Head of IT: Infrastructure & Cloud Services at Mr Price Group

Our Head of IT: Infrastructure & Cloud Services exists to enable and enhance IT capability to deliver on the group’s current requirements and future strategy.

You’ll be working with the teams in Technology to ensure that infrastructure is available to run the services that have been developed/selected. 

Your Areas of Responsibility:

Strategy Development:

• Translate business strategy into tactical IT strategies to address key business requirements, drive capability and produce delivery roadmaps & associated domain architecture.

• Contribute to the development of the IT divisional strategy.

Service Delivery & Project Execution

• Plan, implement & evaluate IT service delivery and project execution in a specific area(s) of the business to align with the standard service management matrix (incl. SLAs).

• Continuously drive IT capability to deliver on group strategic intent.

• Contribute IT expertise & advice to influence discussions and decision-making within the group and respond to internal client requests.

Financial Management

• Develop departmental budget and monitor/control spending in order to deliver the strategy. Collaborate with other IT executives to ensure financial feasibility where there are departmental/project overlaps - where the primary financial responsibility sits in another department, there is always a secondary responsibility to deliver within budget.

Risk Management

• Keep abreast of legislative requirements and best practices (e.g. RICA, POPI, ECT act) to highlight risks to the business and ensure compliance at all times.

• Track, monitor and manage IT audits and risk management across the respective portfolios

Team Management

• Ensure that the workload within the team is distributed fairly and in line with the team's priorities and skills to deliver on departmental KPI's / targets. Keep abreast of talent pool to contribute to the recruitment of top talent.

• Drive succession, training and development within the team to ensure resource capability and business continuity.

Vendor Management             

• Manage related IT vendors and contractors, including activities such as selecting vendors, negotiating contracts, controlling costs, reducing vendor-related risks and ensuring service delivery.

Security Management

• Ensure that, at all times, the technology landscape within the realm of control is secure and, as far as possible, safe from any external hacking or phishing attacks that could cause reputational damage and or information leakage.

Cloud and On Prem Compute / Hypervisor/ Storage / Backup & DR/ Database Support

• Deploy and maintain the cloud center of excellence and infrastructure strategy for the group through IT operations support and service delivery.

• Operate an innovative and effective multi-skilled support team that delivers excellence in their field.

Facilities Support

• Management of IT production and DR facilities for the group entailing cost control, best environment / location / connectivity and redundancy of these facilities

Networks

• Operate and maintain an optimal WAN/LAN network infrastructure that provides the group with cost effective, highly available, best-in-class networking services.

What are our minimium requirements to apply?

• A completed degree in IT or Business Management, or, similar relevant field

• You have 15-20 years IT Enterprise infrastructure experience AND 10-15 years in an IT management role. Retail experience mandatory.

• You have extensive knowledge in running infrastructure teams including hardware, networking, cloud, security and operational support.

• You have extensive knowledge of a large scale ICT environment that has a wide range of different technologies.

Our ideal person will also have the following key attributes:

Outstanding communication, interpersonal and leadership skills; organization and time-management skills; effective negotiation and vendor management skills; proactive problem solver with the ability to think ‘out of the box’; attention to detail.