Head of Information Technology

Position reports To:
Consumer Business CEO (Matrix reporting to Time Group CIO)

About the Role:

As the Consumer Business CIO, you will drive the digital transformation and operational excellence of Time's consumer business unit. This role demands a visionary technology leader who can balance strategic and hands-on technical leadership. You will lead a multi-disciplinary team of technical product owners, designers, and front-end/back-end engineers while working closely with business units to ensure seamless execution of technology initiatives. This will include implementing and migrating the new Business Support System (BSS) platform. You will play a critical role in shaping the future technology landscape across the Consumer Business, ensuring engineering excellence, operational efficiency, and delivering cutting-edge digital channels for consumers. This position offers the unique opportunity to lead a high-impact technology team and influence business strategy through technology-driven solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Leadership & Strategic Direction:

• Drive Technology Vision: Shape the strategic technology direction for the Consumer Business, ensuring that technology initiatives align with business goals and customer needs.

• Collaborate with Business Units: Act as a bridge between technology and business teams (product, operations, finance, HR, legal, marketing etc.), ensuring that technology solutions are embedded into overall business strategy.

• Lead BSS Implementation: Be accountable for successfully delivering the new Business Support System (BSS) implementation and migration, ensuring alignment with the Consumer Business objectives.

• Stakeholder Management: Engage with senior leaders, including the Group CIO and the Consumer Business CEO, to ensure the technology roadmap supports future growth.

1. Team Leadership & Engineering Excellence:

• Manage Cross-Functional Teams: Lead and mentor a team of 15-20 professionals, including technical product owners, front-end/back-end engineers, designers, and developers, promoting a high-performance engineering culture.

• Engineering Standards & Quality: Implement and enforce software engineering quality standards, ensuring proper documentation, code reviews, test-driven development (TDD), and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD).

• Process Improvement: Establish robust engineering processes that promote collaboration, innovation, and operational excellence. Foster a culture of continuous improvement, learning, and high-quality software delivery.

1. Technology and Infrastructure:

• Digital Channel Delivery: Lead developing and enhancing digital channels (web, mobile apps) to provide best-in-class consumer experiences and grow the Consumer Businesses digital capabilities.

• Cloud and Infrastructure Modernization: Oversee hybrid cloud migration initiatives, ensuring scalable, resilient infrastructure and cost-effective operations.

• Legacy Modernization: Work to modernise legacy systems, processes and applications to drive operational efficiency and innovation across product, operations, finance and other supporting functions.

1. Operational Efficiency & Scalability:

• Operational Excellence: Optimize processes to ensure efficient use of technology and resources, including reducing bottlenecks, improving service uptime, and enhancing consumer-facing systems.

• Security & Compliance: Ensure that all IT operations within the Consumer Business comply with cybersecurity best practices, industry standards (e.g., PCI DSS), and data privacy regulations.

• Process Automation & Optimization: Identify opportunities for process automation to enhance operational efficiency and improve response times.

1. Performance Management & Reporting:

• KPIs & Metrics: Develop and track KPIs to measure the performance of IT operations, system uptime, security compliance, and engineering efficiency.

• Reporting: Provide regular updates on technology initiatives, progress, risks, and opportunities to the Consumer Business leadership and Group CIO.

Key Deliverables in the First 12 Months:

• Successful Implementation of the New BSS: Ensure seamless delivery and migration to the new BSS platform.

• Digital Channel Expansion: Enhance digital touchpoints and customer experience through web and mobile apps based on business needs and strategy.

• Operational Efficiency Gains: Implement process and technology improvements to improve software delivery speed significantly, optimise resource usage and reduce downtime.

• Team Development: Strengthen the engineering and product teams by developing a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications & Skills:

• Experience: 10+ years of progressive IT leadership roles, including experience as a CIO, CTO, or senior engineering leadership role.

• Technical Expertise: Strong experience in software development (front-end/back-end), cloud infrastructure, and system architecture. Proven expertise in managing digital platforms and large-scale system implementations (e.g., BSS or similar platforms).

• Agile Leadership: Demonstrated success leading agile teams and fostering agile methodologies across cross-functional teams.

• Team Management: Strong people management experience, able to lead, inspire, and mentor a diverse team of engineers, product owners, and designers.

• Business Acumen: Experience aligning technology initiatives with business goals and translating complex technical solutions into business opportunities.

• Security Knowledge: Strong understanding of cybersecurity, data privacy regulations, and industry compliance standards (e.g., PCI DSS, ISO27001).

• Problem-solving: Ability to think strategically and execute tactically, solving complex technology problems while focusing on business objectives.

• Education: Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field. An MBA is a plus.

Key Competencies:

• Strategic Visionary: Able to see the long-term vision for the Consumer Business while managing short-term tactical goals.

• Hands-On Leadership: Comfortable with hands-on technical challenges and able to dive deep when necessary (e.g., review architecture, do code reviews, advise on integration endpoints and implementation)

• Change Agent: Proven ability to drive transformation and bring about significant change within technology teams.

• Collaborative and Transparent: Strong communicator and collaborator, fostering an open and transparent culture.

• Operationally Focused: Efficient in managing operations while optimising resources and ensuring high-quality outcomes.

This role is pivotal for Time's Consumer Business, ensuring the technology landscape supports and drives future business growth. If you are passionate about leading technology-driven transformation and have the skills to build high-performing teams and systems, we invite you to join us.

Our Commitment to You

At Time, we believe great work deserves great support. Here's what you can look forward to when you join us:

• Comprehensive medical coverage
  for you and your immediate family, including outpatient care, hospitalisation, dental and optical benefits.
• Wellness support
  with an annual spending account for health-related needs, alternative treatments, or even paid-up premiums for personal insurance.
• Employee assistance
  during life's big moments, from celebrations to times of bereavement.
• Learning & growth opportunities
  through dedicated time for learning, access to LinkedIn Learning and rewards for upskilling.
• Cash rewards
  for recognised certifications and full reimbursement for up to two approved professional memberships each year.

*Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.