Head of Professional Services (Projects)

Role Summary

As the Head of/VP PS / PS Director you will be the P&L owner, responsible for the management of the Professional Services department, which will include commercial and technical management and software engineering.

You will work closely with our Managed Services, R&D and Sales & Marketing departments to align and influence and finally oversee the evolvement of the [LBU] products.

You will be part of the Senior Leadership Team, reporting to the CEO and responsible for the department.

Profile

• Hire, professionally develop, and retain a high-quality, high-intensity team that ensures on-time, on budget, high quality delivery;
• Develop and execute a strategic vision for the professional services department, aligned with the company's overall objectives and growth plans.
• Constantly assessing and monitoring performance and proactively taking steps to improve the department performance.
• Collaborate with sales and business development teams to support the growth of professional services business, including participating in client meetings, proposals, and contract negotiations.
• Drive operational efficiency by implementing best practices, process improvements, and automation initiatives within the professional services department.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define service offerings, pricing models, and contractual agreements for professional services, ensuring profitability and customer satisfaction.
• Monitor and analyse key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the professional services and support operations, identifying areas for improvement and implementing corrective actions.
• Establish and maintain strong client relationships, acting as a trusted advisor and escalation point for key clients, addressing their concerns and ensuring their needs are met.
• Attend management meetings, annual events, and other activities directed by the CEO.
• To look outwards towards the market and industry for key trends in delivery methodology and technology, and consider how these could benefit the team and the business.
• To lead the PS teams capability and manage the supplier relationship, ensuring solutions are high quality and satisfy the expectations of our customers.
• To be responsible for all functional and non functional delivery of projects and programmes.
• To support projects in resource management including where there are conflicts.
• To liaise with customers with regards their delivery expectations.
• To manage deliveries to agreed criteria and own and report on KPIs to the broader business.
• To act as product ambassador to key partners and customers.
• To produce metrics and analyse these metrics to identify areas for continuous improvement.
• To provide high quality estimates in line with the timescales of the project.
• Where applicable management of customer and partner engagement on key programmes.
• To work, on occasion, at customer and commercial partners' sites to expedite agreed project tasks.
• To assist in Pre Sales support where appropriate.
• To manage budget for the PS team including salary reviews, overtime approval, training requirements, travel requests.
• Awareness and compliance of ISO9001, ISO27001, ISO22301, PCI and Daat Protection regulations.

Portfolio Contribution

• Support portfolio IP Bootcamps with lesson learnt use cases.
• Provide support for M&A Due Diligence if called upon.

Skills

• Strategic mindedness with a view on future strategy, balanced with tactical delivery, at all times with advanced level in complex strategy, approach and management
• Advanced level in systems integration test approach and management
• Advanced level in user acceptance test approach and management
• Experience of both waterfall and agile delivery approaches
• Highly customer outcome focused with a solution orientated mind-set
• Excellent presentation and communication skills
• Meticulous, structured with excellent attention to detail
• Adaptable, can conform to shifting priorities, demands and timelines whilst retaining control
• Ability to elicit cooperation from a wide variety of sources, a strong negotiator
• Strong interpersonal skills with a professional attitude
• Commercially aware and politically astute
• Work estimation and planning
• Resource management
• Conflict management and resolution
• Budget management

Competencies

Competency

Description

Execution

• Fulfils position responsibilities and corporate objectives by delivering product/services on time, within budget and to specification.
• Motivating self & others to achieve excellence in task completion.
• Drives commercial needs and
  optimizes delivery strategies.
• Drives high standards and does not compromise quality.
• Purposefully Challenges status quo.
• Proactive and self-directed to attain high standards.

Business Acumen

• Demonstrates a thorough understanding of financial, marketing & operational levers and ratios.
• Uses experience and intuition used to generate innovative solutions for commercial growth and profitability.
• Articulates and represents the best interests of the company in business dealings with external stakeholders.
• Continually strives to improve internal business operations.
• Maintains and develops an effective network of both professional and business contacts, that provides information and intelligence around the market and emergent opportunities.

Drive & Results Focus

• Consistently delivers what is expected.
• Shows a strong and consistent goal- oriented focus.
• Communicates   and   demonstrates determination to meet and at times exceeds goal and objectives.
• Forward thinking and articulates a long-term vision.
• Energizes others to obtain exceptional results.
• Pro-Actively evaluates own outcomes against own and others standards, over and above those agreed.
• Challenges others and addresses poor performance where this is impacting on outcomes.

Humility

• Self-Aware.
• Appreciates and recognises others contribution and strengths.
• Open to new ideas and solicits feedback regarding their own behaviour and contribution.
• Builds cultures of openness, trust, and recognition, understands these are important precursors to success.
• When you talk to this person you feel that you are important, not that they are important.
• Decision making is based on the equal importance of the team.

Intensity

• Highly energetic and driven to get things done.
• Possesses an unrelenting focus on the end goal with an understanding of others needs.
• Incites others into action.
• Refuses to accept failure but strong in their drive to understand and flex to the emerging situation.
• Coaches rather than leads.
• Passionate about their team and drives accountability.
• Empowers by developing and clarifying strategy with the team, zeros in on supporting their tactical choices and is always available for consultation and dialogue.
• Emulates the positive team spirit.

Curiosity

• Has candour and transparency – not afraid to explain why they may be struggling with understanding.
• Uses open ended questions and understands that they do not have all the answers.
• Decisions have impact due to rounded exploration.
• Strong communicator and able to frame a problem.
• Constantly questions the status quo.
• Actively seeks and hires other curious people.
• Reacts positively to ideas and stimulates discussion around them.
• Not afraid to be wrong.

Numeracy

• Uses numerical ability to inform decision making and approaches.
• Understands how data is gathered and presented in diagrams, graphs, tables, and charts.
•  Interprets and communicates the meaning of data to drive performance in others.
• Understands the difference between ‘data rich’ and ‘information poor’.
• Maintains a strong performance culture by focus on facts and real time measures.
• Enables risk acceptance by monitoring of outcomes.
•  Challenge results through logical reasoning of inputs and outputs; does not leap to conclusion.
•  Executes well with fully rounded information criteria.