Function: Technology
Location:London, GB
Work Arrangement: Hybrid
Job Title: Head of Supply Chain and Research & Development
Department: IT / Technology
Reports To: Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Location: London / Leeds

KEY SKILLS & COMPETENCIES:

• Strategic Platform Leadership – Demonstrated success in leading complex ERP, PLM, supply chain, and R&D systems at scale, across multiple geographies and business units.
• Enterprise Architecture Acumen – Strong understanding of structured, scalable enterprise systems architecture, including cloud-readiness and integration with manufacturing and R&D platforms.
• Business Partnership & Stakeholder Management – Proven ability to act as an interface and thought leader to the business; effectively translating platform capabilities into actionable outcomes for supply chain, operations, and R&D stakeholders.
• Project Delivery Discipline – Experience in structured delivery methodologies (e.g., Waterfall), especially for operational and manufacturing systems with high uptime and compliance requirements.
• Vendor & Contract Management – Skilled in managing complex vendor landscapes across ERP, planning, R&D, and OT platforms.
• Data-Driven Thinking – Strong alignment of applications with enterprise data strategies and emerging AI capabilities.
• Change Enablement – Experienced in leading transformation during structural change (e.g., ITOM transformation), including talent shifts, system migrations, and process consolidation across functional boundaries.

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical/business discipline.
• MBA or executive leadership training is a plus.
• Preferred certifications: PMP, TOGAF, SAFe.

EXPERIENCE:

• 15+ years in enterprise applications, including 5+ years in a global leadership role.
• Strong experience acting as a functional interface with business leaders, driving stakeholder alignment, and translating business strategy into technology outcomes.
• Proven experience driving transformation across ERP, planning, logistics, and R&D systems (e.g., PLM, MES, APS).
• Demonstrated experience leading ERP, R&D, and Supply Chain Management (SCM) platforms, including systems such as SAP (SD/MM, PP, PLM), BY, Sievo, AEB.
• Industry experience in supply chain-intensive industries such as beauty, consumer products, manufacturing, life sciences, or industrial sectors is strongly preferred.
• Exposure to R&D and product innovation environments is a significant asset.
• Familiarity with OT platforms and digital manufacturing (e.g., MES, automation systems) is a plus.

ROLE SUMMARY:

The Head of Technology, Supply Chain & R&D Platforms is a strategic and transformative leader responsible for powering Wella’s global operations through innovative, scalable, and business-aligned technology. As a key partner to senior Supply Chain and R&D leaders, this role drives digital transformation across planning, manufacturing, logistics, product innovation, and compliance—unlocking end-to-end efficiency, accelerating speed to market, and shaping the future of Wella’s product and supply ecosystems.
The Head provides both strategic and operational leadership across the full lifecycle of enterprise applications that support these functions, with ownership of ERP and operational platforms that enable planning, manufacturing, logistics, product innovation, and regulatory processes. The role ensures these systems are secure, scalable, and aligned to support global process excellence across critical value streams.
This role holds overarching accountability for platform operations within the SC & R&D domains, including system stability, service continuity, support responsiveness, and integration of the local OT team. It plays a central role in reducing complexity, harmonizing global capabilities, and driving standardization across the application landscape. The Head also champions a “buy over build” strategy and leads the shift from locally customized solutions to globally scalable platforms.
As a senior thought partner, the Head sits on the functional leadership team and acts as a “mini CIO” – translating business strategy into technology delivery. The role leads a team of 40+ professionals, including Functional Experts, Architects, Service Delivery Managers, Data Product Owners, and Local OT, and oversees a global budget of €XXM. A key focus is on building domain-specific IT expertise, partnering with vendors, and creating a forward-leaning, outcome-driven technology organization that supports end-to-end processes like Discover to Launch and Order to Cash.