathon as a technical mentor, reviewing IT Infrastructure prototypes for technical viability, operational feasibility, and alignment with financial services constraints

• Coordinate with the Content Developer to flag content gaps, outdated technical references, or recurring comprehension issues that require material revision before subsequent deliveries

• Maintain a professional, high-energy classroom culture consistent with the institutional standing of the client organisation and the standards expected of a premium training provider

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum 10 years of hands-on, production-grade IT infrastructure experience spanning at least two of: data centre operations, enterprise networking, systems administration, or storage engineering

• Minimum 3 years of technical training or facilitation experience, with a demonstrated ability to manage live cohorts of 15–25 experienced professionals

• Deep working knowledge of VMware vSphere/vSAN, Windows Server and Linux administration, Oracle or SQL Server database administration, Cisco routing and switching, and enterprise SAN/NAS storage

• Practical familiarity with cybersecurity frameworks, network security controls, and data governance requirements applicable to the banking and financial services sector

• Experience working in banking, financial services, or a heavily regulated industry; understanding of the operational sensitivities and compliance culture within a financial institution is strongly preferred

• Proficiency in Python and/or Ansible for infrastructure automation — sufficient to demonstrate live scripting and explain its operational relevance to network and server teams

• Strong facilitation and classroom management skills; able to adapt delivery pace, depth, and style in real time based on cohort dynamics and prior experience levels

• Excellent written and spoken English communication skills

Required Certifications (One or More Per Category)

• Virtualisation: VMware VCP-DCV or higher

• Networking: Cisco CCNP Enterprise or CCNP Data Centre (CCIE preferred)

• Microsoft / OS: MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure or equivalent

• Storage: NetApp NCDA, EMC DECS, or equivalent vendor SAN/NAS certification

• Cybersecurity: CompTIA Security+, CISSP, CEH, or CISM

• Instructor Credential: EC-Council CEI (Certified EC-Council Instructor), Microsoft MCT, or equivalent certified instructor qualification

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience delivering programmes for banking institutions, government-linked entities, or national talent development initiatives

• Familiarity with premium training provider delivery standards, including structured reporting, LMS integration, and stakeholder-facing performance dashboards

• Prior experience mentoring professionals through capstone or action learning projects within a structured, cohort-based programme

Competencies

• Technical authority — commands immediate credibility with technically literate participants; able to go deep on any module topic without hesitation

• Sector intelligence — understands enough of the financial services context to make infrastructure decisions feel consequential, not abstract

• Facilitation mastery — creates an environment where participants challenge ideas, experiment in labs, and reflect on outcomes rather than passively receive information

• Regulatory fluency — weaves compliance frameworks and governance requirements into technical instruction naturally, not as a separate afterthought

• Professionalism — consistently represents the training partner at the standard the client expects; punctual, well-prepared, and polished in all participant interactions

• Adaptability — able to adjust delivery approach mid-module in response to cohort feedback, varying experience levels, or real-time content issues