Head of IT | Customer, Marketing, Loyalty & WFS

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Business Unit Information Technology Location - Town / City Cape Town Minimum Education Level Bachelors Degree | Advanced Diploma Job Advert Summary The Head of IT | Customer, Marketing, Loyalty & WFS is the accountable owner of the Customer, Loyalty, Marketing and WFS technology strategy and outcomes. This role is responsible for aligning business goals with a sustainable architecture platform, delivery of new features and transformational capabilities with the appropriate quality governance in place, resulting in resilient operations. The primary purpose of the role is to own and operate all Customer, Loyalty, Marketing and WFS related capabilities (Across Strategic Transformation, Operational Support & Maintenance) flawlessly across Retail and Woolworths Financial Services environments. This role involves the active management and deep ownership of a diverse end-to-end technology landscape across channels (Stores|Online|App), Organisational Units, Partnerships & Vendors with direct responsibility for various technology components (bespoke, cloud platforms, applications and vendor managed services). The operational run and maintenance remit of this role is to ensure 24 x 7 performant stability of the full stack of capabilities to ensure an excellent Customer Experience. Minimum Requirements - Educational Background : Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science or a related field. - Professional Experience : Proven experience in a similar role, foundational experience with technology management and complex technical, integrated environments. Hands-on experience with defect/triage management, customer data integrated environments, cloud platform management, ETL processes, and cloud/AWS technologies including Big data technologies. Leadership experience in managing product/ringfenced teams and working in a matrix structure. Experience in the concept of IT Services, including Infrastructure as a Service, and other ITIL concepts across multiple channels (In Store/App/Online). - Technical Skills : Expertise in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Salesforce Loyalty Platform (optional), Bespoke application management, cloud and infrastructure as a service hosted environments & management , data analytics and master data management, secure integrated networking solutions, Retail POS and Offer Management technologies (Flooid POS & Flooid PO), big data technologies, cloud services (e.g. AWS, Azure, Google Cloud), and data pipeline and workflow management tools. Project/Programme Management experience essential. - Analytical Skills : Strong analytical skills with the ability to solve complex problems and optimise data processes for efficiency and scalability. - Communication and Leadership : Excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills, with the ability to manage cross-functional projects and teams proactively, producing results, always. Additional Criteria - Retail experience preferable - Proven track record of delivery in large-scale digital commerce or retail IT programmes - Deep experience in Agile work practices and squad formation - Experience in leading cross-functional teams including Vendors, Technical Teams, DevSecOps, and QA - Strong technical management skills, effective at influencing at senior executive level - Ability to manage a complex budget across multiple portfolios and associated financial impacts - Experience in leading and guiding diverse teams - Skilled in AWS Cloud and modular architectures - Proven ability in delivering results - Proven ability in analytics, commercial thinking, and presenting and communicating information Duties and Responsibilities Technology Stategy & Architecture - Define and align business and technology goals with a robust end to end architecture and platform - Oversee the direct and cross-functional team & vendors to ensure the “Architectural Runway” and standards are maintained - Lead the formulation of the technology strategy for the Customer, Loyalty, Marketing and WFS landscape - Ensure implementations conforms to Architectural Standards and Governance and Quality gates - Successful development and maintenance of the Customer, Marketing, Loyalty and WFS technical components across the application stack, making sure these are scalable, reliable, and secure. - Ensure high-quality data is available and accessible to all consumers of customer data - Implementation of new technologies and processes that improve the efficiency and capability of the committed IT services - Build and maintain a high-performing engineering team with advanced skills and a strong focus on goals and continuous improvement. Engineering & Platform Enablement - Accountable for delivery quality, governance, and resilient operations across all related ecosystems and platforms - The role will need to build and manage a team that exceeds customer expectations and is able to cohesively deliver to Customer, Loyalty, Marketing and WFS Business expectations aligned to internal IT processes. - Lead the setting of standards for platform management, secure code development, flow of work, and clear technical ownership Service Reliability & Quality Assurance - Ensure 24/7 performant ecosystem and related processes to monitor/support and respond - Ensure clear processes for collaboration between L1/L2 support, technology domains and centre’s of excellence - Own quality governance and gates through QA and testing standards, including catering for compliance and data governance processes PEOPLE, FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL LEADERSHIP People Leadership - Lead, develop, and support the engineering and technical operations teams - Cultivate high-performance culture focused on “Customer and Capability Obsession” with clear ecosystem understanding linked to Total Experience (across channels, customer & business) - Identify, mentor, and develop talent, specifically focused on defining an organizational structure and team to partner effectively with Business & Technology Owners - Foster a “One Team” culture to break down silos between teams Financial Management - Manage the financial health of the entire technology function, including multi-year budgets - Oversee and actively manage FinOps including AWS cost management and related platform/technology components - Negotiate and manage contracts for solutions and services with and partners