At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead technology strategy, optimise costs, and drive innovation across the business.
- Company: Join M&S, a dynamic and inclusive retail leader committed to quality and customer satisfaction.
- Benefits: Enjoy 20% discount, competitive holidays, bonuses, and wellbeing support.
- Other info: M&S values diversity and offers support throughout the recruitment process.
- Why this job: Be part of a transformative journey in retail, fostering innovation and collaboration.
- Qualifications: Expertise in technology economics, strong leadership, and experience in IT programme management required.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 € per year.
This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK\'s leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.
Job Description
What\'s in it for you
Scroll down the page to see all associated job requirements, and any responsibilities successful candidates can expect.
Being a part of M&S is exactly that - playing your part to bring the magic of M&S to our customers every day. We\'re an inclusive, dynamic, exciting, and ever evolving business built on doing the right thing and bringing outstanding quality, value, service to every customer, whenever, wherever and however they want to shop with us.
Here are some of the benefits we offer that make working for M&S just that little bit more special...
- After completing your probationary period, you\'ll receive 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third-party brands for you and a member of your household.
- Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days!
- Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.
- A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.
- A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programmes to develop your skills.
- Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to maximise your financial and personal wellbeing.
- Industry-leading parental, adoption and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.
- Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support for all colleagues including access to our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist to support you and your family.
- A charity volunteer day to support a charity or cause you\'re passionate about through a dedicated day away from work.
#LI-Hybrid
#Hybridrole
What you\'ll do
- Strategic Leadership & Planning: Orchestrate a 3-year application simplification strategy aligned with business goals, targeting 30-50% cost reductions, while embedding value engineering across technology and tooling ecosystems.
- Technology Oversight & Optimisation: Establish the Technology Value & Insight team to drive transparency, benchmark 600m+ spend, and lead initiatives like CMDB creation for 600+ assets and FinOps cost optimisation across 150m cloud spend.
- Partner Engagement & Governance: Foster alignment and accountability with partners, implementing governance forums, performance tracking frameworks, and external benchmarking partnerships to ensure sustained progress.
- Operational Delivery & Change Readiness: Manage phased decommissioning, support resource mobilisation, lead asset management maturity, and champion disruption-minimising practices across data migration, organisational change, and tooling.
- Performance, Culture & Continuous Improvement: Define critical metrics, promote lessons learned, celebrate wins, and mentor teams to cultivate a culture of simplification, innovation, and tech estate optimisation across the business.
Who you are
- Expert commercial competence, with the ability to blend technical, operational, and critical thinking. Strong understanding of technology economics.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to inspire, engage, influence, and secure agreement across senior leadership, and to articulate technology value and TCO to c-suite partners.
- Proven track record of leading high-performing teams that deliver high-impact outcomes.
- Collaborator with the ability to engage and manage diverse teams and partners to drive shared outcomes.
- Significant experience in programme or portfolio management within IT, ideally involving application decommissioning, legacy system migration, or similar transformation initiatives.
Everyone\'s welcome
We are ambitious about the future of retail. We\'re disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We\'re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen. We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together. If you feel you\'d benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don\'t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.
#LI-ZF1
#J-18808-LjbffrHead of Technology Value & Insight (London) in Whetstone employer: M&S
Marks & Spencer is an exceptional employer that champions inclusivity and innovation, offering a dynamic work environment in London. Employees benefit from competitive perks such as a generous discount on products, comprehensive wellbeing support, and extensive training programmes aimed at personal and professional growth. With a strong commitment to fostering a collaborative culture and providing opportunities for meaningful contributions, M&S empowers its team members to thrive while making a positive impact in the retail industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Technology Value & Insight (London) in Whetstone
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the latest trends in technology economics and application simplification strategies. This knowledge will not only help you understand the role better but also allow you to engage in meaningful conversations during interviews.
✨Tip Number 2
Network with professionals in the technology and retail sectors, especially those who have experience in programme management or transformation initiatives. Building these connections can provide valuable insights and potentially lead to referrals.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to discuss your previous experiences in leading high-performing teams and delivering impactful outcomes. Be ready to share specific examples that demonstrate your ability to inspire and influence senior leadership.
✨Tip Number 4
Research Marks & Spencer's current technology initiatives and challenges. Understanding their business goals and how your skills align with their needs will help you articulate your value during the interview process.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Technology Value & Insight (London) in Whetstone
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in technology leadership, programme management, and team collaboration. Use specific examples that demonstrate your ability to drive cost reductions and optimise technology value.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:In your cover letter, express your passion for technology and retail. Discuss how your skills align with the strategic goals of Marks & Spencer, particularly in areas like application simplification and performance tracking.
Highlight Key Achievements:When detailing your work history, focus on quantifiable achievements. For instance, mention any successful initiatives you've led that resulted in significant cost savings or improved operational efficiency.
Showcase Communication Skills:Given the importance of communication in this role, provide examples of how you've effectively engaged with senior leadership and diverse teams. Highlight instances where you influenced decision-making or drove collaborative outcomes.
How to prepare for a job interview at M&S
✨Understand the Role's Strategic Importance
Make sure you grasp how the Head of Technology Value & Insight role aligns with M&S's broader business goals. Be prepared to discuss how your experience in technology economics and strategic leadership can contribute to their 3-year application simplification strategy.
✨Showcase Your Communication Skills
Given the emphasis on excellent communication, practice articulating complex technical concepts in a way that resonates with non-technical stakeholders. Prepare examples of how you've inspired and influenced senior leadership in past roles.
✨Demonstrate Collaborative Leadership
Highlight your experience in leading diverse teams and managing partnerships. Be ready to share specific instances where you fostered alignment and accountability among team members and external partners to achieve shared outcomes.
✨Prepare for Change Management Discussions
Since the role involves operational delivery and change readiness, be prepared to discuss your experience with programme or portfolio management, particularly in areas like application decommissioning and legacy system migration. Share insights on how you've successfully managed change in previous projects.