IT Operations Director

Role Description

The IT Operations Director will provide strategic leadership across global IT service delivery, cloud and engineering operations, technology risk, operational resilience and service governance.

The role is accountable for ensuring that technology services are secure, reliable, supportable, scalable and cost-effective throughout their lifecycle. This includes governing the introduction of new technology, maintaining effective operational controls, leading the global IT operating model and enabling responsible adoption of automation, data platforms and artificial intelligence.

The IT Operations Director will work with business leaders, wider IT Team including Data and Development functions, Enterprise Architecture, Legal, HR, Finance, and external partners to ensure technology investments deliver measurable business value while remaining aligned with organisational risk appetite and strategic priorities. The successful candidate will lead an international team and ensure that operational services support Airswift’s business priorities across all regions.

Principle Accountabilities:

Leadership and International Team Management

• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing global team.
• Define clear accountabilities, objectives and development plans for team members and operational leaders.
• Build capability across service management, cloud engineering, automation, security, supplier management and emerging technologies.
• Establish appropriate succession and resilience for key operational and technical responsibilities.
• Develop an inclusive, collaborative and accountable operating culture.
• Ensure team performance is assessed against outcomes, service quality, control effectiveness and continual improvement.
• Prtect strategic and specialist capacity by ensuring operational escalations are handled at the appropriate level.

Global service delivery and IT service management

• Own the global IT service management operating model, including incident, request, problem, change, knowledge, configuration and service-level management.
• Establish service standards, policies and controls that deliver consistent support across all regions.
• Define and monitor service performance indicators covering customer experience, service quality, operational risk, backlog health and business outcomes.
• Ensure service performance is reviewed using reliable data, with corrective actions assigned and tracked.
• Promote a customer-focused culture while balancing responsiveness with security, compliance, cost and long-term supportability.
• Drive continual improvement based on service data, customer feedback, incidents, audit findings, non-conformances and recurring operational issues.

Financial, licensing and capacity management

• Own IT Operations budget planning, forecasting and cost control.
• Maintain oversight of cloud consumption, Microsoft licensing, supplier costs and operational investment.
• Ensure technology costs are transparent and attributable where appropriate.
• Establish controls and alerts for material consumption-based services.
• Identify opportunities to optimise licensing, infrastructure and supplier expenditure without introducing unacceptable service or security risk.
• Produce investment and capacity cases for required operational, engineering and security capabilities.
• Ensure financial decisions consider total cost of ownership, resilience requirements, support effort and service criticality.
• Work with Finance and Procurement to inform forecasts, renewals and investment priorities.
• Challenge proposed licence models and validate that recommendations reflect actual business requirements, consumption and Microsoft product terms.
• Maintain sufficient licensing knowledge internally so Airswift is not solely dependent on its CSP partner for commercial or technical interpretation.

AI, Copilot and emerging technology platforms

• Maintain an exceptional understanding of the Microsoft artificial intelligence ecosystem, with particular focus on Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio, Azure AI Foundry, AI agents, Power Platform and relevant Azure services.
• Establish the engineering foundations, access controls, environments, monitoring and governance required for safe adoption.
• Ensure AI solutions use governed information sources and have documented ownership, testing, support and lifecycle arrangements.
• Provide to the business AI platform capacity, licensing, consumption and cost controls.
• Maintain oversight of emerging technology risks, including data exposure, inappropriate access, unsupported integrations and unmanaged consumption.
• Promote reusable patterns and self-service capability while protecting enterprise security and support standards.

DevOps, Agile Delivery and Change Governance

• Apply a strong working knowledge of DevOps and Agile methodologies to operational improvement, platform change and cross-functional delivery.
• Use Azure DevOps or equivalent tooling to manage backlogs, epics, user stories, acceptance criteria, risks, defects, release activities and delivery reporting.
• Work with development teams to ensure operational requirements, support models, monitoring, security, documentation and service acceptance are included throughout delivery.
• Ensure changes progress through appropriate Development, UAT and Production controls with testing evidence, approvals, release plans, rollback arrangements and post-implementation review.
• Balance Agile delivery with the governance, auditability and service stability required for global production services.

Global IT Operations, Security and Resilience

• Oversee end-user computing, collaboration, identity, cloud operations, workplace technology, service management and operational supplier services within the agreed operating model.
• Ensure global services are reliable, scalable, secure, documented and supported across Airswift’s locations and time zones.
• Work closely with Information Security to maintain alignment with ISO 27001, security policies, access controls, vulnerability management and incident response requirements.
• Maintain operational resilience through capacity planning, monitoring, continuity arrangements, recovery testing, lifecycle management and defined service ownership.
• Ensure operational documentation, runbooks, support models, inventories and escalation procedures remain complete and current.

