Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Core Group

Job Description

• Core Group is a leading consumer technology business, distributing iconic brands including iStore across a complex, multi-site retail and enterprise environment.
• We are looking for a hands-on CIO to lead and evolve our technology landscape. This role is about doing as much as directing, ensuring technology enables growth, resilience, and stability across the Group.
• This is not a purely strategic role. While you will partner closely with ExCo and the Group CTO and take accountability for IT strategy, governance, and performance, you will also be expected to roll up your sleeves when needed, whether that’s supporting operations, unblocking delivery, or getting into the technical details.

The role

• The CIO will define and execute the Group IT strategy in line with business objectives, while ensuring day-to-day operational stability across the Group. You will optimise IT investment, strengthen cyber and data capabilities, and ensure reliable, secure, and scalable systems that support our distributed retail and enterprise environment. 
• You will act as a trusted business partner and people leader, while remaining closely involved in major initiatives and critical operational areas. This role spans retail, warehousing, head office, and enterprise systems, supporting 60+ stores, multiple head offices, and distributed operations.

Key responsibilities

Strategic leadership

• Define, own, and drive the Group IT strategy in alignment with business priorities.
• Partner with ExCo and the Group CTO on architecture, roadmap planning, and delivery.
• Act as executive sponsor and change agent for major IT and digital initiatives.

Financial management

• Own and manage the Group IT budget.
• Drive cost optimisation and reduce business-as-usual expenditure.
• Ensure clear ROI on all major technology and innovation investments.

Operational excellence

• Ensure stability, performance, and scalability of all core systems across the Group.
• Lead infrastructure modernisation and actively reduce technical debt.
• Oversee end-to-end vendor management, contracts, and SLAs.
• Ensure seamless IT delivery for new store and site rollouts.
• Govern hardware, software, licensing, and device lifecycle management.

Data, BI & governance

• Build and maintain a modern, scalable data architecture.
• Ensure data governance, integrity, availability, and regulatory compliance.
• Enable high-quality business insights through reliable BI platforms.

Cyber security & risk

• Define and execute the Group cyber security strategy.
• Oversee EDR, SIEM, backups, disaster recovery, and IT risk policies.
• Drive strong audit outcomes and proactive risk management.

Leadership & culture

• Build, lead, and mentor high-performing technical teams across disciplines.
• Ensure clear KPAs, performance goals, and accountability.
• Drive a strong performance and succession culture within IT.

Experience & qualifications

Qualifications

• Relevant tertiary Degree in IT, Computer Science, or Business Management
• Postgraduate qualification (Honours or MBA) is highly advantageous.
• 10–15+ years in senior IT leadership roles.
• Strong experience in complex retail or wholesale environments.
• Proven delivery and governance of large ERP and WMS platforms.
• Experience leading diverse, multi-disciplinary technology teams.

Key competencies

• Strategic and commercial thinking
• Strong financial and budget management capability
• Change leadership and transformation delivery
• Executive-level stakeholder management
• Deep understanding of how technology impacts customer experience and retail performance