Technology Resilience Senior Manager

Role Purpose
The Senior Manager, Technology Resilience is responsible for supporting the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of technology resilience capabilities across the Howdens Group.

This role will work closely with the Group Head of Technology Resilience to deliver strategic initiatives while also independently leading key programmes and supporting resilience across the Group's diverse and geographically distributed entities.

The role requires strong subject matter expertise in technology resilience and IT disaster recovery, combined with excellent stakeholder management skills to engage effectively with Group companies that retain a level of operational independence.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and Capability Development

• Support the design and delivery of the Group's technology resilience strategy, frameworks, and methodologies.
• Contribute actively to defining short- and long-term technology resilience goals and supporting initiatives.
• Lead specific workstreams or projects to enhance Group-wide resilience capabilities.

Governance and Standards

• Assist in establishing and maintaining effective governance structures, reporting routines, and documentation to ensure compliance with internal policies and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain records and evidence of compliance across jurisdictions.

Collaboration and Support

• Act as a point of contact for technology teams and business units across Group entities to provide guidance, subject matter expertise, and support in developing local resilience and recovery plans.
• Develop strong working relationships to promote adoption of resilience practices and standards in environments where entities have a degree of independence.

Testing and Validation

• Plan and facilitate technology resilience testing and validation exercises (e.g., disaster recovery tests, scenario-based resilience exercises).
• Support the analysis of outcomes and tracking of remediation activities.

Measurement and Reporting

• Contribute to the development of metrics and reporting that measure prevention, endurance, and recovery capabilities.
• Prepare regular reports and updates for senior stakeholders.

Regulatory and Institutional Engagement

• Support preparation for regulatory reviews, audits, and supervisory visits relating to technology resilience.
• Assist in responding to institutional or client queries.

Candidate Profile

Skills and Experience

• Experience:
  5-10 years in technology resilience, IT disaster recovery, operational resilience, business continuity, or related disciplines, ideally in a regulated environment.

• Technical Knowledge:

• High-level understanding of cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure) and their implications for resilience and recovery.

• Working knowledge of technology architecture, including how infrastructure, applications, data, and integrations fit together in complex estates.
• Familiarity with frameworks such as ITIL, ISO 22301, and related best practices.
• Understanding of how IT service management, cyber security, and architecture contribute to resilience.
• Programme Management:
  Experience delivering projects or workstreams independently within a structured governance framework.
• Stakeholder Engagement:
  Ability to build relationships and influence stakeholders at different levels, including entities that maintain operational independence.
• Regulatory Awareness:
  Exposure to regulatory expectations around resilience in the insurance or financial services sector is desirable.

Person Specification

Candidates will be able to demonstrate:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate complexity and ambiguity.
• Excellent communication and presentation abilities, capable of translating technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders.
• Confidence engaging with stakeholders across diverse geographies and business units.
• A collaborative, pragmatic approach to implementing standards in environments that require balance between central guidance and local ownership.
• A self-starter mindset-comfortable taking initiative, prioritising effectively, and progressing work with minimal supervision.
• Professional presence and credibility when engaging with regulators and institutional clients.
• A proactive interest in technology trends such as cloud adoption and their impact on resilience practices.

Opportunities in the Role

This position provides significant opportunity to:

• Shape the resilience capability across an international group.
• Lead meaningful initiatives that improve Howdens' ability to prevent and recover from major technology events.
• Develop subject matter expertise alongside highly experienced senior leaders.
• Grow a professional profile in a regulated environment with increasing focus on operational resilience.

Reporting Line

This role reports to the Group Head of Technology Resilience and will regularly engage with:

• Group Technology Risk leadership.
• Group Cyber Security, IT Service Management, and Architecture teams.
• Local technology and operational teams within the Group entities.