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About the Company
Headquartered in Toronto, our client distributes a wide range of innovative and reliable industrial products to its customers. A leader in its field with approximately 50 locations and almost 1000 employees, the firm is an innovator in providing superior customer service, convenience and experience. With this commitment in mind, our client is undergoing a digital transformation which will challenge the status quo while establishing new standards for organizational as well as industry wide excellence.
Driving this transformation agenda will be the task of the Head of IT. Leveraging a well-established brand and existing IT capabilities, this is a unique opportunity to build a digital capability across the organization to help change the way the company competes. The successful candidate will need the creativity and pragmatism to challenge existing mind-sets to effect change for the organization.
This role will appeal to IT/digital leaders with the drive, confidence and sophistication to be the catalyst for change that our client and the industry now requires. Individuals comfortable working in slow paced, bureaucratic organizations need not apply!
Scope of Position
Broadly, the objective of the role of the Head of IT is to cultivate an environment that attracts, deploys and retains the human and other resources required to effectively develop, deliver and support IT offerings that will provide value to the company’s employees and customers, while meeting the business strategy and goals for profitable growth.
Reporting to the General Manager, the Head of IT will have overall responsibility for developing and implementing the company’s technology strategy, building the strength of the IT organization and leading day-to-day execution, ensuring alignment of IT activities and initiatives with the company’s business strategy. This position is critical in driving overall process and technology efficiency and standardization across the company’s locations.
The Head of IT will also be responsible for providing leadership in all activities related to the development and delivery of the firm’ web and mobile offering from definition and specification through design, release, enhancement, quality assurance, implementation and support. The successful candidate will hire, develop and lead a team of approximately 10 experienced and highly capable individuals who are characterized by their loyalty, creativity and commitment to delivering a ‘best in class’ IT Services and support.
This is an outstanding opportunity that features:
- Market Leading positioning
- A meaning-driven, values-based organization
- Committed, expanding, well-funded company
- Entrepreneurial corporate culture
- An opportunity to make a real difference
Functional Tasks
- Evaluate and shape the structure of the IT department to improve service levels, reduce risk, improve efficiency, leverage resources, and ensure appropriate and consistent communication across the organization to support the firm’s business strategy.
- Hire and manage direct reports, along with their goal setting, performance measurement and development feedback.
- Work with the senior management team to develop, deliver and support the digital roadmap consistent with and reflecting the company’s overall strategic plans for corporate growth
- Maintain keen awareness of the trends and conditions in technology, products and development tools relative to the needs of the company’s customers and business
- Establish key indicators for competitive performance in completion of development projects and for rapid, realistic decisions on strategies, plans and projects
- Align the applications and maintenance organization’s activities with the company goals and strategic direction, as well as with the company’s corporate values in areas such as people, integrity, passion and innovation
- Build and facilitate the development of strong relationships and synergy with all other areas of the business, with key suppliers and with the company’s technical partners in order to achieve the corporate goals and objectives while executing technology development plans
- Foster an environment that enables highly technical staff to consistently perform with excellence, to set and meet personal and team goals, and to develop and be recognized for best in class competence in their field(s) within the context of the company’s IT programs
- Establish and maintain succession plans and programs for all positions within the IT organization to ensure the smooth transition and minimize vacancies for critical roles
- Ensure that the existing IT organization is able to securely and reliably support efficient operations across locations while simultaneously assessing and advancing new initiatives and technologies that will directly support the success of our operating teams and functional departments.
- Define department metrics based on strategic objectives; measure and report on relevant key performance indicators to executive leadership to ensure the Information Services organization is making timely progress.
- Motivate, engage and develop a team of talented professionals;
- Work with managers in functional areas to understand information technology needs and opportunities to drive business improvement through technology.
- Develop overall strategic and tactical plans, including the development, evaluation, and coordination of information technology processes, systems and resources that align and fit the current and future organizational business strategy.
