ABOUT THE ROLE:

The main purpose of the role is to leverage technology to deliver a great customer and employee experience, to transform the business and achieve its vision of profitable growth without compromising on quality and putting safety first.
As Head of Technology, you will be responsible for ensuring all non-website technology is running effectively to deliver great customer experience and work alongside Group IT to ensure Group IT owned technology allows business users to perform their roles.
The main opportunity is to develop and deliver a technology roadmap that makes and enables the business to be efficient, resilient and safe whilst delivering a positive employee experience.
This role requires establishing a positive working environment, introducing process and procedures to improve business maturity and adoption of technology.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Leadership: Lead and inspire the technology team, introducing process, procedure, and best practice, whilst fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Technology Roadmap: Develop and execute a comprehensive technology roadmap aligned with the business goals, focusing on enhancing customer experience, streamlining operations, and driving growth.
• Budget Management (OPEX and CAPEX): Develop and manage the technology department budget, ensuring cost-effective allocation of resources and alignment with strategic priorities.
• Vendor Management: Evaluate, select, and manage technology vendors and partners to support the organization’s technology needs.
• Collaboration: Collaborate cross-functionally with marketing, operations, finance, and customer service teams to identify technology-driven opportunities for operational efficiencies and customer engagement.
• Software Development: Oversee the end-to-end software development lifecycle, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, scalable, and secure applications that meet customer needs and business requirements.
• ERP: Develop a logical roadmap for the upgrade of our core operating systems
• Innovation: Stay informed about industry trends and emerging technologies, recommending innovative solutions to enhance our competitive edge.
• Data Management: Implement robust data management practices, introducing reporting and analytics to derive insights and inform business decisions, while ensuring compliance with data privacy regulations.
• Infrastructure & Security: Work with Group IT to establish and maintain security of our technology including eCommerce platforms, infrastructure, including servers, databases, and network systems, to ensure high availability, reliability, and data protection.

True to our values, we care about our employees and genuinely want our teams to have the best experience at work possible. You will work with our friendly teams in a dog-friendly office environment and have access to the following benefits:

• 5 weeks holiday (increasing with service) plus bank holidays
• Your birthday as a paid day off each year
• Discounts across most of our products together with discounted veterinary fees within IVCE practices - up to 50% discount!
• Bring your dog to work
• Company pension - Employee 5% / Employer 3%
• EAP and supportive wellbeing programmes
• Family friendly policies
• Access to our rewards platform where you can enjoy discounts with a wide variety of retailers
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Healthcare Cash Plan scheme
• Engagement activitie