Head of Information Technology

Global Edge is partnering with an established and growing South African technology company to appoint a Head of IT & Technical Operations / CIO-Designate.This is a significant senior leadership appointment for an experienced technology leader who can take ownership of the organisation’s IT and technical operating environment while helping shape its next phase of growth.The business operates in a high-availability, technology-driven environment, with technology and internally developed solutions forming a core part of its operations and service offering.Reporting directly to the CEO, the successful individual will initially take leadership responsibility across IT operations, infrastructure, cloud, networking, hardware, enterprise technology and technical service delivery, while developing the broader strategic capability required to progress into the Chief Information Officer role.This is not simply a traditional Head of IT position.We are looking for someone who can operate comfortably at both strategic and operational level someone capable of shaping technology direction and investment while remaining technically credible across infrastructure, systems, networks, cloud environments and service delivery.Key ResponsibilitiesTechnology Leadership & StrategyTake overall leadership responsibility for the organisation’s IT and technical operations environment.Develop and execute a technology roadmap aligned with business growth and commercial objectives.Partner directly with the CEO and senior leadership team on technology strategy, investment and future capability.Identify opportunities to improve scalability, resilience, efficiency and automation across the technology estate.Evaluate emerging technologies, including AI and automation, and identify practical applications within the business.Build the strategic and organisational capability required to transition into broader CIO responsibility.Infrastructure, Cloud & NetworkingOwn the organisation’s technology estate across cloud, networking, infrastructure, connectivity and hardware.Ensure infrastructure is secure, resilient, scalable and appropriately designed for future growth.Provide senior-level direction across networking, systems architecture and infrastructure.Drive cloud strategy, optimisation and ongoing modernisation.Oversee infrastructure performance, availability, capacity and business continuity.Assess existing environments and identify opportunities for consolidation, improvement and investment.IT Operations & Service DeliveryProvide strategic oversight of day-to-day IT operations.Lead and support the IT Manager, who is responsible for the daily management of the internal IT function.Establish appropriate IT service-management standards, processes and escalation structures.Introduce measurable service levels and operational performance standards.Build a scalable technical operating model supporting both internal operations and remote technical support.Provide leadership oversight as the technical support environment expands, including the potential future oversight of a remote support function of approximately 30 people.Manage and develop relationships with strategic technology vendors and third-party service providers.People LeadershipLead, mentor and develop technical leadership and IT teams.Establish clear accountability, reporting lines and performance expectations.Build a high-performance and collaborative technology culture.Assess capability requirements and ensure the appropriate technical skills are in place as the organisation grows.Communicate complex technology matters clearly to both technical and executive stakeholders.Technology Governance, Risk & SecurityWork closely with Risk & Compliance to ensure technology operations support the organisation’s governance and compliance requirements.Maintain strong oversight of cybersecurity, data protection and operational technology risk.Support environments operating within frameworks such as SOC 2, ISO 27001 and ISO 9001.Collaborate with internal compliance resources and external security and monitoring partners.Ensure appropriate technology controls, policies, disaster recovery and business-continuity measures are maintained.Leadership StructureThis position forms part of the organisation’s senior leadership structure and reports directly to the CEO.The Head of IT & Technical Operations / CIO-Designate will take responsibility for the broader operational and enterprise technology estate, including infrastructure, hardware, systems and IT operations.The role will work alongside existing technology leadership focused primarily on technology design and architecture, while taking increasing ownership of the operational, infrastructure and enterprise technology environment.The IT Manager and associated IT team will report into this position.Experience & BackgroundWe are looking for an accomplished technology leader with:Significant senior-level experience across IT infrastructure, technical operations and enterprise technology.Strong technical understanding of cloud technologies, networking, infrastructure, connectivity, hardware and enterprise IT environments.Previous leadership responsibility for multidisciplinary technical teams.Experience developing and implementing technology strategies and roadmaps.Strong knowledge of cybersecurity, IT governance, risk and business continuity.Experience managing strategic technology vendors and third-party providers.Exposure to AI, automation and emerging technologies.Experience operating within organisations requiring strong security, availability and compliance standards.Demonstrated ability to move between technical detail, operational execution and executive-level strategic decision-making.Strong commercial awareness and an understanding of how technology supports growth, operational performance and customer outcomes.Candidates may currently hold titles such as Head of IT, Head of Technology, Head of Infrastructure, Head of IT Operations, IT Director, Technology Director, Infrastructure Director, CIO, Deputy CIO or another senior technology leadership position.However, we are not restricting the search by current title. The scale, complexity and relevance of the technology environment you have led will be more important.Relevant Industry ExperienceWe are particularly interested in individuals who have operated within technology companies or complex technology-led environments where availability, connectivity, operational resilience and service delivery are business-critical.Relevant experience could come from sectors such as:Telematics, Fleet Technology, IoT, Connected Technology, SaaS, Telecommunications, Managed Services, Fintech, Technology Platforms, Enterprise Software, High-Availability ServicesExperience supporting large connected user or device environments, distributed operations, 24/7 services, remote technical support or business-critical technology platforms would be particularly relevant.Direct experience within telematics, fleet technology or connected services would be advantageous, but is not essential.Leadership ProfileThe successful individual is likely to be:Strategic but technically credible and able to understand the detail without becoming trapped in it.Infrastructure-led with genuine depth across networking, cloud, connectivity and enterprise technology.Commercially minded and understands that technology investment must ultimately support business performance and growth.Forward-thinking particularly around cloud, automation, AI and emerging technologies.A strong people leader capable of developing existing teams and building capability as the organisation scales.Executive-ready confident working directly with a CEO and senior leadership team.Decisive and accountable comfortable taking ownership of a significant technology environment.CIO potential someone with the capability and ambition to step into full enterprise technology leadership.Career ProgressionThis position has intentionally been designed as a CIO succession appointment, rather than simply an operational Head of IT role.The successful candidate will initially focus on establishing leadership across IT operations, infrastructure, cloud, networking and technical service delivery while developing a detailed understanding of the organisation, its technolog, its commercial strategy and its people.Subject to successful performance and organisational requirements, the intention is for the individual to progress into the Chief Information Officer role, assuming broader strategic responsibility for technology across the business.Global Edge is managing this appointment exclusively on behalf of our client. All applications and approaches will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.