About this Role:

The purpose of the Head of IT Operations is to oversee all the applications necessary to support its daily operations. The HOITO must have a solid IT background and consistently keep up to date with advancements of the field. Apart from their education and experience, they must have quality of a leader and a strong strategic and business acumen.

Responsibilities:

1. IT Strategy

• In partnership with the CIO and the Global Technology team design a revised, and modernised strategic direction for IT, ensuring full alignment with the broader strategic objectives of the business.
• Lead the implementation of the IT strategy through the IT team and the business in accordance with any relevant obligations under the financial services legislation and any applicable codes of conduct.

2. IT Operations

• Lead the delivery of IT Operations across the application and business process landscape. This role leads the Application Support function for Level 1 and Level 2 operational support.
• Lead the identification, prioritisation, and implementation of support tickets to meet business and client service levels. This team manages support tickets from creation to closure.
• Manage the interface between Business Applications, IT Stakeholders, Infrastructure teams and business units to ensure daily operations runs smoothly.
• Responsible for the Change Control Board to ensure all changes to production services meet release standards and protocols.
• Develop and maintain excellent relationships with clients (internal and external), suppliers and service providers to maintain cost-effective service levels.
• In conjunction with Infrastructure Management evolve and maintain a coherent, unified, well designed, and robust IT Infrastructure to support Business Application needs.

3. IT Governance & Risk Management:

• Ensure a robust IT governance framework, including policies and procedures and roles and responsibilities, to deliver our business strategies, effectively manage IT risks and safeguard the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information.
• Develop, implement, and maintain the IT risk management framework (including business continuity and disaster recovery programs, IT security and operational risk)
• Oversee outsourcing relationships and manage vendor relationships with affiliated and third-party IT service providers and suppliers.

4. Leadership & Team Development

• Leading and managing the individual performance and personal development of direct reports through mentoring and goal setting, creating a high-performance culture, and ensuring all Pepper policies & processes are followed.

5. Innovation and Continual Improvement

• Establish, monitor, and maintain systems security policies and processes which ensure full regulatory compliance and cutting-edge cyber security.
• Monitor external technological developments and drive innovation across the business ensuring continuous improvement and maintaining focus and momentum.
• Deliver management information for the business to enable the measurement, monitoring and improvement of performance.

6. Projects:

• Assume overall responsibility for ensuring that IT Operations projects are delivered to a high standard of quality.

Skills and experience needed:

• Significant experience in an IT leadership/senior management role and a strong track record of running IT Operations, including reporting to senior stakeholders (essential)
• Excellent knowledge of IT Application landscape and related infrastructure (essential)
• Excellent knowledge and expertise in running IT Operations across critical applications, help desk services, IT risk management .
• Background in designing/developing ITIL based service delivery model.
• Background in designing/developing IT systems and planning IT implementation (essential)
• Knowledge/experience of working within a regulated and/or banking industry (essential)
• IT Project Management Experience (desirable)

Essential Qualifications:

• BSc/BA in computer science, engineering, or relevant field; MSc/MA will be preferred

Desirable Skills and Experience:

• ITIL
• PMP / Prince 2 / Agile

Competencies:

1. Technical Competencies:

• Good Knowledge of a modern application landscape based on Microsoft technologies.
• Good Technical Project Management skills (essential)

2. Behavioural/Interpersonal Competencies:

• Superior analytical and technical problem-solving capabilities
• A strong strategic and business mindset
• Strong leadership skills. Able to motive and inspire the IT team and build a first-class IT function
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal abilities

Central Bank of Ireland Requirements:

Please note that this role is a Controlled Function (CF) role under the Central Bank of Ireland’s Fitness & Probity Standards and has been classified as a CF-2. CF-2 is ensuring, controlling or monitoring compliance by a regulated financial service provider with its relevant obligations. Where you accept the offer of this role, prior to the appointment, you will be required to agree to abide by the Fitness & Probity Standards and complete a Fitness & Probity Questionnaire. Due diligence checks will also be completed on your qualifications and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) where relevant.