Head of Connectivity Platforms

Head of Connectivity Platforms – Applications & Platforms

Location – Krakow, Poland

Subject to Consultation

About the role

Reporting into the Director of EMEA Applications & Platforms, we have a very exciting opportunity for a Head of Connectivity Platforms within our Applications & Platforms I&T team.

As the Head of Connectivity Platforms you will be responsible for the strategy, roadmap, architecture, development and deployment of DS Smith Connectivity solutions and the supplier management accordingly. In scope are all Connectivity systems in use and development enterprise wide in different divisions and group functions.  

The Head of Connectivity Platforms provides application specific advisory and analysis expertise, leading and managing distributed teams of application specialists and / or third party application providers. 

Key responsibilities for the Head of Connectivity Platforms are:

Strategy, planning and Application Portfolio Management

• Own Application Portfolio Management for the applications in scope, maintaining an up to application catalogue and defining the strategy for each application.   
• Develop and maintain the Application and Data architecture 
• Provide input into the design of new and the redesign or decommissioning of existing applications.  
• Oversee service design & acceptance ensuring effective handover to support from project/delivery teams.  

Business engagement, advice and guidance

• Develop and leverage collaborative working relationships with all partners within DS Smith I&T and the wider business to deliver the end-to-end service.   

• Act as a technical expert and work closely with the business to help them fully realise the business potential of their current applications to improve business performance. 

• Assists the Division in initiating ideas, developing business cases and successfully deploying I&T projects.   

• Meet I&T Business Partners and key business representatives regularly to monitor progress against developments. 

Lead and manage people

• Make sure your team has the right structure, people and skills to deliver effectively.  

• Lead and motivate your team, providing coaching and guidance.  

• Ensure your team are clear on their responsibilities, receive regular feedback on performance and utilise the range of career development options available.   

• Inspire your team to continually improve ways of working. 

• Create an environment which rewards team success and job satisfaction 

Application sustainability and optimisation

• Drive service continuity and key user groups, providing front foot monitoring, identifying issues before they impact performance and overseeing the introduction of change to new and existing systems.  

• Responsible for the life cycle management, working with relevant I&T teams and vendors so that the required projects are planned and delivered to ensure continuous business operation. 

• Work collaboratively with suppliers and the business to identify and implement improvement recommendations to minimise costs and maximise value. 

• Manage the resolution of major incidents, keeping business and I&T stakeholders informed at all time. 

• Ensure problems are investigated and resolved 

Supplier and contract management

• Perform the overall management of the core application vendors 

• Own relationships and contracts with partners and suppliers to meet key performance indicators and agreed targets, overseeing issue resolution where required.   

• Contribute to, or be responsible for, negotiation of major contracts.   

About you

• Highly experienced in IT leadership, preferably in a multi-site, multi-country manufacturing environment with knowledge of a broad range of business functions and technology platforms. 
• Demonstrable knowledge of application management experience with demonstrated experience driving business engagement and value creation as well as 3rd party performance. 

• Knowledge of and experience of use of the Boomi Platform, together with knowledge of other Connectivity tools and solutions covering EDI, API, and ETL 

• Able to work in a matrix organisation with cross-functional teams. 

• Prince2 practitioner qualification and experience in major implementation projects. Familiar with both waterfall and agile approach. 

• ITIL qualification and/or experience working in an ITIL environment 

• Good working knowledge of incident, problem management and change management tools 

• Possess deep understanding of I&T application management. 

• Display a strong business driven background with value awareness, understanding the business needs and excellent business judgement. 

• Innovative attitude, leading the division into Digital opportunities 

• Be able to manage relationships across the organisation at multiple levels. 

• Strong leadership to inspire and motivate and strong ability to develop self and others through continuous learning, sharing best practices, knowledge and expertise. 

• Bachelor or Master's Degree in computer science, information systems, business administration or related field, or equivalent work experience.