IT Operations

Location: Europe | Duration: Freelance/Interim | Size: €5bn+ turnover, 12,000+ employees We are supporting a leading European distribution group in their search for an InterimGroup Director IT Ops . This interim leadership role reports directly to the Group Chief Digital & Information Officer (CDIO) and plays a key role in shaping and executing the IT Operations strategy across a complex, multi-country organization. The company operates across eight European countries and has embraced a predominantly cloud-based infrastructure, complemented by local on-premise solutions. The focus of this role is to drive harmonization, operational excellence, and modernization of IT services and infrastructure, while ensuring business continuity, scalability, and cost-efficiency. Key Responsibilities IT Operations Strategy & Leadership - Develop and execute a cohesive IT operations strategy aligned with digital transformation and business objectives. - Drive standardization and consolidation of infrastructure and operations across the group. - Lead a compact central team and collaborate with country-level IT leadership and other group functions. - Build a resilient and high-performing IT operations function that supports both group-wide and local business needs. Infrastructure & Cloud Operations - Oversee hybrid IT landscapes, primarily based on Microsoft Azure and local on-premise environments. - Lead cloud migration initiatives and the modernization of legacy systems. - Define governance and best practices for hybrid cloud environments, covering security, cost control, and performance. - Implement monitoring frameworks to proactively manage system availability and efficiency. Service Management & Operational Excellence - Standardize ITSM processes (incident, problem, change management) using ITIL best practices. - Define and monitor service-level agreements (SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs). - Leverage automation, FinOps, and AIOp...