IT Change and Configuration Lead

Job description / Role

Who we are

We are a leading partner for luxury across the Middle East. With more than 600 stores, 300 brands and over 65 years of experience in the region, we have become a major player in the beauty, fashion and gift sectors, by offering service excellence to our partners and delighting all our customers. We are moving fast from a traditional distributor and retailer for luxury in the Middle East, to a hybrid retailer bringing luxury experiences to the fingertips of customers everywhere.

To fuel the next stage of our growth we are looking to build a world class team. From physical retail through to supply chain and customer loyalty, we aim to use technology and data to continuously improve every aspect of our operations. We are looking for top talent to join us on this journey of exploring new horizons together.

The IT Change and Configuration Lead is an integral part of the Technology Operations team and will be responsible for all centralised release and configuration management activities across all environments (production & non-production) hosting Chalhoub services.

The IT Change and Configuration Lead will work collaboratively across both internal tech product and operations teams to ensure releases are delivered on schedule with minimal disruption to services.

The key aim for the IT Change and Configuration Lead is to be the quality gate for all live configurations and transversal centralised releases and to identify improvements through automation, process change and new technology we can provide to our end users to increase speed, accuracy, reliability and agility when delivering change into our environments.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Technology Operations leadership team on refining and taking our services to the next level, changing the game completely in our mission to provide world-class customer service across the business.

We're looking for a strong candidate who is sharp, adaptable and agile enough to resolve problems, proactively think about solutions and get "hands-on" when needed.

You must have the ability to think strategically, demonstrating an in-depth understanding of current and future trends in the environments manager space, especially in hosted environments, with sound knowledge and experience of managing agreements with hosting partners.

What you will be doing

- Design, implement, execute and continually review the daily and long-term strategic management of change & release (including configuration) management of our live product environments within Chalhoub Group. The initial focus will be to set and drive Configuration & Release Management best practices across the live service estate.
- Full review of release & configuration management lifecycle to ensure effective processes are embedded into BAU activities. This review includes planning, monitoring and executing transversal releases and recording accurate configuration details for the live production environment at all times.
- Building and developing an enterprise-wide CMDB from the ground up, working with key stakeholders across the business and Service managers to develop business Services within the CMDB, including the reporting of all CI exceptions and data discrepancies
- Assist in forming strategies to optimize IT Configuration & Release Management across accounts.
- Develop and implement procedures to oversee quality control of all configuration changes and releases throughout their lifecycle.
- Ensure CMDB accuracy and effective CI record management.
- Act as the focal point for all live configuration and centralized release management activities.
- Provide operational measurement for all CIs and releases.
- Own Release Management strategy, policies and processes; drive release governance and compliance across all teams.
- To Define/Develop automation improvements and oversee delivery into production environments offering value and improvements to our end customers.
- Manage all internal transversal release management processes and release calendar activities.
- Own Configuration Management strategy, policies and processes for all live production environments.
- Revise, recommend, and maintain Change Management and Release Management plans, schedules (calendars) policies, processes, and procedures that reflect ITIL best practices. Maintain ServiceNow and other enterprise tools in support of Enterprise Change Management.
- Develop, measure, and analyse Critical Success Factors (CSF) and Key Performance Indicators (KPI), and design and generate metric reports, status and performance reports for Change & Release Management and conduct training on a scheduled and ad hoc basis.
- Provide individualized instruction for Technology teams on the Change Management key process areas, associated templates and procedures.
- Develop, enhance, operate, and assist in migrations and maintenance of Change Management system/tools and interfaces with other tools (e.g., Configuration, Problem, Release, and Incident Management Systems).
- Identify opportunities to continuously improve. Assist in the scheduling and implementation of improvements at predefined intervals and on an ad-hoc basis.
- Maintain, update, and implement a consistent and rigorous framework for evaluating systems capabilities and risk profiles before new or changed systems are approved and scheduled for deployment in accordance the CR Impact Assessment Procedure and a process framework that ensures a system and the service it enables can be managed, operated and supported according to the requirements specified by the design and architecture.
- Review Requests for Change (RFCs) to ensure the appropriate priority levels and details are provided in accordance with the CR Review Checklist
- Develop, measure, and analyse CSF and KPIs, as well as design and generate weekly/monthly/quarterly metric reports.
- Develop training plans and materials for Release Management and conduct training on a scheduled and ad hoc basis; provide individualized instruction for Technology teams on the Release Management key process areas, associated templates and procedures.
- Develop, enhance, operate, and maintain Release Management system/tools and interfaces with other processes (e.g., Change Management, Problem Management, Configuration Management and Incident Management Systems).
- Lead in Release Planning and pre and post Release Deployment activities and meetings.
- Supporting the management of the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) and reporting of all Configuration Item (CI) exceptions and data discrepancies.
- Work with Technology teams in defining release and deployment plans. Support the potential need to review and revise plans.
- Support Release Readiness Reviews (RRRs) release authorization activities and perform Post-Implementation Reviews (PIRs).
- Perform the release coordinator role for weekly change activity to include weekend work. Produce a Weekly Change & Release Summary Report.

Requirements

What you'll need to succeed

- ITIL Service Management Foundation v3 Certified.
- Strong understanding of ITIL Change and Configuration Management processes.
- At least 5 years' experience of change and release management in multi-company, international environments.
- Knowledge of different delivery platforms & hosting partners; particular focus on OCI Gen 2, AWS & Azure.
- Working with multiple external service suppliers and implementation partners.
- Awareness and use of DEVOPS tools for Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) - experienced with Jenkins and Software repository tools/environments like GitHub.
- Good facilitator and driver of process framework design and execution.
- Experience of working with offshore system integrators and Tier 1 MSPs.
- Excellent attention to detail and analytical problem-solving skills.
- The candidate must have a strong and proactive "can-do" attitude.
- Good experience and knowledge working with CMDB integration (Service Now).
- Strong reporting skills to develop and administer CMDB reporting through ServiceNow.
- Good knowledge of IT Service, Application and CMDB Dependency Modelling; utilising enterprise wide ITSM tools such as ServiceNow to do so.
- Good Communication and relationship management skills.
- Analytical, detail-orientated, can communicate clearly, effectively and influence in the right way.

What we can offer you

With us, you will turn your aspirations into reality. We will help shape your journey through enriching experiences, learning and development opportunities and exposure to different assignments within your role or through internal mobility. Our Group offers diverse career paths for those who are extraordinary, every day.

We recognise the value that you bring, and we strive to provide a competitive benefits package which includes health care, child education contribution, remote and flexible working policies as well as exclusive employee discounts.

About the Company

The Chalhoub Group is the leading partner for luxury across the Middle East since 1955. As an expert in retail, distribution and marketing services based in Dubai, the group has become a major player in the fashion, beauty and gift sectors regionally.

By blending its Middle East expertise and intimate knowledge of luxury, Chalhoub Group is building brands in the region, by offering service excellence to all its partners and a unique experience to its customers through its passionate teams.

With a growing workforce of more than 9,000 people, implemented in 14 countries, as well as the operating of over 470 retail outlets, the group's success is attributed to its most valued asset of highly skilled and dedicated teams. Professionalism and passion are what fuel the Chalhoub Group's competitive edge in today's market.

By being committed to implementing sustainable practices into their business, the Chalhoub Group has been awarded in 2013 the CSR Label from the Dubai Chamber of Commerce.