Interim Director of Platforms

Initial Duration 6 Months
Outside IR35
Onsite London

The role provides oversight on the strategic direction, development, and maintenance of the platforms. The role leads the development and delivery of the Business Entity platforms in line with both the business entities and DV demands.
They manage the delivery of platform Development, Security and Operations (DevSecOps) aligned to the SAFe6 agile framework. This role is a key interface with Product Line Directors and Product Managers to understand, prioritise and service the platform demand across the business entity whilst balancing focus on platform maintenance and security.
The role currently oversees a team who deliver and support several critical platforms across
Integration, Internet of Things (IOT), Geographic Information System (GIS), Data Enablement,
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and
comprise of 70+ skilled resources. The team contribute to initiatives across different product lines, programs, and projects as well as maintaining the current ET platform landscape.
 
Role Requirements:

• Demand Management: Analysing and proactively managing business demand for new

services or modifications to existing service features or volumes across the Platform stack.
 

• Portfolio Management: Developing and applying a management framework to define and

deliver a portfolio of platforms and/or ongoing services.
 

• Emerging Technology Monitoring: Identifying and assessing new and emerging

technologies, products, services, methods, and techniques.
 

• System Development Management: Planning, estimating, and executing systems

development work to time, budget, and quality targets.
 

• Business Process Improvement: Creating new and potentially disruptive approaches to

performing business activities.
 

• System and Software Lifecycle Engineering: Establishing and deploying an environment

for developing, continually improving, and securely operating software and systems
products and services.
 

• Product Management: Managing and developing products and/or services through their

full life cycle from inception, growth, maturity, decline to retirement.
 

• Technology Service Management: Managing the provision of technology-based services

to meet defined organisational needs.
 

• Service Level Management: Agreeing targets for service levels and assessing, monitoring,

and managing the delivery of services against the targets.

• Supplier Management: Aligning the organisation’s supplier performance objectives and

activities with sourcing strategies and plans, balancing costs, efficiencies, and service quality.
 

• Stakeholder Relationship Management: Influencing stakeholder attitudes, decisions, and

actions for mutual benefit. Collaborate with cross-functional teams and departments to understand their needs and requirements, ensuring alignment and effective implementation of solutions.
 

• Strategic Planning: Develop and implement short-term and long-term strategies for platforms aligned with organisational goals.

 

• Platform Leadership: Oversee the management and maintenance of platforms, including

but not limited to SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS.
 

• Team Leadership: Provide leadership and guidance to the platforms team, ensuring clear communication, collaboration, and alignment with organizational objectives.

 

• Vendor Management: Manage relationships with external vendors and partners to ensure the effective delivery of platform solutions and services.

 

• Risk Management: Identify potential risks and vulnerabilities in platforms and implement mitigation strategies to safeguard data and systems.

 

• Budget Management: Develop and manage budgets for platforms, ensuring cost effectiveness and resource optimization.

 

• Performance Monitoring: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to monitor the performance and effectiveness of technology platforms, providing regular reports and insights to stakeholders.

 

• Continuous Improvement: Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance the functionality, reliability, and security of platforms, staying abreast of industry trends and best practices.

 
Deliverables

• Current Operating Model assessment and proposed changes.
• Implementation of the new Operating Model.
• Roadmap and implementation of DevSecOps aligned to SAFe6 framework.
• Implementation of Service Management practices into Platforms.
• Creation of a decision tree to inform where a platform resides within the operating model.
• Contribute to updated finance model for the persistent platform costs.
• Regular status reports on platform performance, issues, and resolutions.
• Budget reports detailing expenditures and forecasts for technology platforms.
• Documentation of technology platform configurations, processes, and procedures.
• Recommendations for improvements and optimizations to enhance platform efficiency and effectiveness.
• Support in the recruitment of the long-term Director of Platforms