Head of IT Operations

Severn Trent provide a critical national infrastructure to millions of customers in our region 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Our Technology team are vital to keeping the operation moving, as we deliver and maintain secure and stable IT services which maximises value to our business. We’re stacked with highly talented and innovative individuals who are always searching for exciting new ways to aid our business colleagues, and ultimately, our customers experience.

We welcome people from all walks of life and celebrate individuality, as we know diverse minds, experiences and backgrounds help us to learn and better serve our customers and the communities where they live.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

We have an opportunity for you to join our Technology leadership team as our Head of IT Operations, where you’ll be responsible for leading all Infrastructure, Application, and IT Engineering support teams to provide an excellent colleague experience and a skilled resource pool for our capital projects delivery function.

Reporting to our Chief Information Officer, you’ll be responsible for 3rd party support contracts that provide an essential contribution to the overall technology service, and you’ll be accountable for leading and developing a first-class support function that ensures the skills and capabilities are in line with our future business plans and strategic direction.

This role will take accountability for the team’s communication, processes, delivery, and performance, enabling the delivery of an end-to-end service through excellent management and dynamic leadership. You’ll ensure critical services are available and performing optimally for the required timescales and you’ll provide expert, well informed leadership during major critical service incidents, ensuring service level agreements are met for technology.

Some of your other key accountabilities will include:

Accountability for all 2nd and 3rd line contacts, supporting business colleagues via Infrastructure, Application and Engineering support teams plus engagement with 3rd party support contracts for necessary resolution of issues.
Building a technical capability in line with industry best practice using associated partners to help exploit technology and the underlying infrastructure to the benefit of Severn Trent.
Working closely with the project delivery function and ensuring there is optimal resource utilisation on capital projects.
Responsibility for supporting cyber security with technical expertise and reducing the level of vulnerabilities across the technology estate.
Building strong partnerships with IT Managed Service Providers (Vendors and Framework Providers) to help deliver a cost effective and efficient service experience.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING TO THE ROLE

It’s expected that you’ll bring extensive leadership experience to this role, with a proven track record of IT Infrastructure and Application services gained within a complex, corporate environment.

To be successful, you’ll need experience in managing 3rd party services and have technical knowledge of public cloud service delivery, as well as experience in cyber security, managing vulnerabilities and patching the technology estate.

Ideally, you’ll be ITIL Practitioner v3 qualified with a ‘right first time’ and ‘customer first’ mentality. You’ll be experienced in building, informing, and influencing technology strategy and will have exemplary financial control of large OPEX and CAPEX budgets.

We’ve recently gone through a significant period of change in Technology, as we underwent a review of our Target Operating Model. This has seen IT Operations go through a substantial transformation, and so it would be highly advantageous if you have experience of leading a department through a major change project, with relative examples of increasing engagement and team cohesion.

You’ll need strong interpersonal, negotiating, influencing and leadership skills with experience in impelling senior leadership to gain buy-in. You’ll need to possess excellent written and verbal communication skills at all levels, with the ability to translate complex IT issues into business vocabulary.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU

Working here isn’t just a job. You can build a career at Severn Trent, and we’ll reward you for it too. We have a range of benefits that recognise great work, and award-winning training to help you reach your potential. And we’ll also help you play your part in looking after the environment and the communities where we live.

With that in mind, here are just some of our favourite's perks that you’ll get being part of the Seven Trent family:

Salary, negotiable depending on your experience
31 days holiday + bank holidays (and the ability to buy/ sell up to 5 days per year)
Annual bonus scheme (of up to 20% of salary dependent on company performance)
Leading pension scheme – we will double your contribution (up to 15% when you contribute 7.5%)
Sharesave – the chance to buy Severn Trent Plc shares at a discounted rate
10% monthly discount with Busy Bee Nurseries and one-week free childcare
Dedicated training and development with our ‘Academy’
Car allowance of £5,208 pa (pro-rata where appropriate)
Private medical cover, life assurance, income protection and personal accident cover
Electric vehicle scheme and retail offers
Family friendly policies
Two volunteering days per year

WHATS NEXT?

We can’t wait to hear from you.

Before you apply, you’ll need an updated copy of your CV and about five minutes to spare. If you’re not too sure about what you need to do, or have a question about the role before applying, please get in touch with our amazing team of recruiters at recruitment@severntrent.co.uk.

And if your curiosity has peaked and you're wanting to find out even more, search #LifeAtSevernTrent on social media.

Ps. we’ll always let you know the outcome of your application after the closing date - so keep an eye on your phone and emails.