IT Operations Regional Lead - KZN

Dis-Chem Pharmacies; Midrand; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Market-related salary

Medical aid

Provident fund

Staff account

Job summary

Dis-Chem Pharmacies seeks a Regional IT Operations Squad Lead (Retail) to ensure stability, availability and performance of IT systems across the regional stores. You will lead regional IT support teams and manage third-party partners to align technology with business goals.

The role focuses on uninterrupted store trading, rapid incident resolution and continuous improvement, with agile squad-based working and strong governance.

Qualifications

• Essential IT skills for regional operations leadership including retail IT systems.
• Experience managing geographically distributed teams and vendors/service partners.
• Knowledge of ITIL processes (Incident, Problem, Change) and security best practices.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication and leadership capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage regional IT operations teams, including technicians, field engineers, and service partners.
• Oversee day-to-day IT service delivery across all sites within the region; manage Vendors/Service Partners.
• Ensure high availability and performance of critical store systems and networks.
• Act as regional escalation point for major incidents; ensure controlled change activities.
• Coordinate and monitor third-party field support; drive SLA compliance and continuous improvement.
• Mentor and develop a high-performing regional IT team; assist with capacity planning.

Skills

Retail IT Expertise

Multi-site Management

Cybersecurity Basics

Vendor Management

Stakeholder Communication

People Leadership

Education

A+ Certification

N+ Certification

Prince2 Certification

ITIL Foundation

Job description

Dis-ChemPharmacies hasanopportunityavailablefora Regional IT Operations Squad Lead (Retail) who will be responsible for ensuring the stability, availability and performance of all IT systems and services supporting retail operations within the assigned region. The role ensures uninterrupted store trading, effective IT service delivery, and alignment between technology operations and business objectives, while leading regional IT support teams and third-party service providers.

Minimum Requirements
Essential:

• A+ N+
• Prince2
• ITIL Foundation (or higher)
• Retail industry experience strongly
• Experience with large multi-site
• Understanding of cyber security best practices in retail

Responsibilities

Operational Leadership & Management

• Lead and manage regional IT operations teams, including technicians, field engineers, and service partners.
• Oversee day-to-day IT service delivery across all sites within the region, and manage Vendors/Service Partners

Store & Retail Technology Support

• Ensure high availability and performance of critical store systems:
• Drive rapid issue resolution to minimize operational downtime and impact on customers.

Incident, Problem & Change Management

• Act as the regional escalation point for major incidents and
• Ensure controlled and documented execution of change activities in the region

Vendor & Service Provider Management

• Coordinate and manage third-party field support
• Monitor service performance against SLAs and drive continuous improvement
• Oversee hardware lifecycle management and logistics within the region

People Leadership

• Mentor and develop a high-performing regional IT
• Support capacity planning, workforce scheduling, and skills

Competencies

Essential:

• 8+ years relevant IT experience, with at least 3-5 years in a retail operations or field support management role.
• Strong understanding of retail IT systems (POS, EFT, network, mobile devices).
• Experience managing geographically distributed
• Solid experience with ITIL processes (Incident, Problem, Change).
• Knowledge of network fundamentals, hardware, and store
• Ability to manage vendors and service partners
• Strong communication, stakeholder management, and leadership
• High Availability is required outside of operating hours

Key Performance Indicators

• Store System Availability
• Contribution to culture, accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement
• Incident Response and Resolution
• SLA Compliance (Internal & Vendor)
• Ticket Volume & Efficiency

Ways of working (Agile & squad-based)

• Lead a cross-functional Regional Operations squad using Agile delivery principles
• Operate with clear platform ownership and accountability
• Promote reuse, standardization, and continuous improvement

SpecialConditionsofEmployment:

• SouthAfricancitizen
• MIE,clearcriminalandcredit
• Driver’slicenseand/orownreliabletransport

Remunerationandbenefits:

• Marketrelatedsalary
• Medicalaid
• Providentfund
• Staffaccount

Dis-Chem Pharmacies is an equal opportunity employer. Dis-Chem's approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process aligned to Dis-Chem's Employment Equity & Transformation Strategy. Dis-Chem actively supports the recruitment of People with Disabilities.