GBLCAREERS

Head of I.T. Operations

Senior Staff

HRF-0000783

IT

Specific Role Purpose:
Manage I.T. technical teams to implement the division’s strategy and goals to make a significant contribution to ensure a stable and secure I.T. environment. Act as a technical/professional expert within the department and resolves complex issues with significant impact on the business. Has defined authority and responsibility for a significant area of work, including technical, financial, strategic and quality aspects to support corporate initiatives.

Specific Accountabilities:
I.T. Management –
• Within a budgetary framework and with full accountability, takes management responsibility for a complete I.T. function where the measure of success depends on achieving business goals, performance targets and agreed service levels as well as on the successful technical implementation or use of information systems.
• Identifies and manages resources needed for the planning, development and delivery of specified information and communications systems services and products. Takes full responsibility for all aspects of career development for subordinate staff.
• Recognises, and actively seeks ways to exploit information technology to address complex business, organisational and technical issues, of both a conventional and innovative nature. Influences senior level customers and project teams through change management initiatives, ensuring that professional standards are maintained.
• Plans and manages implementation of processes and procedures, tools and techniques for monitoring and managing the performance of automated systems and services, in respect of their contribution to business performance and benefits to the business, where the measure of success depends on achieving clearly stated business/financial goals and performance targets. Gives operational and maintenance acceptance for new and changed systems and services.
• On the basis of both experience and foresight, sets up and maintains a risk management programme. In the event of a crisis, minimises its effect and manages resolution so as to bring the situation to a satisfactory conclusion.

Solution Architecture –
• Leads development of I.T. operations, systems Infrastructure & architectures, ensuring consistency with specified requirements agreed with both external and internal customers. Takes full responsibility for ensuring that systems architectures balance functional, service quality and systems management requirements. Ensures that appropriate standards (corporate, industry, national and international) are adhered to. Within a business change programme, manages the programme’s target design, policies and standards, working proactively to achieve stable, viable designs, and ensuring consistency of design across projects within the programme.
• Sets strategy for overall control and management of services, to optimize the likelihood that all availability targets are met and reflect business imperatives.

Data Management –
• Takes overall responsibility for planning effective information storage, sharing and publishing within the organisation.

I.T. Governance –
• Manages the implementation of business systems, I.T. Infrastructure and I.T. controls to measure performance, manage risk and ensure that I.T. and the business work together.

Information Assurance –
• Ensures architectural principles are applied during design to reduce risk, and advances assurance standards through ensuring rigorous security testing.
• In the context of Business Continuity, assesses protection, detection, and reaction capabilities, to determine whether they are sufficient to support restoration of information systems in a secure manner.

Network Design –
• Takes responsibility for major aspects of network/systems Infrastructure specification and design within the organisation. Makes recommendations for the improvement of network design operation and economics, wherever and whenever possible.
• Produces network design policies, philosophies and criteria covering connectivity, capacity, interfacing, security, resilience, recovery, access and remote access.

Network Planning –
• Takes responsibility for major decision making in the planning of communications networks, taking account of the need for quality, security, availability, reliability, integrity and safety, and utilising (as appropriate) specialised techniques, tools, methods or standards.

Programme Management –
• Within a small to medium scale change programme, plans, directs, and coordinates the programme’s projects and other activities, from contract/proposal initiation to benefit realisation, on behalf of senior management, to ensure optimum efficiency in the allocation of common resources and skills.

Procurement –
• Defines and agrees tender evaluation criteria, and budgets for the procurement of products and services. Prepares tender documents (eg invitations to tender, requests for proposal) and submits them to selected suppliers. Deals with suppliers’ queries. Controls actual expenditure against budget.

Security Administration –
• Develops implementation approach, taking account of current best practice, legislation and regulation. Ensures implementation of information security strategy in automated systems and ensures operations of security systems. Analyses results of investigations into complex, or highly sensitive security violations, to determine whether standards are fit for purpose, are current and are correctly implemented.

Information Security –
• Manages assessment of threats to confidentiality, integrity, availability, accountability and relevant compliance. Takes ownership of security control reviews, business risk assessments, and reviews that follow significant breaches of security controls.

Service Level Management –
• Ensures that the service level requirements of each Customer area are determined, and that service level agreements, contracts and negotiations with both internal and external suppliers are aimed at meeting the business needs of the employing organisation, by providing a value for money service.

Storage Management –
• Aligns storage investments and data management policies to meet the business goals based on the information value, classification of data, the Recovery Point Objective and Recovery Time Objective.

Section Budget –
• Prepare section budget, estimate, plan and set objectives for the work of the function, within agreed policies. Monitors progress, take corrective action and produce reports as required by senior management.

Must have a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems or other relevant degree

• Minimum of 11 years I.T. experience ideally within the Oil/Gas industry. • Attain and maintain competence in accordance with the I.T. competency and development framework. • Fluent in English language (demonstrated verbal & written skills) with well-developed interpersonal and presentation skills and the ability to communicate to all levels. • Conversant with relevant I.T. national and international standards and has a broad understanding of all aspects of I.T. and a deep understanding of own specialism(s). • Practical experience in project and program management and I.T. Risk and Security.