Head of IT Infrastructure

My Dublin-based client is actively recruiting a Head of Infrastructure to join their team on a permanent basis.

Role Description:

The Head of IT Infrastructure will take full accountability for IT and communications technology infrastructure across the company including the on-premises or co-located hosting of servers, storage and operating systems through to cloud solutions, collaboration tools, user devices and telecoms systems. The role extends from the design of new solutions through to the timely delivery of projects and the support of a stable operational environment.  Optimal deployment is based on the appropriate balance of in-house and external solutions, accounting for cost, security, functionality, lead-time and support / service level requirements. Change is driven by a combination of external market inputs, technology development, operational performance and the evolving needs of the organisation.

The role holder will be a member of the company’s extended leadership team and as such is expected to proactively contribute to the overall achievement of business objectives and to work collaboratively with IT and business leaders in the delivery of the Group’s transformational Business Strategy.

Success will be measured through the achievement of required service level standards, operating cost effectiveness, the management of capital expenditure and the effective leadership and motivation of a team of IT professionals based in Dublin and Belfast.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead, motivate and engage the team of IT professionals to design, deliver and support IT infrastructure services to the company on a 24×7 all-island basis, ensuring in particular that high availability KPIs are achieved for critical services
• Manage the performance, security, capacity and cost efficiency of infrastructure components, including servers, storage systems, operating systems, and databases.
• Take end-to-end ownership of productivity tools including email systems, mobile computing and collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams
• Partner with the Strategy and Emerging Technology function to develop the optimal strategy, architecture and roadmaps for infrastructure services, considering evolving business needs, market and technology trends, operational performance and budgetary constraints
• Design, develop and implement suitable cloud capabilities which will enable the migration of designated services and the delivery of new cloud-based digital and data management services
• Drive the migration of operational and corporate telecoms services to new IP based networks to support a strategic business direction to deploy new technologies in the field and to collect and analyse increased volumes of data for planning and operational decision making
• Work with the IT Portfolio and Business Engagement function to deliver projects and act as the resolver group for infrastructure related incidents
• Represent the IT Infrastructure function on internal cyber security forums and assist the organisation in the development and deployment of secure IT solutions and processes and the protection of critical information assets
• Guided by the Enterprise Security function, take responsibility for the stability, security and patch management of directory services, hardware, operating systems (Linux and Windows), virtual platforms (VMware) and databases
• Comply with all group policies, standards and guidelines in relation to the delivery and security of services
• Take overall responsibility for the group’s data centres including critical facilities
• Plan and deliver a strategic move of equipment and services to co-location facilities in third party managed data centres, in line with the IT strategy
• Ensure that the appropriate IT infrastructure resource capabilities are available to deliver on the future needs of the company, either internally or externally through employee training and a variety of third party IT services
• Manage substantial capital expenditure and operating expenditure budgets, optimising cost effectiveness and maintaining a commercial focus
• Manage the relationships with key third party providers of infrastructure and telecoms services, optimising service delivery effectiveness through well managed Service Level or Support Agreements
• Partner with the Finance and HR teams to manage budget, headcount and labour plans in line with the Delegated Control Framework and group guidelines

Critical knowledge, skills and experience:

• Significant experience of leading in a technical IT environment with extensive knowledge of various domains of IT infrastructure, cloud solutions, telecoms and cyber security
• Expertise in running a 24 x 7 operational function for a critical service provider, understanding the challenges of high availability IT operations delivery
• Resilience, sound judgment and strong decision-making skills in crisis management, under difficult circumstances
• Commercially focused with the ability to manage substantial capital and opex budgets over long periods of time and to drive value from vendor relationships
• Delivery focused with outstanding organisation and planning skills and a methodical and service-oriented mindset
• Experience of creating, leading and influencing high performing teams including in times of operational adversity
• Passion for the high quality end user and customer experience, with the desire and drive to enable innovation and improvement in service experience
• Ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances and be comfortable with uncertainty
• A ‘Thought Leader’ in the IT sector with the ability to represent the company at external forums