Head of IT Service Delivery & Infrastructure
Mothercare Group PLC
Total years of experience :19 years, 1 Months
IT Service Delivery:
• Service Management - Key experience has included responsibility for IT strategy and service delivery (encompassing technology innovation,
systems architecture, infrastructure development and resourcing); recent roles have included Head of IT Service Delivery & Infrastructure for
Mothercare
• Proven ability to develop and implement IT and Technology strategies which deliver against key organisational objectives and maintain
compliance
• Client Relationship Management - Competent in all aspects of client relationship and stakeholder management with a proven ability to
develop business relationships with a range of stakeholders across the business as well as partners and vendors
• Leadership - An accomplished leader with a proven ability to build and manage strong successful teams through employee mentoring and
development incorporating objective setting, appraisals and continuous improvement
• Technical - Strong technical expertise relating to key aspects of IT infrastructure, service delivery and the development of business applications
with excellent problem-solving skills
IT Service Improvement:
• Project Management - Extensive experience of supporting and leading full project lifecycle delivery with experience across a variety of
technical projects, completing on schedule and in line with budget parameters, quality standards and technical specifications
• Digital Retail / Outsourced Services - Key expertise has included supporting the development and evaluation of digital retail systems and
managing organisational transitions to outsourced IT service delivery models at Mothercare
Recent Career Highlights
• Supported the delivery of a comprehensive review of IT service strategy for Mothercare as well as leading transition to an outsourced IT service
delivery model via 3rd parties within just 3 months, delivering £500k costs savings to date with projected total savings of £3m over the life of
the 5-year contract
• Managed a warehouse consolidation project involving the transfer of all Mothercare warehouse operations (previously 3 sites) to a new
centralised management system, delivering a centralised cost-effective fulfilment centre for stores and ecommerce
• Led the re-platforming of the Mothercare website as IT Service Delivery Manager, ensuring all project planning and delivery met with business
requirements and trading demands, completing on time and in line with budget and specifications
• Additionally, led the design and implementation of a new Oracle planning system for the whole organisation at Mothercare, consolidating
multiple planning systems into one central planning system.
• All above have been across last 2 roles
Focused on service delivery in this role, acting as the primary contact with the Service Providers in relation to Service provision quality; Service
Level Management; Responsible for negotiating achievable Service Level Agreements and ensuring that these are met
• Included accountability for managing the quality and integrity of all the services provided by third parties; including leading the establishment
of SLA's as well as providing input into service strategy and design for service partners
• Monitored and managed service partner performance against agreed SLA's, ensuring the service partners and other vendors met their
contractual obligations with regard to overall service provision
• Included responsibility for managing and developing strong relationships with service partner organisations (TCS) and other key vendors,
agreeing and negotiating new obligations as needed
• Analysed service reports and other performance metrics to identify trends, identify weaknesses potential future service risks; responsible for
identifying service failures and reporting to stakeholders including the Mothercare business, IT and the service partner
• Managed service compliance, including evaluation of IT processes to ensure compliance with laws, regulations and contractual requirements
• Drove Continuous Improvement and service development, including setting direction for Service Assurance improvement; this involved
assessment of team processes, methods and ways of working to identify and implement improvement opportunities
• Led engagement with business users to ensure they are updated on aspects such as strategy, policy, change and key measures of performance;
providing coaching, guidance, support and direction as required
• Other key functions included ensuring demonstrable and effective Disaster Recovery (DR) and Business Continuity (BC) plans were
implemented; accountable for ensuring service partners fulfilled all DR and BC Service provision obligations
Managed a team of 41 staff providing IT support, Application support and Warehouse System support for the entire Mothercare business
• Held responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the operational management and strategic direction of the IT Service for 4000+ users based in
stores and offices across the UK, monitoring delivery to ensure KPIs and SLAs were consistently achieved
• Involved in the ongoing development of strategy, leading the development and implementation of improvements to operational systems,
infrastructure and policies and ensuring 3rd party organisations delivered continuous improvement throughout their service lifecycle
• Oversaw budget and resource management for the business unit, managing an annual budget of £6m as well as building strong relationships
with partner organisations and other key vendors to ensure the business achieved maximum value for money
• Accountable for building and leading high performing teams with both internal and external resources to deliver services to the business
• Additionally fulfilled many duties of Senior Service Assurance Manager (above
Held direct responsibility for IT infrastructure projects and technical activities across multiple project sites in support of multimillion pound
Data Centre relocation programme.
• Included accountability for identifying and resolving business needs to ensure key organisational goals and objectives were achieved
• Managed strategic planning to optimize resources, improve throughputs, and enhance system performance parameters
• Developed and implemented Standard Operating Procedures and established key processes which ensured delivery of reliable and efficient
technical services organisation-wide
• Led a high-performing technical team of Field Engineers, Security Engineers and Systems Integration Specialists (12 staff), including assigning
tasks, providing operational support and monitoring performance
• Provided senior-level technical consultations and support to Field Engineering and System Integration and Testing Departments on all IT and
networking issues
• Guided the design and implementation of antivirus solutions and system / network monitoring and established Disaster Recovery Plans (DRP)
based on HP Data Protector Software, Tape Libraries and SAN hardware
• Achievements: Implementing IT infrastructure requirements and upgrades to improve overall system performance and security and data
recoverability; reviewed network layouts, resolved equipment redundancies and improved network reliability / flexibility
• Managed the design and implementation of 10+ data centres and implemented various large-scale networks based on Cisco switches and
routers using OSPF and multicast routing, QOS and Fortinet firewalls
Coached and mentored team of Network Engineers and IT Engineers; conducted training programs to enhance staff technical skills and
motivation including network / server administration procedures, virus protection and security measures
• Provided technical consultations regarding Microsoft, VMware, Cisco, HP, IBM, Nortel, 3COM and F-Secure products as well as providing
technical support for system auditing, performance tuning and troubleshooting
• Achievements: Serving as Project Manager and Lead Systems Designer for multiple high-profile, large-scale network and IT infrastructure
projects; included designing and implementing Microsoft infrastructures, VMware and NetBackup
Currently based in Stotfold (Full postal address available on request) |