Role Purpose
Lead strategy, governance, delivery and continuous improvement of CPG Group's hybrid IT infrastructure and technology operations, covering data centre, cloud, network, compute, storage, backup, workplace, identity and operational services.
The role is accountable for service availability, resilience, security, cost and lifecycle management, including the performance of the appointed data centre managed services partner. The role also enables secure cloud and Artificial Intelligence (AI) workloads through scalable platforms, appropriate controls and reliable operational support, in line with business priorities, corporate governance, ISO/IEC 27001 requirements, regulatory obligations and internal policies.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and execute the Group's hybrid infrastructure and operations roadmap, aligned with business priorities, digital transformation objectives, enterprise architecture and the approved cloud strategy.
- Own the availability, performance, capacity and support of data centre, network, compute, storage, backup, cloud, identity, end-user computing and related operational platforms.
- Govern the data centre managed services partner against contractual obligations, service levels, key performance indicators and improvement commitments, including incident, problem, change, capacity, security, audit, financial and service-credit management.
- Establish and enforce effective IT service management practices, including monitoring, service desk, major incident command, root-cause analysis, change control, configuration management and service reporting.
- Maintain operational resilience through tested backup, disaster recovery and business continuity arrangements; ensure recovery time and recovery point objectives are defined, validated and reported.
- Lead secure cloud platform operations, including landing-zone controls, hybrid connectivity, infrastructure-as-code, policy enforcement, observability, tagging, consumption management and cloud financial management.
- Enable AI and data workloads by providing secure, scalable and cost-controlled cloud and infrastructure services, with appropriate compute, storage, connectivity, access controls, monitoring and operational support.
- Embed cybersecurity controls across infrastructure services, including identity and privileged access, hardening, patching, vulnerability remediation, endpoint and network detection, logging, encryption and third-party access.
- Manage infrastructure budgets, contracts, licences, assets, configurations, capacity and technology lifecycles; identify obsolescence, concentration and vendor risks early and maintain credible refresh plans.
- Provide executive reporting on service performance, major incidents, operational resilience, cybersecurity exposure, managed-service performance, cloud consumption, financial position, risks and corrective actions.
- Build sustainable internal capability through workforce planning, operational documentation, knowledge transfer, cross-training, succession planning and continuous professional development.
People Leadership
- Provide clear leadership, direction and mentoring to infrastructure and operations personnel, with defined accountability for service ownership and operational outcomes.
- Foster a disciplined, collaborative and improvement-focused culture that values customer service, security, automation, evidence-based decisions and timely escalation of material risks.
Governance and Compliance
- Ensure infrastructure and operational services comply with the CPG Group Policy Framework, information security, data management, privacy, technology governance and third-party risk requirements.
- Chair or participate in service review, change advisory, architecture, cloud governance, business continuity and technology risk forums, ensuring that decisions, exceptions and actions are recorded and followed through.
- Manage operational risk registers, audit findings, policy exceptions and corrective action plans, and maintain sufficient evidence to demonstrate control effectiveness and contractual compliance.
Job Requirements
- Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering or a related discipline with relevant professional certifications advantageous
- Minimum 10 years of progressive IT experience, with at least 4 years in a leadership role managing enterprise infrastructure, technology operations or managed services. Appointment level will reflect the breadth and depth of experience
- Proven experience across data centre, network, compute, storage, backup, end-user technology, identity, Microsoft 365, Azure or comparable cloud platforms, and hybrid infrastructure operations.
- Strong knowledge of cloud architecture and operations, automation, infrastructure-as-code, observability and cloud cost management, with practical understanding of the platform requirements for data and AI workloads
- Demonstrated capability in IT service management, cybersecurity, ISO/IEC 27001, operational resilience, vendor and commercial management, executive communication and cross-functional stakeholder engagement
Core Competencies
- Strategic Infrastructure Leadership
- Hybrid Infrastructure Architecture & Operations
- Data Centre & Managed Services Governance
- Cloud Platforms, Automation & FinOps
- AI-Ready Infrastructure & Operational Enablement
- IT Service Management & Service Reliability
- Cybersecurity & ISO/IEC 27001 preferably
- Operational Resilience, Backup & Disaster Recovery
- Financial, Asset & Technology Lifecycle Management
- Stakeholder & People Leadership