Head of IT Infrastructure & Operations (m/f/d)

• Shape the future of infrastructure operations and AI-driven innovation
• Growing, highly regulated business with strong investment in technology

About Our Client

Our client is an established international financial services organization operating across multiple European locations. As part of an ongoing investment into its technology landscape, the company is seeking an experienced infrastructure leader to take ownership of a critical operations function.

Job Description

• Lead, coach and develop the infrastructure and operations team.
• Create a high-performance culture while fostering collaboration and engagement.
• Oversee day-to-day delivery and stability of core infrastructure services across on-premise and cloud environments.
• Act as a key escalation point for complex technical and operational challenges.
• Ensure operational resilience, service availability and continuous improvement across the infrastructure landscape.
• Manage external service providers and outsourcing partners, ensuring strong governance and service quality.
• Drive vendor performance, commercial oversight and contract management activities.
• Take ownership of operational KPIs, service performance metrics and regulatory expectations.
• Support capacity planning, lifecycle management and technology modernization initiatives.
• Collaborate closely with senior stakeholders like the CIO, as well as architecture, security and technology leadership teams.
• Contribute to cloud and infrastructure transformation projects, including increased automation and AI-enabled operational capabilities.
• Balance strategic leadership responsibilities with the ability to challenge technical solutions and support critical decision-making when required.

The Successful Applicant

• Several years of experience leading infrastructure, operations or platform engineering teams.
• Strong people management skills combined with sufficient technical depth to credibly engage engineering teams.
• Experience working in heavily regulated industries such as financial services, energy or pharmaceuticals - candidates without experience in regulated industries cannot be considered for the role
• Hands-on understanding of multiple areas such as:
  • Windows Server
  • Active Directory
  • Virtualization technologies (Hyper-V / VMware)
  • Enterprise storage platforms
  • Data centres and hybrid infrastructure
  • Backup and recovery solutions
  • Vulnerability and patch management
  • Microsoft cloud technologies, including Azure
• Experience working with outsourced service providers, managed services environments and vendor governance models.
• Comfortable operating in dynamic, high-pressure environments where priorities can shift quickly.
• Proven track record of building team cohesion, improving operational performance and driving change.
• Fluent English required, while conversational German is advantageous.
• Willingness to be present in the Frankfurt office multiple days per week (3x a week).

What's on Offer

• Attractive salary package.
• Hybrid work model in a leadership role.
• Opportunity to shape the adoption of emerging technologies, including AI, within infrastructure operations.