IT Director

Role Overview

The IT Director position leads the Information Technology operations spanning all markets and brands within the Group. This pivotal role owns the responsibility for establishing a secure, scalable, data-centric, and AI-powered technology framework that underpins business expansion, digital transformation efforts, retail operations, and enterprise modernization.

Key Responsibilities

• Formulate and implement the Group's IT strategic roadmap aligned with business development, omnichannel retail growth, and innovation in digital technologies.
• Design the IT organizational model, structure, and define skill development plans covering all technological domains.
• Provide strong leadership to diverse teams focusing on capability enhancement, planning for succession, and fostering cross-department collaboration.
• Lead initiatives in change management, promoting digital adoption, and enhancing user experience across all divisions.
• Direct the migration to SAP S/4HANA, ensuring seamless system integration with POS, CRM, E-Commerce, warehousing, and supply chain platforms.
• Oversee enterprise architecture to guarantee system interoperability, efficiency, and scalability throughout the Group.
• Manage the lifecycle of critical IT applications including POS, mobile POS, SAP, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, CRM, and marketplace connectors.
• Implement workflow automations within SAP to optimize business operations across various markets.
• Establish data governance, quality assurance, and security protocols to maintain highly reliable and consistent data that enables informed decision-making.
• Standardize dashboards and reporting structures across different platforms and markets.
• Lead teams in Data Science, Data Engineering, Business Intelligence, and Analytics to provide advanced data insights such as demand forecasting, distribution optimization, rate of sale tracking, customer personalization frameworks, and comprehensive business performance analysis.
• Oversee AI governance including responsible GenAI use, prompt engineering standards, security controls, and deployment of AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot.
• Drive development and stability of the Group’s E-Commerce mobile applications, websites, and omnichannel service initiatives ensuring high reliability and an effective incident response process.
• Advance CRM functionalities, customer data platform integrations, and management of customer communication channels such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram Messaging.
• Collaborate with Digital and Marketing teams to deliver personalized customer engagement, loyalty programs, and targeted marketing capabilities.
• Ensure high availability of all mission-critical systems including POS, SAP, and E-Commerce.
• Enhance cybersecurity measures by embedding secure-by-design approaches within system development and infrastructure management.
• Maintain essential compliance certifications, for example Cyber Trust Mark or equivalent, and ensure absence of significant security breaches.
• Lead resilience initiatives for networks, systems, and applications, encompassing disaster recovery and business continuity planning.
• Increase IT helpdesk efficiency through deployment of AI-driven support solutions.
• Supervise in-house software development projects for mobile POS, CRM improvements, retail operation tools, and integration platforms promoting usage of open-source technologies, enforcing code quality standards, DevOps, and performance engineering practices.
• Ensure adherence to uniform development methodologies, comprehensive documentation, and adoption of secure coding practices across all development teams.
• Manage strategic IT projects from inception to delivery ensuring compliance with budget, schedule, and scope requirements.
• Coordinate vendor partnerships, contracts, licensing agreements for key platforms like Salesforce, SAP, Braze, Segment, cloud services, and marketplace collaborators.
• Implement cost optimization strategies across hardware, software, cloud consumption, and professional services.
• Evaluate IT expenditures to ensure measurable return on investment that aligns with critical business priorities.

Candidate Requirements

• Possess a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Bring over 12 years of IT experience with a minimum of 5 years holding senior leadership responsibilities.
• Proven track record managing IT functions at a group or regional level covering multiple geographic markets.
• Experience in retail, omnichannel commerce, eCommerce, or customer-facing sectors is advantageous.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to influence executives and collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Adaptable to fast-paced operational environments and capable of navigating rapid changes effectively.