Group IT Operations Director

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The Connells Group is one of the largest and is the most successful estate agency and property services provider in the UK. Our recent history is one of sustained and profitable growth and we are now a diversified group employing approximately 7,400 people and with a turnover of over £400m. On the estate agency side we trade under 26 brands operating from almost 600 branches and on the broader property services side, we own businesses and brands in the survey and valuation, asset management, mortgage broking and legal services space, many of which are highly successful market leaders in their own right.

We are now looking to appoint a new Group IT Operations Director to lead the IT Operations function, ensuring that all plans are aligned with broader Group strategies and objectives and managing the delivery of excellent service and support to the Group. Aside from your leadership of the internal team of 76, you will also lead key IT supplier relationships, negotiating contracts and managing their performance against agreed service levels and to the most cost effective terms. One particular attraction of this role is its breadth, since aside from the above responsibilities, your remit will also include leading key Group-wide IT and non IT related change programmes and initiatives, ensuring that delivery is against plan, to time and within budget.

To be considered for this role, it is essential that you have gained senior level IT operations experience within a sizeable organisation, ideally a group, which includes developing and implementing IT operational plans/roadmaps that are aligned with the broader organisation’s objectives and managing the delivery of a wide range of IT operational services to high service standards and within agreed budgets. This experience must include leading both an internal team and third party suppliers; and in the latter case reviewing their contractual relationships and managing delivery against agreed service levels. As previously mentioned, leading change is an important aspect of this role and it is essential that you have experience of planning and delivering IT change programmes and initiatives and desirable that you have also led broader non IT change. Clearly you must also possess a good understanding of a wide variety of current and relevant IT technologies.

Above all though, your personal approach will be key to ensuring success in this role. This means that you must possess a sound business mind underpinned by good commercial sense and well developed analytical and problem solving skills. A strong communicator, you will know how to lead and motivate your team and on a broader level, how to effectively engage with and influence senior internal and external stakeholders, particularly in respect of leading change. These abilities will be reinforced through your excellent project management and organisational skills and your personal drive, resilience, initiative and focus upon getting things done.

A detailed briefing pack is available and will be emailed to people who apply by clicking the APPLY button.