About the Role :

The Head of IT Operations is a senior leadership role responsible for the end-to-end delivery and strategic management of Cyncly's internal IT operations across all regions.

This role holds direct accountability for the full IT support pyramid overseeing both the Service Desk (L1/L2) and Infrastructure Operations (L3) functions ensuring that all Cyncly employees receive a high-quality, reliable, and secure technology experience.

As Head of IT Operations brings a broader strategic mandate : shaping the operational model, driving organizational maturity, managing vendor and stakeholder relationships, and acting as the senior internal IT authority at the Kochi site.

The role requires an experienced, people-first leader who combines deep technical understanding with a strong service culture, ITIL discipline, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities :

1. Team Leadership & Organizational Management :

- Provide overall leadership, direction, and mentoring to both the Service Desk (L1/L2) and Infrastructure Operations (L3) teams, building a unified, high-performance IT operations function.

- Define and own the staffing model, org structure, and succession planning for all teams under scope, ensuring the right skills are in place to meet current and future business demands.

- Establish clear performance expectations, conduct regular 1 : 1s and performance reviews, and create individual development plans to grow talent within the team.

- Champion a culture of customer-centricity, accountability, technical excellence, and psychological safety across the IT operations function.

- Manage headcount planning and resource allocation in coordination with HR and senior IT leadership, including recruitment and onboarding of new team members.

2. Service Desk (L1/L2) Ownership & Infrastructure Operations (L3) Oversight :

- Act as the senior escalation authority for complex L3 incidents and problems, providing leadership during major incidents until full resolution.

- Ensure robust monitoring, alerting, and capacity planning practices are in place to maintain proactive operational awareness and prevent service degradation.

- Oversee the management of enterprise Linux environments, backup and recovery systems, Active Directory, Azure AD/Entra ID, and related core infrastructure platforms.

- Drive infrastructure stability by anticipating component failure risks and ensuring resilient recovery procedures are documented, tested, and regularly rehearsed.

3. ITIL Governance & ITSM Excellence :

- Serve as the primary process owner for Incident Management, Problem Management, Change Management, and Request Fulfilment, ensuring rigorous application of ITIL principles across both L1/L2 and L3 teams.

- Ensure the optimal and consistent use of FreshService across all operational workflows Incident, Problem, Change, Release, and Knowledge Management.

- Lead the Problem Management process end-to-end : ensuring RCAs are completed for all significant incidents, corrective actions are tracked to completion, and preventative measures reduce recurrence.

- Chair the Change Advisory Board (CAB) for internal IT changes, ensuring all changes are risk-assessed, properly approved, and communicated to stakeholders.

- Develop, publish, and regularly review IT support policies, procedures, and standards, embedding information security principles into all service delivery activities.

4. Continuous Service Improvement (CSI) :

- Own and drive the CSI agenda for internal IT operations, using data from FreshService, monitoring tools, and stakeholder feedback to identify improvement themes and prioritise initiatives.

- Track and report on a defined set of operational KPIs and metrics (FCR, MTTR, SLA compliance, CSAT, change success rate) and present performance reviews to senior IT leadership on a regular cadence.

5. Vendor, Stakeholder & Budget Management :

- Manage relationships with key IT vendors, service providers, and managed service partners holding them to contractual SLAs and driving value from commercial relationships.

- Own the IT operations budget for the Kochi site, managing expenditure within approved limits and presenting accurate forecasts and variance analysis to IT leadership.

- Act as the primary IT liaison for business stakeholders in the Kochi office and APAC region, proactively communicating service updates, planned maintenance, and improvement initiatives.

- Collaborate with global IT leadership, Enterprise Architecture, Security, and HR on cross-functional programmes that impact the internal IT environment.

- Support M&A activity as required, assisting with IT due diligence and the onboarding of new entities into Cyncly's internal IT services and support model.

Qualifications and Skills :

- Bachelors degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related field.

- 1820 years of progressive experience in IT Operations and IT Service Management, with at least 57 years in a senior management role.

- ITIL Foundation certification is mandatory; ITIL Intermediate, ITIL 4 Managing Professional, or Expert certifications are strongly preferred.

- Demonstrated experience managing and developing large, multi-tiered IT operations teams (L1 through L3) within a complex, global enterprise.

- Proven track record of driving operational excellence through ITIL process ownership, ITSM tooling, and measurable service improvements.

- Strong experience with FreshService or an equivalent enterprise ITSM platform (ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, etc.).

- Experience managing IT budgets, vendor relationships, and procurement processes.

Technical Knowledge :

- End-User Computing : Deep understanding of EUC platforms, device management (Intune/JAMF), and workplace technology standards.

- Infrastructure : Solid working knowledge of enterprise infrastructure Windows Server, Active Directory, Azure AD/Entra ID, virtualisation (VMware/Hyper-V), networking, and backup/DR solutions.

- Cloud : Familiarity with Microsoft Azure and hybrid cloud environments; Azure Administrator or equivalent certification is desirable.

- Monitoring & Observability : Experience with enterprise monitoring platforms such as Zabbix, Datadog, or equivalent.

- Security : Working knowledge of endpoint security, patch management, DLP, and IT security best practices; ability to embed security into day-to-day service operations.

- AI & Automation : Experience deploying or managing AI-assisted service desk tools, RPA, or automation solutions to improve operational outcomes.

Core Competencies :

- People Leadership : A proven people manager who inspires, develops, and retains talent; experienced in managing diverse, multi-functional teams across different seniority levels.

- Service Mindset : Genuinely passionate about delivering exceptional IT experiences to end users; sets the standard for customer service culture across the team.

- Strategic Thinking : Able to balance operational execution with longer-term planning; translates business priorities into actionable IT operations improvements.

- Communication & Influence : Strong communicator who can tailor messages for technical and non-technical audiences; able to influence outcomes without direct authority.

- Analytical Rigour : Data-driven approach to decision-making; able to interpret operational metrics and translate them into meaningful insights and actions.

- Resilience & Composure : Calm under pressure, decisive in a crisis, and able to lead teams effectively during high-severity incidents or periods of organisational change.