Description:

The Opportunity: We are seeking an accomplished and strategic Head of IT Services with a profound understanding of the professional services environment and a proven track record of leading comprehensive IT operations. This is a critical leadership role responsible for the overall strategy, delivery, and operational excellence of our IT landscape, encompassing enterprise applications, IT infrastructure and service management. The ideal candidate will have prior experience as a heading technology within a professional services organization, demonstrating the ability to drive technological innovation, enhance operational efficiency, and significantly contribute to business growth and employee experience.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic IT Leadership & Vision:

- Develop and execute the overarching IT strategy aligned with the firm's business goals, growth ambitions, and the unique demands of a professional services model.

- Act as a key technology advisor to the CIO and technology leadership team, influencing strategic decisions and identifying opportunities for competitive advantage through technology.

Enterprise Applications & Professional Services Domain Expertise:

- Oversee the strategic direction, implementation, and optimization of core enterprise applications, with a strong emphasis on their direct impact on professional services operations and delivery.

- Demonstrated strategic experience with leading ERP systems relevant to professional services, such as SAP (S/4HANA for Services preferred) or Oracle Fusion (specifically Project Portfolio Management, Financials, HCM, and Supply Chain modules).

IT Infrastructure, Networks , Security & Cloud:

- Define and lead the strategy for robust, scalable, and secure IT infrastructure, including on-premise and cloud environments.

- Oversee the design, implementation, and management of corporate networks, ensuring high availability, performance, and security for geographically dispersed teams and client engagements.

- Drive the firm's cloud adoption strategy (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), optimizing cloud spend and ensuring compliance and security in multi-cloud or hybrid cloud environments.

- Ensure compliance with relevant industry regulations and data privacy laws

IT Service Management (ITSM) & Operational Excellence:

- Implement and mature IT Service Management frameworks (e.g., ITIL) to ensure efficient delivery of IT services, incident resolution, problem management, and change management.

- Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for IT operations, driving continuous improvement in service quality, reliability, and user satisfaction.

Business Acumen, Data & Analytics:

- Collaborate extensively with business stakeholders (HR, Finance, Procurement, Operations, Client Delivery) to identify technology needs and translate them into effective, value-driven solutions.

- Champion the use of data analytics and business intelligence platforms to provide actionable insights into key business KPIs relevant to professional services (e.g., utilization rates, project profitability, revenue assurance, client satisfaction, operational efficiency).

- Drive a data-driven culture across the organization.

Digital Transformation & Employee Experience:

- Lead significant digital transformation initiatives across all business functions, leveraging technology to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and enhance client delivery capabilities.

- Oversee the strategic implementation and optimization of HR platforms and other employee-facing systems, with a strong focus on enhancing the entire employee lifecycle experience (onboarding, performance, learning, collaboration).

- Identify and implement solutions that improve employee productivity, engagement, and satisfaction within a professional services context.

Emerging Technologies & Innovation:

- Actively evaluate and strategically integrate emerging technologies, including Enterprise AI, Machine Learning, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and Low-Code/No-Code platforms (e.g., Microsoft Power Apps, OutSystems, Appian).

- Drive innovation by identifying opportunities to leverage these technologies to create new business value, automate processes, and enhance client and employee experiences.

Project & Program Management Excellence:

- Provide executive oversight for all IT projects and programs, ensuring timely delivery, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.

- Establish and enforce robust project and portfolio management methodologies.

Team Leadership & Development:

- Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing and agile IT organization, comprising diverse teams across applications, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and service delivery.

- Foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, accountability, and collaboration within the IT department and across the firm.

Qualifications:

- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, or a related field. An MBA or Master's degree in a relevant technology discipline is highly preferred.

- 15+ years of progressive experience in IT leadership roles, with at least 5-7 years in a strategic leadership position (e.g., CTO, or Head of IT Services) within a Professional Services organization.

- Mandatory: Demonstrable executive-level understanding and significant experience within a Professional Services environment, including its unique operational and client-facing challenges.

- Extensive experience with the strategic planning, implementation, and optimization of enterprise-level ERP systems (SAP, Oracle Fusion).

- Proven expertise in managing and modernizing IT infrastructure, network architecture, and cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP).

- Deep knowledge of cybersecurity best practices, frameworks, and regulatory compliance.

- Strong understanding and practical experience with IT Service Management (ITSM) principles and frameworks (e.g., ITIL certification preferred).

- Proven track record of successfully leading large-scale digital transformation initiatives.

- Deep understanding of key business KPIs and extensive experience implementing and leveraging data analytics platforms.

- Hands-on experience with HR platform implementation and driving employee lifecycle enhancements.

- Expertise in project and program management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid) and portfolio management.

- Familiarity with Enterprise AI concepts, Machine Learning, and practical applications within a business context.

- Experience with Low-Code/No-Code platforms (e.g., Power Apps, OutSystems, Appian) is highly desirable.

- Exceptional executive-level communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

- Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving, and analytical abilities.

- Demonstrated ability to build, lead, and inspire high-performing, geographically distributed teams.