Location: Europe | Duration: Freelance/Interim | Size: €5bn+ turnover, 12,000+ employees
We are supporting a leading European distribution group in their search for an Interim Group Director IT Ops. This interim leadership role reports directly to the Group Chief Digital & Information Officer (CDIO) and plays a key role in shaping and executing the IT Operations strategy across a complex, multi-country organization.
The company operates across eight European countries and has embraced a predominantly cloud-based infrastructure, complemented by local on-premise solutions. The focus of this role is to drive harmonization, operational excellence, and modernization of IT services and infrastructure, while ensuring business continuity, scalability, and cost-efficiency.
Key Responsibilities
IT Operations Strategy & Leadership
- Develop and execute a cohesive IT operations strategy aligned with digital transformation and business objectives.
- Drive standardization and consolidation of infrastructure and operations across the group.
- Lead a compact central team and collaborate with country-level IT leadership and other group functions.
- Build a resilient and high-performing IT operations function that supports both group-wide and local business needs.
Infrastructure & Cloud Operations
- Oversee hybrid IT landscapes, primarily based on Microsoft Azure and local on-premise environments.
- Lead cloud migration initiatives and the modernization of legacy systems.
- Define governance and best practices for hybrid cloud environments, covering security, cost control, and performance.
- Implement monitoring frameworks to proactively manage system availability and efficiency.
Service Management & Operational Excellence
- Standardize ITSM processes (incident, problem, change management) using ITIL best practices.
- Define and monitor service-level agreements (SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs).
- Leverage automation, FinOps, and AIOps tools to optimize support and reduce manual workloads.
- Ensure reliable, responsive, and scalable support and service delivery.
Cybersecurity, Compliance & Risk Management
- Ensure adherence to GDPR, cybersecurity regulations, and relevant industry standards.
- Collaborate with security leadership to support a zero-trust security posture.
- Oversee business continuity and disaster recovery (BC/DR) planning.
- Enforce strict security baselines, vulnerability management, and patching protocols.
Financial & Vendor Management
- Manage IT operations budgets and drive TCO optimization.
- Support contract negotiation and vendor management for infrastructure, network, and cloud services.
- Monitor and optimize license usage, cloud resource allocation, and procurement.
Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement
- Engage with local IT and business leaders to ensure alignment with operational and growth objectives.
- Lead cross-functional initiatives that enable digital transformation and operational agility.
- Advise on emerging trends in infrastructure and operations, contributing to long-term IT strategy.
Candidate Profile
Technical & Strategic Experience
- 5+ years in IT infrastructure & operations leadership roles in international environments.
- Experience leading cloud transformation programs (preferably Microsoft Azure).
- Strong understanding of hybrid infrastructure, network security, automation, and performance engineering.
- Familiarity with ITIL frameworks, DevOps practices, and AIOps capabilities.
Leadership & Business Acumen
- Proven ability to lead distributed teams and influence senior stakeholders.
- Experience delivering operational standardization and efficiency at scale.
- Strong financial skills for managing budgets and vendor performance.
If you’re an experienced IT operations leader with a strategic mindset and strong execution capabilities in complex, cloud-based environments, we’d be happy to discuss this opportunity with you further.
