Head of IT

Suez Canal container Ter

Overview:
The Head of IT role leads the strategic and operational delivery of IT across infrastructure, cybersecurity, automation, and digital transformation. It demands a visionary leader with deep technical expertise, strong business acumen, and a passion for continuous improvement. The Head of IT is responsible for ensuring high availability, resilience, and service excellence while driving innovation and aligning technology with business goals.

The ideal candidate is a results-driven IT leader with a proven track record in managing complex systems, leading high-performing teams, and executing transformative projects. They combine hands-on technical mastery with strategic foresight, excel in stakeholder communication, and thrive in dynamic, high-impact environments. A passion for automation, Lean thinking, and operational excellence is essential.

Key Responsibilities

• IT Operations & Infrastructure
  • Ensure 24/7 uptime through monitoring and resilience.
  • Oversee networks, servers, storage, cloud, and data centers.
  • Lead daily IT operations with focus on service quality and SLAs.
  • Maintain accurate documentation and support audits.
• Security, Risk & Compliance
  • Lead cybersecurity strategy and controls.
  • Conduct vulnerability assessments and penetration testing.
  • Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and industry standards (e.g., ISO 27001, NIST).
  • Manage risk and enforce governance policies.
• Strategy & Transformation
  • Align IT strategy with business goals and global initiatives.
  • Develop technology roadmaps for modernization and innovation.
  • Drive digitalization and automation (OCR, AI, IoT, yard automation).
  • Lead and deliver complex IT projects within scope and time, and adhere to the change management process.
• Continuous Improvement & Lean Culture
  • Apply structured problem-solving (5 Whys, RCA, Fishbone).
  • Promote Kaizen and Lean practices to optimize processes.
  • Foster innovation and idea generation.
• Leadership & Collaboration
  • Build and develop high-performing IT teams.
  • Communicate technical issues in business terms to stakeholders.
  • Manage vendor relationships and negotiate SLAs.
  • Oversee IT budgets with a focus on cost control and ROI.
• Resilience & Continuity
  • Design and maintain business continuity and disaster recovery plans.
  • Ensure mission-critical systems are resilient and recoverable.
• Incident Management & Problem Resolution
  • Lead end-to-end incident management, ensuring timely detection, response, and resolution.
  • Coordinate cross-functional teams during major incidents to minimize impact and restore services.
  • Apply structured problem-solving to identify root causes and prevent recurrence.
  • Maintain incident logs, postmortems, and continuous improvement actions.
  • Integrate AI and automation where possible to enhance detection, triage, and resolution speed.