Commercial, Supplier and Financial Management

• Own the operational technology budget, forecasts and cost-control processes within the responsibilities of the role.
• Manage strategic suppliers against defined service levels, contractual obligations, security requirements, financial commitments and improvement plans.
• Lead commercial reviews and identify opportunities to consolidate services, remove duplication, improve contractual terms and reduce avoidable consumption.
• Ensure purchasing and renewal decisions are supported by demand, utilisation, lifecycle and total-cost analysis.
• Provide accurate reporting on operational cost, supplier performance, risk, capacity and service improvement.

Stakeholder and Technology Leadership Collaboration

• Work closely with senior technology leadership, the IT Business Relationship function, Information Security, Architecture, Development, Data and business stakeholders.
• Ensure operational priorities, service levels, investment decisions and improvement plans reflect business requirements and technology strategy.
• Communicate clearly with senior stakeholders during major incidents, service reviews, investment decisions and material operational change.
• Provide concise, evidence-based reporting on service performance, risk, cost, delivery and improvement activity.

Skills, Knowledge, and Experience:

Person Specification

• A proven record of leading IT Operations in a complex, international organisation.
• Commercial judgement and the ability to balance service quality, risk, user experience and cost.
• Ability to lead and motivate teams across countries, cultures and time zones.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, negotiation and conflict-management skills.
• Ability to move quickly from strategic context to operational detail and make evidence-based decisions.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, prioritisation and time-management skills.
• A service and customer-focused approach, with clear ownership of issues through to resolution.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities and material operational responsibility.
• Clear, accurate and disciplined written documentation suitable for operational, audit and executive review.

Knowledge and Experience To Include but Not Limited To

• Deep knowledge of global IT operations, IT service management, cloud services, workplace technology and operational governance.
• Comprehensive knowledge of Microsoft licensing and commercial models, including experience managing a Microsoft CSP partner and licence optimisation programme.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft 365, Azure, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft Security and Copilot services.
• Strong understanding of AI and its use within enterprise IT operations, including the Microsoft and Azure AI Foundry stack.
• Experience working with development, data, architecture and security teams to implement production AI and automation capabilities.
• Good knowledge of DevOps and Agile methodologies, including Azure DevOps, backlog management and controlled release practices.
• Experience operating Development, UAT and Production controls and introducing services into a supported production environment.
• Experience implementing ITIL practices and measurable service-management improvements.
• Experience managing technology suppliers, contracts, service levels, budgets and commercial negotiations.
• Experience working within cloud-first and ISO 27001-aligned environments.

Qualifications/Skills

• A minimum of 10 years’ experience within IT Operations, including at least 3 years in a senior leadership role.
• Proven experience managing an international IT team and global service-delivery model.
• Demonstrable ownership of Microsoft licensing, CSP partner management, commercial negotiation and licence optimisation.
• Demonstrable experience using automation and AI to improve IT operational performance.
• Proven ITIL implementation and IT service-management experience. ITIL 4 certification is desirable.
• Practical experience of DevOps and Agile delivery. Relevant Microsoft, Agile or DevOps certification is desirable.
• Strong financial management, supplier management and contract-negotiation skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including executive reporting and major-incident communication.
• Strong leadership, coaching, analytical and decision-making capability.

What we can offer you!

• Attractive monthly base salary + competitive commission/performance bonus.
• Genuine career progression opportunities, either locally or globally!
• World-class training programmes and development opportunities.
• Team driven environment, supportive culture with a focus on work-life balance.
• Career breaks available after one year.
• Real time recognition through our employee reward platform.
• Mental Health First Aiders to signpost you to support when you need it.
• Yearly destination trips as part of our High Flyers program (Dubai, Buenos Aires, etc…)
• Charity days for various important causes such as Relay for Life and Earth Day.

Our Core Values:

• Growth - In life and business, one must grow to flourish and achieve high ambitions. Growthrequires change, challenge, risk and sacrifice - we will always choose growth.
• Life – Above all else, we value life. The quality of life, both in and outside of work, profoundly influences our well-being and our impact on the world.
• Excellence - We deliver, holding ourselves accountable for results. Our customers see excellence in everything we do.
• Integrity - We are ethical, open, honest and authentic. People trust us to do the right thing for the right reason.