Purpose of Job

The Principal, Squad Lead is responsible for the delivery of modern, secure and cost effective infrastructure services to the Bank. The role requires the post holder to co-ordinate technical teams across EBRD staff and partners to enable the business value.

Accountabilities & Responsibilties

The Squad Lead:

• Holds outsourced and professional services partners to account in technical terms to ensure industry best practice

• Gathers technical requirements for new engagements (IT programmes, projects, discrete enhancements, consultancy engagements or BAU service delivery) or changes existing engagements with infrastructure partners, projects and programmes

• Acts as a senior escalation for Associate technical leads in relation to Major Incidents, Problems, Changes or other significant technical challenges within the squad / area of responsibility

• Works with the relevant Technical Leads to main a suitable resourcing profile for both build and run requirements

• Assists the Capability Leadership team comprised of the Associate Director, Capability Lead, Associate Director MN&I Product Owner and Principal, Capability Architect, Principal, Capability Analyst and Principal, Capability Quality Lead to build the vision and roadmaps

• Works with leaders in both MNI and across other capabilities to ensure platform requirements are met and suitably sized

• Deputises for the Associate Capability Lead, MNI as required

• Responsible for creating a psychologically safe environment in which the newly formed squad can operate.

Specialism – Technical Operations Lead

The squad lead for Technical Operations is primarily responsible for Data Centre (DC) services and the consumption therein. Areas of responsibility include but are not limited to:

• DC service ownership for colocation facilities, HQ and remote office comms / server rooms
• Supplier management for DC’s partnering with Contract / Procurement business colleagues
• Managing Capacity to ensure infrastructure is forecast to meet both natural growth and project delivery timeframes whilst ensuring effective financial re-use/ deployment of existing infrastructure
• Maintaining IT infrastructure lifecycles, aligning to capacity management processes ensuring that equipment support is aligned to vendor recommendations
• Cost management (FinOps) to allow showback to other capability areas and the wider business laying the groundwork for any future chargeback models
• Tracking costs of MNI workloads and associated partner costs throughout the lifecycle
• Observability tooling strategy, implementation and operations
• Maintaining the drive for more sustainable IT infrastructure and facilities by implementing tooling, monitoring and optimisations to reduce EBRD IT’s impact on the environment
• Disposal of IT infrastructure aligned with lifecycle, security and sustainability policies
• Audit, risk and compliance co-ordination for MNI.

Due to the nature of the role, it is expected that some travel to UK based DC and worldwide remote offices will be required.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Qualifications

• Extensive infrastructure management experience including managing teams, managed service providers and professional service organisations

• Comfortable managing resourcing requirements (supply and demand)

• A good grasp of infrastructure engineering principles, formerly from a technical background

• Relevant, current experience of managing modern data centre and cloud based platforms aligned with industry good practice. Ideally certified

• Experience working in an ITIL governed environment, ideally certified

• Familiarity of working with Agile software development teams, ensuring that infrastructure enhances velocity rather than introduces inertia

• A strong understanding of IT security, service continuity, audit, risk and compliance. Capable of aligning with suitable controls and monitoring effectiveness

• Driven to ensure wherever possible technology is automated and appropriately quality assured with the aim of removing waste

• A persuasive communicator who can engage across levels of seniority and technical capability

• Must be comfortable with office productivity tools including the Microsoft Office suite.

• Fluency in written and spoken English.

What is it like to work at the EBRD?

Our agile and innovative approach is what makes life at the EBRD a unique experience! You will be part of a pioneering and diverse international organisation, and use your talents to make a real difference to people’s lives and help shape the future of the regions we invest in.

The EBRD environment provides you with:

• Varied, stimulating and engaging work that gives you an opportunity to interact with a wide range of experts in the financial, political, public and private sectors across the regions we invest in;
• A working culture that embraces inclusion and celebrates diversity;
• An environment that places sustainability, equality and digital transformation at the heart of what we do.

Diversity is one of the Bank’s core values which are at the heart of everything it does. A diverse workforce with the right knowledge and skills enables connection with our clients, brings pioneering ideas, energy and innovation. The EBRD staff is characterised by its rich diversity of nationalities, cultures and opinions and we aim to sustain and build on this strength. As such, the EBRD seeks to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and given equal opportunities and works in an inclusive environment. The EBRD encourages all qualified candidates who are nationals of the EBRD member countries to apply regardless of their racial, ethnic, religious and cultural background, gender, sexual orientation or disabilities. As an inclusive employer, we promote flexible working and expecting our employee to attend the office 50% of their working time.