Regional Director, IT Operations at NewGlobe

Department: Operations

IT Operations

• IT Operations is responsible for last mile delivery of technology, ensuring that everyone, from school staff to executives, all have the functioning technology they need to excel at their jobs. Our portfolio involves proprietary, offline-first, cloud-based applications running in challenging environments - inconsistent power, unreliable network connectivity, technically unsophisticated users. IT Operations also oversees the technical infrastructure that supports and connects all of our global offices, as well as the back-office systems that power our customer care centres, finance teams, warehouses, and more.
• Within the technology group, IT Operations also holds the distinction of being the only department with a dedicated presence in each of our operating territories, meaning that is also the key conduit and primary advocate for all aspects of technology, ensuring the work done by the other technology departments delivers on its potential.

About the Role

• As a Regional Director of IT Operations, you will provide functional oversight and support for several independent operating territories, working with and mentoring the IT Operations Manager of each programme to develop and follow best practices, solve programme-specific challenges, and ensure the transparent and reliable flow of information.
• This entails overseeing several IT Operations teams to understand and address their complex software, hardware, and operational challenges; providing additional horsepower for strategic initiatives and working to ensure that solutions are scalable, both locally and globally; and understanding and advocating for the use of technology and data to support delivery excellence at scale. In short, you will be the glue that holds together the complex technical offering that enables the entire model to work. You’ll need to understand the technology, people, and processes that make it all go.
• To achieve this, you will require deep knowledge of the existing tools and processes, an exceptional ability to collaborate, listen, and communicate, and a passion for continuous improvement. And you will need to be a fast-moving and resilient problem solver - while simultaneously being obsessed with ensuring the scale and sustainability of our operations.
• This role will be a member of the core Technology Leadership team, alongside directors owning the IT Operations, Software Development, Product Management, and Programme Management functions. This role reports to the Global IT Director.

What You Will Do

• Champion IT Operations mission of providing a working device in hands of each and every professional at the school
• Provide functional oversight of IT Operations managers and their teams, providing direction, guidance, mentoring, and growth opportunities.
• Track compliance on key IT Operations metrics in each territory and work with the local teams to ensure targets are met
• Collaborate with IT Operations Managers to ensure regular reporting to territory and technical leadership on operational and project status
• Ensure the reliability and accuracy of the information in core IT Operations systems, such as asset tracking and issue tracking
• Use proactive tools and techniques to anticipate problems and be tirelessly data driven. Advocate relentlessly for - and personally embrace - the use of data and reports to drive facts-based and at-scale decision making
• Standardize operations, procedures, policies across programmes, including partnering with other regions and promoting the cause of standardised operations
• Be a trusted tech advisor of the managing directors in your territories
• Build awareness and perform training around the existing technology toolset for the local teams, including new products or functionality

What You Should Have

• A “build the airplane while we’re flying it” mindset - we’re trying to do something ridiculously ambitious - and fast! That means having a vision and plan for how to get us to massive scale, while also being willing to roll up one’s sleeves and get dirty fixing problems. It’s going to be hard work.
• Experience in IT support across hundreds (or thousands) of distributed locations, including expertise with large mobile device networks, including hardware and software
• Strong communication, both written and verbal - the ability to “tell the story” at an executive level
• Strong ability to multi-task and manage projects, capable of creating effective delivery strategies, and managing priorities in a fluid and dynamic environment.
• A keen sense of ownership, speedy execution, and scrappiness.
• Ability to hire, train, mentor, and motivate staff and make sure they have clear direction and understanding of the mission.
• Data-driven mentality - you must have an understanding of the importance of reliable tracking and measurements in the context of continuous improvement. Nothing is true at scale unless you can prove it.
• Familiarity with ITIL/ITSM, Information Security, and Identity Management best practices.
• An interest in and ability to travel across locations, visiting numerous sites to meet local teams, understand local context, and “walk the floor”
• Flexibility to work outside normal business hours, as well as the ability to work under broad direction and minimal supervision.
• Energy from interacting with people and building relationships.
• A passion for lifelong learning. You believe you can always do better. You welcome constructive criticism and provide it freely to others. You know you only get better tomorrow when others point out where you’ve missed things or failed today.

You’re Also:

• A detailed doer – You have a track record of getting things done. You’re organized and responsive. You take ownership of every idea you touch and execute it to a fine level of detail, setting targets, engaging others, and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. You can multi-task dozens of such projects at once and never lose sight of the details. Likely, you have some experience in a start-up or other rapid-growth company.
• A networking mastermind – You excel at meeting new people and turning them into advocates. You communicate in a clear, conscientious, and effective way in both written and oral speech. You can influence strangers in the course of a single conversation. Allies and colleagues will go to bat for your ideas. You have an existing network in Nigeria from prior experience in the country, preferably in the regulatory, education, or business sectors.
• A creative problem-solver – Growing any business from scratch comes with massive and constant challenges. On top of that, NewGlobe works in often fragile, sometimes volatile low-resource communities and with complex government systems. You need to be flexible and ready to get everything done effectively, quickly, and affordably with the materials at hand.
• A relentless advocate –The children we serve and teachers we empower never leave your mind. You know them, get them, have shared a meal with them (or would be happy to in the future). You would never shrink back from shaking a parent’s hand or picking up a crying child, no matter what the person was wearing or looked like. Every decision you make considers their benefit, experience, and value.
• A malleable learner –You believe you can always do better. You welcome constructive criticism and provide it freely to others. You know you only get better tomorrow when others point out where you’ve missed things or failed today.
• A data-driven decision-maker – When making decisions, you don’t rely on your intuition alone. You collect data, you analyze it and make decisions with clear justifications.
• A curious investigator – You ask why a lot. You don’t just take what you see and accept it. You wonder why it is that way, and are aware that the world we see is created by human choices and actions – and it could be different. You wonder, and see the world as wonderful even when you want to change a part of it that is unjust.