Head of IT

To provide strategic technical direction and manage multiple technical teams responsible for the technical delivery of the full product lifecycle; all product features and support and maintenance related tasks in respect of the product Oversee the ongoing drive to increase efficiency, optimisation, innovation and people development in these DIRECT REPORTS The job holder has direct reports (one or more of the following depending on the product) : Team Leader : Operations Team Leader : Data and Analytics Indirect reports (one or more of the following) : Software Engineers Business Analysts Product Owners DBA’s Data Scientists BIBA KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS Provide software services to a product by delivering system changes and enhancements Risk and control / compliance Third party relationship management Budgeting, control and reporting KEY TASKS & ACCOUNTABILITIES Provide software services to a product by delivering system developments, changes and enhancements Responsible for developing a designated group of software systems that are used to service / sell to an internal customer / client i.e. a product or channel or platform. Responsible for all software systems that make up the product. Responsible for the critical banking systems and / or system components according to the particular product Refer to critical banking systems and / or system components during the execution of tasks / projects according to the particular product Derive functional solution options within current system landscape for all identified opportunities for product, process or system improvement Accountable for quality assurance of software development work. Work closely with and contract with the Head : Technology Strategies to ensure the right and best technologies are adopted and effectively implemented and embedded for the product. Responsible for negotiating with the Product Manager and agreeing with the Product Head, the tactical and specific delivery expectations; what needs to be delivered by when. Achieved by operational planning, management and execution in respect of : o Managing the planning process to derive delivery timelines o Contracting timelines with Product Head and, where appropriate for the product, Project Manager and the Product Owner role holder o Communicating the timelines to the team and 3rd Parties o Monitoring progress against agreed-upon timelines, including collaboration with the Project Manager o Liaising with relevant internal departments or stakeholders that might impact the ability to deliver quality software in a timeous manner to remove any issues and keep on track with delivery commitments o Addressing / rectifying non-progress (i.e. re-contracting with Product Head and Product Manager if new delivery timelines would be required) o Providing continuous and timely feedback to the Product Head throughout the process Responsible for faultless, error free, contracted delivery to agreed expectations. Achieved by operational planning, management and execution in respect of : o Effectively and comprehensively communicating a detailed understanding of the business’ expectation by the team, to the team, including 3rd parties, as defined in the specifications throughout the SDLC o Adherence by the team to prescribed quality (as defined by IT Standards & Governance) during all the phases of the SDLC (i.e., FD phase, TS phase, Code reviews and integration testing, etc.) Responsible for system availability, security and performance according to pre-defined SLAs and standards with respect to the product. Achieved by operational planning, management and execution in respect of : o Setting in place tools, routines, processes and metrics for monitoring uptime and performance against contracted SLA o Implementation of agreed security standards within the software solution o Addressing / rectifying non-adherence to agreed-upon SLAs and standards o Designing and operating a framework that will provide continuous and timely feedback to the business Risk and control / compliance Overall responsibility to ensure audit findings are addressed according to agreed management comments Overall responsibility to ensure regulatory requirements are addressed according to agreed compliance standards Manage and oversee the team so that internal systems / business analysis quality standards and the approved SDLC are adhered to. Third Party Relationship Management Have single responsibility for driving and delivering third party provision within the software development eco-system. Build, manage and maintain productive and beneficial key 3rd party relationships Drive and deliver the end to end relationship life cycle; sourcing, negotiating, and contracting management. Coordinate the contract approval process between Executive Management, Contract and Commercial Management, Legal and the external supplier(s) Manage key suppliers to secure effective service delivery against contracted SLA w.r.t. quality, costs and time of delivery; o Understand the supplier environment through regular engagement with suppliers o Analyse performance to measure consistency of supplier service delivery and improve supply processes and supplier efficiencies o Collaborate with Contract and Commercial Management to achieve cost effective annual negotiations with suppliers o Communicate and manage changes in requirements from suppliers Motivate and negotiate with the Product Head for a team and structure according to and appropriate for the particular product and the product life cycle stages as well as ensuring the software development team comprises the varied, mixed technical skills and knowledge to deliver. Manage the changing people challenges such as fluidity of resources, remote working, different development needs. Hold direct line management responsibilities for Team Leaders as well as general leadership oversight and direction for indirect reports, creating a product focus and understanding of the