Head of IT Operations

About the Organisation
Our client is a highly successful, well-established retail group with a portfolio of well-known brands across New Zealand and Australia. It has a strong heritage, a big market presence and a collaborative, high-performing culture. Technology sits behind everything the Group does, including stores, distribution centres, support offices, eCommerce, loyalty and supply chain. A capable and committed IT team keeps it all running.

The Opportunity
The Head of IT Operations is a senior role reporting to the Head of IT and acting as their second-in-command. You’ll lead the performance, resilience, governance and continual improvement of operational technology services across the Group in New Zealand and Australia.
You’ll lead three managers covering infrastructure, network and store systems, and server and desktop support. You’ll be accountable for the availability, security and performance of a large, geographically spread environment covering several hundred retail sites, multiple distribution centres and online platforms.

Key areas of focus include:

• IT operations leadership, incident management and service recovery
• Infrastructure, cloud, networks, telecommunications and end-user computing
• Service delivery, service levels and continual service improvement
• Cybersecurity operations and technology risk, working with managed security partners
• Change management, operational governance, compliance and audit (including PCI)
• Vendor, contract and operational budget management
• Business continuity and disaster recovery

You’ll help shape technology strategy, major investment and transformation decisions. You’ll also make sure operational supportability is built into every project. You’ll build leadership depth and succession readiness across the function and step in for the Head of IT when needed.
The role is based in Auckland and requires the successful candidate to be Auckland based, working full time on site, five days per week.

About You
We are looking for a credible, commercially astute IT leader who is equally comfortable running a complex operational environment and engaging at executive level. You will bring:

• Extensive experience in senior IT leadership roles, leading enterprise infrastructure, operations, service delivery or support functions
• Experience in retail, distribution, logistics, manufacturing or other multi-site, multi-brand organisations (highly regarded)
• A strong understanding of cybersecurity, infrastructure, networking, cloud platforms, service management and operational governance
• Experience managing geographically dispersed technology environments and teams
• A proven track record managing vendors, contracts and operational budgets
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills and sound judgement under pressure

You’ll be a hands-on, outcomes-focused all-rounder who builds accountable, customer-focused teams. You’ll be in it for the long haul and want a meaningful role in the Group’s technology future.

What’s on Offer
This is a senior role with real breadth, visibility and autonomy in a well-established organisation, plus a clear leadership succession pathway within the IT function.
The remuneration package reflects the scope, scale and seniority of the role. You’ll also get a collaborative environment, strong leadership and ongoing opportunities for growth and impact.

Please submit your application via Seek.
Preference will be given to candidates who hold the right to work in New Zealand and are currently based in Auckland.