WFS Head IT Operations

MAIN PURPOSE To provide strategic leadership and operational accountability for the delivery, availability, resilience, security and continuous improvement of Woolworths Financial Services' technology operations landscape. The role is responsible for ensuring that all production systems, infrastructure platforms, cloud services, networks, service management processes and operational support functions enable the successful execution of the WFS business strategy while meeting regulatory, risk, governance and customer service requirements. The Head of IT Operations is accountable for maintaining a highly resilient and secure technology environment that supports financial services products and services, drives operational excellence, protects customer and business data, and enables innovation through modern operational practices, automation and continuous improvement. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Grow Business Profitably • Collaborate with Executive Leadership to align technology operations with WFS strategic objectives and digital transformation priorities. • Translate the IT Strategy into operational plans and ensure integrated execution across Technology and Business teams. • Drive operational efficiency initiatives that improve service quality, reduce costs and optimise technology investments. • Identify opportunities to leverage emerging technologies, automation and operational innovation to improve customer and business outcomes. • Establish operational goals and performance measures aligned to business objectives. • Contribute to the development and execution of enterprise transformation initiatives. 2. Technology Operations & Service Delivery • Maintain overall accountability for the availability, stability and performance of all production technology services. • Lead enterprise infrastructure operations across cloud, data centre, network, workplace technology and end-user computing environments. • Ensure effective monitoring, observability and management of critical business services and technology platforms. • Drive operational excellence through mature Incident, Problem, Change, Release, Capacity and Availability Management practices. • Establish and maintain Service Level Agreements (SLAs), Operational Level Agreements (OLAs) and operational performance metrics. • Lead Major Incident Management processes to minimise customer and business impact. • Ensure operational readiness and supportability of all new systems, platforms and technology solutions. • Implement automation and continuous improvement initiatives to improve operational efficiency and service reliability. • Develop and maintain service management capabilities aligned to ITIL best practice. 3. Cybersecurity, Risk & Operational Resilience • Partner with Security teams to strengthen cyber resilience and reduce operational risk. • Maintain operational readiness for Disaster Recovery (DR), Business Continuity (BCP) and operational resilience capabilities. • Ensure regular testing and validation of recovery plans and resilience controls. • Manage operational technology risks and ensure remediation of identified vulnerabilities. • Ensure effective technology risk reporting to executive leadership, governance forums and auditors. 4. Cloud, Infrastructure & Platform Management • Ensure effective management of hybrid cloud environments and strategic technology platforms. • Oversee infrastructure lifecycle management, technology refresh programmes and capacity planning activities. • Drive cloud optimisation and FinOps practices to maximise value from technology investments. • Ensure technology platforms support future business requirements and strategic transformation programmes. 5. Supplier & Partner Management • Establish relationships with technology suppliers, managed service providers and outsourcing partners. • Maintain accountability for supplier performance and service delivery outcomes. 6. Governance, Compliance & Audit • Maintain accountability for delivering operational outcomes that meet WFS governance, risk and compliance standards. • Ensure sustainable implementation of audit, risk and regulatory control requirements. • Drive remediation of audit findings within agreed timelines. • Establish operational governance structures that support effective decision-making and accountability. • Ensure operational compliance with internal policies, standards and control frameworks. • Support regulatory reviews, audits and risk assessments. 7. Leadership, People & Culture • Lead and develop high-performing technology operations teams. • Create an inclusive, customer-focused and performance-driven culture. • Build leadership capability, succession pipelines and critical operational skills. • Coach and develop managers and technical specialists. • Foster collaboration across Technology, Risk, Finance and Business teams. • Champion WFS values and role model desired leadership behaviours. • Drive organisational change and adoption of new ways of working. 8. Innovation & Continuous Improvement • Promote a culture of operational excellence, innovation and continuous improvement. • Leverage automation, AI-enabled operations, predictive monitoring and analytics to improve service delivery. • Drive adoption of Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), DevOps and modern operational practices where appropriate. • Monitor industry trends, emerging technologies and regulatory developments relevant to Financial Services. • Identify opportunities to improve customer experience through technology operations enhancements. Requirements EXPERIENCE REQUIRED • 10+ years relevant technology leadership experience. • Minimum 5 years’ operating at senior management / leadership level. • Significant experience within Financial Services, Banking, Retail Financial Services or FinTech environments. • Proven experience leading enterprise-scale IT Operations functions. • Demonstrated experience managing cloud, infrastructure, service management and operational support environments. • Experience leading technology transformation, operational resilience and regulatory compliance initiatives. • Experience engaging executive leadership, governance committees, auditors and regulators. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS • Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering or related field. • Postgraduate qualification in Business, Technology Management or Leadership is advantageous. • ITIL 4 Managing Professional or equivalent certification. • Relevant certifications in Cloud, Governance or Technology Risk are advantageous FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES • Strong understanding of Financial Services technology platforms, operations and regulatory environments. •Deep expertise in IT Operations, Service Management and Infrastructure Management. • Strong knowledge of ITIL, COBIT, Technology Risk and Governance frameworks. • Knowledge of cloud technologies, modern infrastructure platforms and automation practices. • Experience managing outsourced service providers. • Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication and negotiation skills Woolworths Financial Services is a proud South African brand, who is committed to transformation. Meeting our employment equity goals will be taken into account in our recruitment decisions.