- Manage vendor relationships and partnerships in collaboration with the Supply Chain team.
- Demonstrate strong presentation and communication skills and the ability to effectively communicate technical concepts to audiences at all levels of the organization.
- Manage the annual technology financial operating and capital budget processes, and related project budgets.
- Oversee and develop business cases with time estimates and cost/benefit analyses on the implementation of new or revised systems and technologies.
- Keep senior management abreast of important issues, capital expenditures and commitments with respect to the Information Services budget.
- Lead and oversee IT due diligence and integration of newly acquired and developed locations.
- Demonstrate a high degree of financial acumen and a business mindset.
Key Performance Deliverables
- Specific measures of performance relating to growth, profitability, quality, customer satisfaction, etc. will be discussed and agreed upon with the successful candidate.
Competency Profile
The following competencies listed below define the role of Head of IT:
Strategic Approach
Develops a strategic plan to realize the vision. Revises strategy in light of changing circumstances. Takes a long-term view of organizational success. Works to clarify long term organizational goals. Able to stand back from immediate problems in order to focus on more far reaching ideas.
Results Orientation
Focuses strongly on achieving agreed upon outcomes and ensures that key objectives are met. Conveys a sense of urgency and drives issues to closure. Aims to improve upon past performance. Establishes aggressive personal targets and strives to achieve them. Stays ahead of the noise and sets the tone and agenda daily to drive the management team and employees towards the company’s goals.
Customer/Client Orientation
Strives to provide customers/clients with personalized and efficient service. Anticipates customers’/clients’ needs. Quickly follows up on customer/client contacts and complaints. Monitors and acts on measures of customer/client satisfaction.
People Management
Establishes and communicates clear priorities and sense of direction. Clarifies roles and responsibilities. Adapts management style to achieve optimum results.
Integrity and Sincerity
Inspires trust and supports others through own authenticity and following up on commitments; Maintains high ethical standards both personally and professionally; Shows consistency among principles.
Leading Change
Recognizes when change is necessary; Challenges the status quo and champions new initiatives; Acts as a catalyst to change and stimulates others to change; Develops an effective action plan to implement change and monitors results.
Commercial Acumen
Applies appropriate commercial and financial principles; Understands situations in terms of costs, profits, added-value and return on investment; Imagines future possibilities. Thinks broadly and investigates a wide-range of alternatives in developing a vision for the future. Selects the most promising vision from a range of alternatives and communicates this vision to others.
Team Skills
Helps to create a sense of team spirit and harmonious relations through cooperation and support; Balances personal goals with those of the team; Fosters collaboration among team members.
Preferred Experience / Education
The following indicates specific industry, academic and functional experience/qualifications that are important to the successful achievement of the identified responsibilities and performance deliverables.
- Bachelor degree in Computer Science or equivalent
- Ten years of progressively increasing responsibility in technology.
- Demonstrated success in building reliable and scalable infrastructure in a highly distributed environment.
- Experience with developing and implementing eCommerce systems
- Demonstrated ability to conceptualize, launch and deliver multiple technology projects on time and within budget for a large, bilingual company.
- Demonstrated ability to partner with the business to deliver on business goals in a highly customer service oriented organization.
- Ability to think creatively, conceptually and strategically, while maintaining a results-driven approach focused on solving business issues.
- Broad-based business and technical acumen in all aspects of information technology including full technology life cycle, budget management, resource allocations, network, hardware, software development, communications, and vendor/partner management.
- A high level of personal and professional integrity, intellectual honesty and the ability to handle highly confidential information
- Excellent leadership skills, well-defined interpersonal skills and outstanding communication skills.
- Development and fostering of a fun, high energy, team-oriented and results-driven environment.
- Ability to build relationships and influence people at all levels within and outside the organization.
- Experience in change management, communication and leadership of cross-functional teams.
Remuneration & Benefits
- Highly competitive compensation package tailored to the successful candidate.