Head of I&T Service Delivery

Head of I&T Service Delivery & Infrastructure – PRC &PSP

Subject to Consultation

Location – Krakow, Poland

About the role

The Paper, Recycling, Paper Sourcing and Procurement division of EMEA region within the DS Smith business is a division covering operations across 16 countries around Europe. It is supporting the critical end-to-end value chain of paper supply into the Packaging division, through sourcing of Recycled paper and Fibre as a key material into DS Smith own Paper mills, production of Paper as a final product, as well as sourcing Paper from external suppliers and ensuring transportation into end customers or own DS Smith Packaging sites.

The Head of I&T Service Delivery & Infrastructure is responsible for ensuring high-quality IT service delivery and resilient infrastructure within the division, acting as the key accountable owner for IT services to the business partners and to the business. The role works in close partnership with central IT shared services and infrastructure teams, as well as divisional IT peers, to ensure seamless integration, alignment to central IT strategy, and efficient support of divisional and central applications and platforms.

As the Head of I&T Service Delivery & Infrastructure, you will report directly into the I&T Director of the division with a dotted reporting line into the EMEA IT Director Shared Services, Infrastructure & Security.

Key responsibilities for the Head of Service Delivery & Infrastructure are:

Service Delivery & Business Engagement    

• Act as the accountable owner for IT service delivery to the business across the division.

• Serve as the primary escalation point for service-related issues and incidents.

• Build strong relationships with divisional business stakeholders, ensuring IT services support operational priorities.

• Partner with divisional IT Business Partners and leadership peers to provide a consistent, customer-focused IT experience.

• Drive continual service improvement and ensure adoption of ITIL and central I&T standards.

• Collaborate with divisional and central IT teams responsible for enterprise applications, data platforms, and digital solutions.

Infrastructure Management & Alignment with Central IT

• Oversee divisional IT infrastructure operations, ensuring performance, resilience, and compliance with corporate standards.

• Work closely with central IT infrastructure and shared services teams to align priorities, avoid duplication, and deliver a seamless end-to-end IT service.

• Support implementation of EMEA-wide initiatives, cloud migrations, and infrastructure upgrades within the division.

• Ensure local infrastructure and service delivery are fully integrated with central applications and platforms.

• Monitor and report on infrastructure performance and service health, escalating risks proactively.

• Represent the division in cross-functional IT governance, steering groups, and project delivery forums.

• Contribute to shaping divisional and central IT roadmaps by providing business-centric insights and feedback

Risk

• Responsible for ensuring that all IT Service & Infrastructure related risks at divisional and local business level are recorded and managed as part of the IT risk management process.

Budget

• Responsible for the preparation, alignment, and delivery of the IT budget for Infrastructure refreshes and Service Improvement initiatives and plans in short, medium and long term horizon.

Leadership & Governance

• Lead and develop the divisional IT service delivery and infrastructure team.

• Ensure compliance with central IT policies, cybersecurity requirements, and regulatory standards.

• Maintain robust risk management, disaster recovery, and business continuity capabilities

About you

• Experienced in IT Leadership Role

• Significant experience in IT service delivery and infrastructure management in a multi-site or multi-division environment.

• Strong track record of partnering with central/shared IT functions while being accountable for local business-facing service.

• Deep knowledge of ITIL and IT service management tools.

• Strong technical knowledge across infrastructure, networks, and cloud technologies.

• Proven ability to work across matrix organizations and build effective relationships at senior levels.

• Leadership experience managing multidisciplinary IT teams and Professional certifications (ITIL, Microsoft, Cisco, AWS/Azure, PMP/PRINCE2) are desirable.

• Collaborative and diplomatic, with strong influencing skills.

• Customer-first mindset with focus on service excellence.

• Strategic and structured thinker who can also operate hands-on when required.

• Skilled at navigating matrix organizations and balancing central vs. local priorities.

• Resilient, adaptable, and able to drive change in complex environments.