Head of IT Operations & Vendor Management

Quick Facts

• Role: Head of IT Operations & Vendor Management

• Focus: Consolidation, stability, security, transparent costs, and long-term maintainability

Description

You will take end-to-end responsibility for internal ICT/IT operations—moving beyond keeping the status quo to designing the target operating model, setting clear operating rules, and deciding which capabilities to keep in-house versus source externally. You will ensure availability, continuity, quality, and measurable performance of critical ICT services, while enforcing security policies in day-to-day operations. A major part of the role is vendor management and preparing RFI/RFP processes for ICT, cloud, and operational IT services.

Responsibilities

• Consolidate internal ICT, cloud services, applications, licenses, devices, and related contracts
• Define the target operating and sourcing model for internal IT
• Ensure availability, continuity, and quality of critical ICT services
• Manage the cloud and SaaS environment, including cost and license utilization control
• Implement and enforce security policies in day-to-day operations
• Manage access, updates, endpoints, backup, restore, and operational risks
• Set processes for incidents, requests, changes, problems, and escalations
• Create an IT service catalog with service owners and measurable SLA/KPI
• Manage external vendors: regularly evaluate performance and resolve escalations
• Prepare RFI/RFP, run tenders, and manage transitions to new providers
• Negotiate contractual, pricing, and operational terms with procurement and legal
• Own the IT budget, plan investments, and track total service costs
• Lead the internal team and coordinate external specialists
• Communicate clearly with leadership and business units

Success milestones

• First 90 days: map key ICT services, applications, suppliers, contracts, licenses, costs, and operational risks; identify critical gaps and prioritize; set service responsibilities/owners; present a realistic consolidation and stabilization plan.

• First 6 months: establish a unified service catalog, SLA, KPI, and regular reporting; create target operating and sourcing model; implement systematic vendor/contract/escalation management; strengthen control over access, devices, updates, backups, and service continuity; prepare tender scope and strategy.

• First year: complete or significantly progress key vendor selections; ensure secure service transitions without negative user impact; improve measurable quality/availability/cost performance; test recovery readiness for critical services; create a transparent environment for responsibilities, costs, and expected service levels.

Requirements

• Proven experience leading IT operations and infrastructure, and/or enterprise internal or cloud services
• Experience consolidating ICT environments or significantly changing the operating model
• Practical experience managing external vendors and evaluating their performance
• Experience preparing RFI/RFP processes, evaluating offers, negotiating contracts, and setting SLA
• Strong knowledge of cloud and SaaS services, licensing, and cost management
• Ability to translate security rules into concrete operational measures
• Knowledge of IT service management principles and incident/change/problem/continuity management
• Experience planning IT budgets and assessing services by total value and cost
• Ability to lead internal teams and coordinate external partners without direct people management authority
• Very good communication with leadership, technical specialists, and end users
• English proficiency for contracts, documentation, and work with international vendors

Benefits

• Real mandate to change internal IT operations
• Leadership support for consolidation and the new operating model
• Opportunity to influence technology, partners, and service delivery approach
• Responsibility for a key area for further company growth
• Collaboration with the internal team and access to external expert capacity
• Budget aligned with defined goals
• Workplace in Ostrava