We are regarded as the trusted decorating and DIY retail brand in London, selling paint, tools, plumbing, electrical & woodwork materials throughout our 31 stores. As part of the Grafton Group we have the stability and support of a leader in the field of Building Materials & DIY Retail.
Let’s paint the picture for you!
We have an exciting opportunity for a passionate Head of IT to work with a well-established, growing business to add value, drive improvements and evolve within the role and organisation, this role is reporting directly into the Finance Director and will be a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
The role will involve the management of the day-to-day IT function covering all areas of operational IT, ensuring that the management and delivery of IT meets the requirements of the business policies and Key Performance Indicators, Service Level Agreements and Operational Level Agreements. You will manage resources, prioritisation of work, reporting and budgeting for IT to ensure that people, processes and technology are always improving.
What will you be doing?
- Responsible for the provision of IT infrastructure services including desktop/server applications, Local and/or Wide Area Networks, IT security and telecommunications, and retail infrastructure including POS terminals. The majority of infrastructure services are provided by third parties including Grafton Group IT, so a key element of the role is to manage these suppliers to ensure the service delivery meets our expectations.
- Responsible for reviewing, planning and implementation of business applications and digital technology to support the Leyland SDM business. This will include reviewing capability and suitability of existing systems to support Leyland SDM future business plans (e.g suitability of AX stock management systems) as well as developing and implementing new systems to support business growth e.g ERP systems, website technology, and mobile apps.
- Manage the stock management system (AX 2012), including liaison with the Microsoft support partner and infrastructure hosting provider, management of the third party IT provider who support the POS system and interfaces into AX. Providing expert support to business SMEs on functional aspects of the system. Ensure that all technical aspects of the system are managed, including batch operations, database management, user roles, licensing, capacity, and most importantly, availability and performance. Oversee troubleshooting of the existing applications and infrastructure in Leyland SDM, providing expert hands on support when necessary to resolve issues and escalate to third parties when required.
- Working with the eCommerce team, managing and developing the eCommerce website to ensure a fully optimised online shopping experience to ensure high conversion, order value and engagement.
- Direct and project manage all IT changes into Leyland SDM using industry standard project management approaches.
- Responsible for planning and implementing Business Intelligence / Management Information for the Leyland SDM business, including development of data warehouses and using technology such as Power BI to deliver insights from data.
- Act as a key member of the Leyland SDM Leadership Team and initiate proposals and identify opportunities for enhancing the performance of the business and advise on all matters affecting the performance of IT services
- Represent Leyland SDM at a Group IT level and on the Group IT Forum and influence the direction of the Group IT strategy.
- Build and maintain vendor relationships and manage the purchase of hardware and software products and other professional services.
- Ensure compliance with all software licensing agreements. Manage and safeguard software media and associated licenses.
- Manage IT related risk by developing and supporting a IT disaster recovery plan, implementing IT security and data protection policies, and implementing IT security standards and technologies advised by Group IT
- Develop and manage the operational IT budget and monitor and IT related expenditure.
What Skills & Experience will you need to have?
- Educated to degree level or equivalent
- Experience of managing IT in organisations of similar scale, including IT planning, project management, and hands on technical operations.
- Experience in managing and implementing ERP applications in retail or distribution businesses.
- Experience and knowledge of retail business processes and how IT is used to support them – from point of sale through to stock management, logistics, and finance
- Experience in managing Microsoft based ERP systems from one of the following – Navision, AX 2009, AX 2012, Microsoft Axapta
- Experienced in supporting and implementing Microsoft related infrastructure technologies
- Experience in managing third party suppliers, particularly system integrators of ERP systems and infrastructure service providers
- Experience implementing digital technologies including websites and apps
- Project management experience with proven track record in implementing IT project
How will we reward you?
We have an excellent benefits package on offer:
- Annual bonus opportunity of upto 20% of salary
- 33 days holiday a year (includes public holidays)
- Up to 20% discount in Leyland SDM, plus discount across other Grafton Group brands
- Pension with competitive contributions
- Health Cashplan – claim money back on everyday healthcare needs and treatments (Dental, physio, prescriptions to name a few)
- Share saving scheme into our parent company, the Grafton Group
- Company sick pay
- Life assurance
- Cycle2work scheme coming soon
- 100’s of retail discounts available through our flexible benefits portal