Head of Operations IT

Job Description

Business: African Operations

Job Family: Client Services, Operations and Administration

Organization Name African Operations

Reporting to: CEO

Reportees: Team Leaders / Staff (size dependant) / IT Team

Key Focus & Role Description

  • The main aim and purpose of the role is the execution of tactical business plans (derived from Country Strategy) at an operational level.
  • Takes accountability for operational efficiency and quality including an operations balanced scorecard incorporating finance, people, process and customer dimensions of the business. Integrates decision making across all of these spectrums.
  • Contributes to projects impacting on business deliverables and makes major operational decisions within business plan. Drives the execution of best practices business processes and delivery of overall business productivity.
  • Manages Service Level agreements supporting operational delivery on behalf of the country. Also takes accountability for the development, execution and management of the IT strategy and IT “landscape”, including IT procurement, infrastructure management, maintenance and platform management.
  • Holistically is accountable for the company’s “licence to operate” and activities that support this.

Key Result Areas

  • Process Efficiency
  • People Management
  • Financial Management
  • Customer Relationships
  • Project Management
  • Stakeholder Management
  • Audit & Risk Management
  • Metrics
  • IT Strategy
  • IT Operations

Process Efficiency

  • Ensure that streamlined processes are implemented and monitored.
  • Establish SOPs (standard operating practices) for all processes.
  • Drives the operational success of the overall business.
  • Accountable for suitable business continuity plans

People Management

  • Management of the overall climate and morale in area of accountability, inclusive of the management of the people calendar and compliance to HR governance.
  • Deal with issues related to performance and discipline

Financial Management

  • Accountable for the development and management of an expense budget.
  • Manages income related to fees.
  • Works closely with the FD in ensuring a financially viable business is in place.

Customer Relationships

  • Manage overall relationships with key clients from a service and administration perspective.
  • Management of the client experience.
  • Accountable for the development and management of SLAs (Service Level agreements).
  • Deals with complex customer complaints

Project Management

  • Management of projects in area of accountability.
  • Acts as a sponsor on projects of strategic importance.
  • Acquires project expertise as and when required in order to deliver on administration and service requirements

Stakeholder Management

  • Custodian of relationships with key suppliers and vendors.
  • Takes accountability for the management of vendor contracts (in conjunction with other functions) including effective service delivery
  • Accountable for the relationship with the regulator

Audit & Risk Management

  • Ensure appropriate controls are in place to mitigate risk in operations.
  • Works closely with the risk officer to ensure that mitigating actions are in place for all significant risks.
  • Ensure compliance to governance and compliance with applicable rules and regulations

Metrics

  • Takes overall accountability for the measurement of business performance i.t.o. operations (such as productivity, cost, client satisfaction etc.)
  • Accountable for corrective action in order to achieve set targets

Management Effectiveness

  • Manages service delivery through a team of managers.
  • Individually accountable for execution of strategy over periods of 1-2 years.
  • Drives operational excellence through area of supervision.
  • Holds first line managers accountable for managerial work, including selection, performance management and talent management.
  • Develops managers and specialists under supervision.
  • Selects potential managers sustain the talent pipeline.
  • Accountable for thought leadership and best operating practice in response to external environment.
  • Integrates delivery and metrics across the people, process, finance and customer dimensions of the business

IT Strategy

  • Accountable for the development of an appropriate IT strategy in conjunction with central resources.
  • Consults on IT strategy and architecture from technical and business perspectives.
  • Accountable for execution against the strategy.
  • Ensure appropriate contracting with IT suppliers and vendors as well as the operational management of contracts and service delivery

IT Operations

  • Ensures that the production environment is managed to support maximum “up time” and that problem and incident management is optimal.
  • Ongoing enhancement of the production and operational environment to support business performance.
  • Acts as the IT liaison for all matter related to IT.
  • Leads a team of IT resources, such as analysts, programmers, contract managers or support specialists, to support and deliver IT solutions.
  • Manages and grows resources in team.
  • Provides technical and solutions advice

Competence Requirements

  • Aligning Performance For Success
  • Business Awareness
  • Decision Making
  • Enterprise Innovation
  • Gaining Commitment
  • Ownership
  • Planning & Organizing
  • Technical Knowledge

Qualification Information 

  • Tertiary qualification in commerce with extensive operational management experience. Deep knowledge of business processes.