Interim Head of Infrastructure & Operations

Chief Information Officer, Head of Strategy, Architecture and Innovation, Head of Group Technology Delivery, IT Business Manager, Chief Information Security Officer, Engineering Shared Service leads, SRE Cloud leads, Value Stream Leaders, technical delivery leaders and vendors and infrastructure service providers., This is an interim position to cover the incumbent Head who is on sabbatical and parental leave for 9 months. This role is responsible for leading the Infrastructure and Operations teams who ensure the delivery of high-performance and reliable IT applications from our data centres providing an excellent user experience when interacting with our IT services and applications. This role will oversee the development and execution of the hybrid data centre strategy, which aligns with Beazley's IT Strategy and IT Target Operating Model in parallel to the operation of the existing data centres, IT infrastructure, Operations and Service Delivery processes. They will be responsible for line managing a diverse team of five direct reports covering Infrastructure, networks, databases, service desk and operations and Modern Workplace to ensure the stability and scalability of IT systems, driving continuous improvement and innovation in infrastructure, operations and service.,

• Lead the development and implementation of the infrastructure, operations and service strategy and roadmaps.


• Manage and oversee the infrastructure, operations and service policies, processes, standards and run books including operational resilience, disaster recovery, vulnerability management, incident and problem management.


• Oversee the BAU management of servers and storage in our co-location data centres ensuring the availability, security and performance of IT services hosted there.


• Serve as a technical advisor to senior management on infrastructure, operations and service related matters.


• Act as the main IT Sponsor for the hybrid data centre programme.


• Line manage the infrastructure and operations managers & leads covering server and storage, IT Service, networks, databases and Modern Workplace.


• Act as an Infrastructure escalation point for Incident & Problem Management, Major Incidents (including CISO / cyber related matters) and Change Management.


• Monitor infrastructure & operational performance and security, and implement measures to mitigate risks and address issues.


• Ensure appropriate vendor management is in place for the outsourced infrastructure and service teams and material vendors.


• Manage and maintain, in conjunction with the IT Business Manager, the Infrastructure & Service budgets liaising with the Finance IT Business Partner.


• Collaborate with other IT leaders to align infrastructure, operations and service with business needs and priorities.


• Manage relationships with existing infrastructure strategic vendors, service providers, and other external partners.


• Drive innovation and continuous improvement in infrastructure, operations and Service processes and tools.


• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and industry standards including overseeing the completion of the work required for DORA compliance.


• Facilitate communication and collaboration between different teams, promoting cross-functional cooperation for successful initiatives.


General:
It is important that within all your interactions both internally and externally you adhere to Beazley's core values - Being Bold, Striving for Better, and Doing the Right Thing - as they contribute to an internal environment of teamwork and promote a positive brand image and experience to our external customers. We also expect Beazley employees to:

• Comply with Beazley procedures, policies and regulations including the code of conduct which incorporates the PRA and FCA Conduct.


• Undertake training on Beazley policies and procedures as delivered by your line manager, the Culture & People or assurance teams (compliance, risk, internal audit) either directly, via e-learning or the learning management system.


• Display business ethics that uphold the interests of all our customers.


• Ensure all interactions with customers are focused on delivering a fair outcome, including having the right products for their needs.


• Comply with any specific responsibilities necessary for your role as outlined by your line manager, the Culture & People or assurance teams (compliance, risk, internal audit) and ensure you keep up to date with developments in these areas. This may include, amongst others, Beazley's underwriting control standards, Beazley's claims control standards, other Beazley standards and customer relationship management.


• Carry out additional responsibilities as individually notified, either through your objectives or through the learning management system. These may include membership of any Beazley committees or working groups.
  
  You will bring ideas, dynamism, and fresh thinking to a growing function. You will be confident when it comes to change and will have the ability to build long lasting and fruitful relationships with internal and external stakeholders. You will be curious as to how the business and data interact and you will use data effectively to support your views and opinions. You will engage with peers to share experience and develop best practices and will have a passion for continuous improvement., Supporting qualifications such as ITIL & DevSecOps


• Agile certifications & qualifications desirable


• VMware / CCNA, DCFNDU / DCCOR desirable


Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills, with the ability to build collaborative relationships and partnerships across the organization.


• Ability to influence, inform and successfully manage senior stakeholders.


• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.


• Ability to distil complex information into simple and understandable language.


• Ability to resolve business challenges, improve operational efficiency and enable business strategy through enhancements to the technology.


• Ability to drive activity and understand the deliverables involved.


• Ability to work at pace and meet agreed timelines.


• Ability to think strategically, creatively and innovatively, and translate vision into action.


• Ability to think systemically and to connect strategically complex pieces of work both current and into the future.


Knowledge and Experience:

• Extensive experience and knowledge in managing on-premise IT infrastructure teams and technologies:

+ Virtualization technologies (VMware) hosting Linux and Windows servers, storage (Pure) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes, etc.) preferably in hyperconverged environments (Cisco UCS) with good network architecture understanding
+ Hybrid cloud experience desirable
+ DevSecOps / Platform Engineering / Automation / IaaC
+ IT Security and CISO policies, processes & tools
+ ITIL and/or other IT service management frameworks including Incident Management processes
+ Operational resilience and disaster recovery planning and management

• Experience in managing and leading teams including coaching, mentoring and performance management.


• Knowledge of infrastructure and operations industry trends, best practices and tools.


• Experience working in highly regulated environments and with Governance, Risk and Compliance processes and policies