Director of IT Service Operations

CINQ PARTNERSHIP; City Of London; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global FMCG firm in London is seeking a Director of IT Service Operations to lead a transformational journey in IT. This role demands a strategic leader who will oversee end-to-end IT operations, manage diverse teams, and drive continuous improvement across services. Key responsibilities include shaping IT strategy, ensuring service delivery, and influencing global technology transformations. Ideal candidates will have extensive experience in international IT environments and a proven record in operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Experience in complex, global, 24x7 IT operations environments.
• Background in IT infrastructure, network, or operations.
• Experience in SAP-enabled environments.

Responsibilities

• Define the vision and strategy for global IT operations.
• Lead a diverse global team to drive operational excellence.
• Oversee IT service delivery and governance.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder management

Service delivery

Operational excellence

Vendor management

Job description

Director of IT Service Operations - FMCG

Global FMCG | Transformational Leadership Role

Our client, a world-leading FMCG business operating in 50+ countries, is embarking on an ambitious global transformation. As part of this journey, we are seeking a Director of IT Service Operations — a strategic, influential leader who will own and run the end-to-end IT Operations and Services landscape.

This is a career-defining opportunity for someone who wants true accountability, impact, and visibility. The outgoing post-holder is moving internally into a Transformation Leadership role, showcasing the evolution and progression available within the organisation. This role is not “filling a gap” — it is a chance to completely own the function and shape the next era of global IT Operations.

The Opportunity

As Director of IT Service Operations, you will partner with the CIO and senior leadership to define the vision and strategy for a global, best-in-class IT operations function. You’ll lead a large, diverse ecosystem of internal teams and external partners (circa 260 people in total) across Infrastructure, Service Management, Digital Workplace, Application Maintenance, and SAP Operations.

You will set the direction, build the roadmap, uplift maturity, and drive operational excellence across a 24x7 environment (you won’t be on call, but you’ll understand the realities of always-on services). You’ll also play a key role in shaping a multi-year transformation programme, including an upcoming review of global service provider partnerships.

This role is perfect for someone who wants to “run the show” — a leader motivated by autonomy, ownership, and building something exceptional from the ground up.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Shape and deliver the IT Operations strategy aligned to global business and technology goals.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing global team (6 direct reports across regions, ops, governance, and ServiceNow).
• Collaborate closely with the CIO and transformation leadership to define the future operating model.

Service Operations & Management

• Full end-to-end ownership of IT service delivery, governance, ITIL processes, and partner performance.
• Drive continuous improvement across incident, change, request, and problem management.
• Oversee operational quality, risk, resilience, and service performance globally.

Infrastructure & Digital Workplace

• Ensure the availability, reliability, and security of global infrastructure, networks, cloud services, and end-user computing.
• Champion a customer-first, innovation-led digital workplace experience.

SAP & Business Applications

• Oversee SAP operations and partner with Enterprise Platforms to ensure stability, scalability, and lifecycle management.
• Lead service and operations in a SAP-enabled environment (deep technical SAP expertise not required — but experience operating services in a SAP landscape is essential).

Transformation & Change

• Shape and influence a multi-year global technology transformation.
• Design the operations blueprint for the future-state environment.
• Play a central role in reviewing the global service provider model.

Financial & Vendor Management

• Own operational budgets, optimise spend, and ensure maximum value from global partners.

What We’re Looking For

• A senior IT Operations leader with experience in complex, global, 24x7 environments.
• A background in infrastructure, network, operations, service delivery, or managed services — industry open (FMCG / CPG beneficial but not required).
• Experience delivering services in a SAP-enabled environment (non-negotiable, but doesn't need to be SAP-heavy).
• Strong leadership credentials, ideally managing large retained teams alongside major global partners.
• Excellent stakeholder and vendor management skills, with the ability to influence at all levels.
• Strategic mindset with hands-on credibility — someone who has been “on the frontline” and understands real operational pressures.
• Experience from a major service provider (Accenture, IBM, TCS, etc.) is a plus.

Above all, we’re looking for someone who is energised by transformation and excited to build a world‑class operations capability from the ground up.