Head of IT Competence Center - Cloud Engineering & DevOps

Responsibilities / Tasks

The Head of IT Cloud Engineering & DevOps plays a key role in the global IT organization by leading the strategic development and operational excellence of core cloud infrastructure and DevOps capabilities within the GEA Cloud environment. The Team Lead is responsible for driving the adoption and evolution of cloud-native technologies (primarily based on MS Azure), ensuring secure, scalable and efficient platforms that support modern software engineering practices. This includes the further development and implementation of a Cloud Adoption Framework, providing governance models, modular templates and role-based access controls to enable seamless cloud integration across the enterprise. Additionally, the role oversees the continuous enhancement of cloud-based development environments (“SW Dev. Workplace”), empowering agile and collaborative software development.

In addition to the primary location, the position can be based at the following locations: Düsseldorf.

Cloud Platform & DevOps 
Own the full lifecycle of global cloud infrastructure components and DevOps platforms and software development & automation tools (e.g. Jira / GitHub), incl. design, implementation, operations, support and continuous improvement. Ensure platform stability, security and performance in line with business SLAs. Align cloud strategy and roadmaps with business stakeholders and IT leadership. Act as IT Business Partner for relevant functions (e.g. automation & SW engineering, platform owners like GEA Digital), ensuring business & technical requirements are translated into scalable and secure cloud solutions. A key focus is also to enable faster, more stable and more efficient SW delivery by driving automation, standardization and cross-functional collaboration across dev. & operations teams—fully embracing DevOps principles. 

Project & Delivery Management 
Ensure successful delivery of cloud and DevOps-related initiatives that enable digital transformation. Lead or support project managers within the team to deliver cloud infrastructure and DevOps capabilities on time, within scope and budget. Coordinate with other IT teams and business units to ensure cross-functional alignment and integration. 
Vendor & Partner Management 
Manage relationships with cloud service providers and DevOps tool vendors (e.g. Atlassian for Jira / Confluence), incl. contract negotiation, SLA mgmt. and compliance. Select and manage external consulting partners for platform support and project delivery. 

People & Organizational Leadership
Lead a global team of cloud engineers, DevOps specialists, project managers and platform architects. Provide disciplinary leadership (including performance management and development planning) for IT staff in the same location or IT staff outside of IT hub locations. For IT staff (within the Cloud Engineering & DevOps Team) in an IT hub location, provide functional leadership and provide input for performance management and development planning to the respective Divisional IT Lead. 

• Governance & Compliance
• Ensure compliance with internal IT policies, cloud governance frameworks and external regulatory requirements. 
• Establish and enforce best practices for cloud security, cost management and operational excellence.  

Continuous Improvement
Drive innovation and continuous improvement in cloud engineering and DevOps practices. Promote automation, standardization and adoption of modern technologies to enhance agility, reliability and scalability across the organization. 

Your Profile / Qualifications

• ​​Master degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, or related field​
• ​​Proven experience (typically 7+ years) in IT cloud mgmt.., with at least 5 years in a leadership role
• ​Proven track record in cloud strategy, operations and transformation
• ​Strong knowledge of cloud technologies, Azure Services, DevOps and ideally Software Development tools 
• ​Understanding of cloud / enterprise IT architecture and governance
• ​Demonstrated experience in project / program management, strategic vendor development and budget tracking & control​
• ​​Customer-oriented with a hands-on mentality
• ​Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• ​High level of initiative and accountability
• ​Fluent in English; additional languages are a plus
• ​Ability to lead in a global matrix environment with culturally diverse teams
• ​Excellent communication, stakeholder management and leadership skills 
• Did we spark your interest?Then please click apply above to access our guided application process.