Geography IT Manager at Unilever Nigeria

Unilever Nigeria - Welcome to Unilever, a global multinational and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company with products sold in over 190 countries and more than 2 billion consumers across the world who use our amazing products everyday!

Unilever Nigeria under the new ownership of Upfield Foods, a global leader in plant-based nutrition with a great history and a portfolio of iconic brands that people have used and trusted for generations is recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Geography IT Manager

Job Number: 18000H1Q
Location: Ghana/Nigeria
Function: Information Technology
Reports to: Geography IT Director, Africa
Job Type: Regular
Shift: Day Job
Job Schedule: Full-time

Business Context and Main Purpose of the Job

• The main purpose of the geography based IT Manager role is to support the IT Director as a representative for the whole of IT, including the IT Service lines, IT Service Delivery & Global Innovation, with the cluster business teams.
• Therefore key to the role is to proactively develop a strong relationship with the customers - being the business teams in the cluster, and the suppliers- being Global IT Innovation, ES IT Service Line Owners and IT Service Delivery.
• The IT Manager is responsible to ensure that the requirements of the business are understood, the strategy and plans for IT are clearly communicated and the overall IT plan and priorities within his/her areas of responsibility are clearly articulated and agreed.
• The IT Manager will support the activation of the global innovation programs to support these plans in the cluster based on his/her area of responsibility
• The IT Manager must ensure the review and proactive identification of improvements of all existing IT Services with his/her area of responsibility.
• The IT Manager must at all times ensure alignment to IT Compliance and governance framework, and provide appropriate input to and management of IT Costs
• Within the scope of his/her responsibilities the IT Manager may be assigned responsibility for the delivery of a reliable L&H application service and will help drive simplification and reduction of the L&H landscape.

Main Accountabilities
Within the MCO, the IT Manager will undertake the following key activities:

Business Partnering & IT Planning:

• Builds long-term relationships with business teams within his/her area of responsibility
• Undertakes the communication of IT Strategies, Roadmaps and Plans within his/her area of responsibility ensuring that business teams have good visibility of upcoming programs that impact them
• Works with business leadership and management teams to understand business requirements/demand for IT within his/her area of responsibility and as required engages with Global IT BP and Service Line Leads to detail the business requirements and understand how these will be met
• Engages with business teams within his/her area of responsibility to help prioritise and scope the IT plan in the area of responsibility aligned with overall roadmap and plans and ensure that responsibility during rollout are clearly communicated and that business steams are advised on how to govern and resource for these changes
• Conducts regular IT  Service Review with key stakeholders within areas of responsibility

Innovation:

• Undertakes the necessary activities to activate Global IT Innovation & Services programs  with his/her area of responsibility
• Manages projects to support local business growth programs as aligned with overall IT and business plan – working with appropriate Service Lines to ensure achievement of these programs

Global IT Services:

• Ensures the correct linkage with IT Services based on area of responsibility
• Adheres to service management framework in delivery of IT Services within area of responsibility

Underpinning Services (Business Applications):

• Supports the Service Delivery team as the point of coordination of Urgent Incidents within his/her scope of responsibility for Integrated Services including problem management activities
• In the case of relevant incidents with core business processes works together with the functions in order to activate contingencies to minimize disruptions within area of responsibility (e.g: distribution sites, plants, IC agencies, etc)
• Inputs to the review of services with Service Delivery team as determined by scope of responsibilities and undertakes escalation of service issues and agreement of service improvement plans within scope of responsibilities
• Ensures alignment and adherence to standard support model

Directly Consumed and Services Lines:

• Supports the Service Management & delivery of these Services within area of responsibility
• Engages directly with Service Lines in ensuring delivery of services
• Undertakes BRM role on Service Delivery for these Services within area of responsibility
• Supports the introduction on new Services or new Innovation in the Directly Consumed Service Lines
• Inputs to review of services with Service Lines including vendor review
• Reviews and agrees Service Improvement plans within area of responsibility
• Coordinates communication of urgent incidents for Directly Consumed Services on the ground within area of responsibility acting as local touch point for resolution teams Confirms extent of business impact and acts as liaison with local 3P and local vendors
• Works with business teams to ensure that the benefits of the existing service lines and new/updated services lines within area of responsibility are achieved
• Undertakes the necessary actions for Service Requests within area of responsibility

Legacy & Heritage Application Services:

• Provides full application management service for L&H applications as determined by scope of area of responsibility including management of vendors to deliver this service aligned to overall Service Management framework
• Undertakes a regular review of L&H services and identifies improvement plans
• Ensure the achievement of Service Improvement plans
• Undertakes management of Incidents and Problems for L&H applications within area of responsibility
• Manages all local Innovation L&H applications within scope of responsibility
• Drives L&H application landscape simplification programs within area of responsibility

Compliance & DRP:

• Ensures compliance to all IT related policies mandated by the IT Operating Framework and escalates all non-compliance to IT Director.
• Ensures overall adherence to key IT Compliance and governance framework
• Ensure that appropriate DRP are in place within area of responsibility and supports plans to regularly test these plans

IT Costs:

• Provides Input to IT Cost Drivers  to support forecast within area of responsibility
• Manage receipt of actual costs within area of responsibility

Other Key Responsibilities

• Manage WL1 direct reports  
• Engage with vendor and 3P within area of responsibility either via feedback on globally managed vendors or through direct management of local vendors
• Deliver initiatives that ensure best leverages IT within area of responsibility

MCO Critical Deliverables:

• Ensure reliable network & system basics
• Support to deliver on the Digital Supply Chain Agenda
• Win With Planning
• Factory automation and Industrial performance
• Warehouse and Distribution networks and process automation
• Digital Business process
• Support CD IT key deliverables
• Route to Market expansion
• Direct servicing of small Key Distributors
• Direct Reports

Key Interfaces:
WL1 Geography IT Analyst as required to support area of responsibility

• Within area of responsibility:
• Business Management and Leadership Teams
• ES IT Service Line Teams
• Global IT BP and Innovation
• Service Delivery
• ES & IT PMO covering portfolio delivery and risk
• Local Service Providers covering L&H and locally delivered ES services
• Strategy & Technology
• External Bodies i.e. fiscal authorities, professional forums.
• Local/Geography HR

MCO Critical Interfaces:

• Cost & Project Delivery teams, Ghana & Nigeria
• Supply Chain IT & IT Security Projects, Ghana & Nigeria
• CD IT Ghana & Nigeria
• Hardware & Network  Support teams
• Business Project Delivery teams

Critical success Factors for the Job

• Essential: Proven track record in delivering business application projects to the business and partnering a large equivalent large country/multi-country organization with key interfaces to management and senior management in the organization.
• Desirable: Degree of similar qualification. Experience in managing direct reports. 

KPIs
Relevant Experience:

• Measurable level of satisfaction within Cluster  Leadership Teams achieved via strong business partnering within area of responsibility
• Successful delivery of IT Innovation within area of responsibility
• Strong collaboration and engagement with ES Service Line and Service Delivery Team and alignment to Service Line plans within area of responsibility
• Stable L&H application service within area of responsibility
• Strong compliance record within area of responsibility
• Positive vendor partnerships within area of responsibility
• Effective Management of IT costs within area of responsibility.

Application Closing Date
4th December, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online