Head of IT Operations

Cyncly · Kochi

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JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Head of IT Operations
Location: Kochi (Onsite)
Permanent - Full Time

About us:

Cyncly is a global technology powerhouse with 2,800+ employees and 70,000+ customers across 100+ countries and 46+ offices. Cyncly transforms the way customizable products and spaces are imagined, designed, sold, managed and made. Our end-to-end software solutions connect professional designers, retailers and manufacturers to the world's largest repository of product content.Today, our business spans across the Kitchen & Bath, Furniture, Window, Glass & Door, and Flooring industries with operations in North & South America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Africa. 

Cyncly offers over 30 years of experience to deliver more value for our customers through an expanded portfolio of end-to-end solutions. Our global presence allows us to provide world-class support and sales with a local touch, providing the best possible customer experience. 

Cyncly is now embarking on an exciting journey as we continue to expand through strong organic growth and complementary acquisitions, backed by leading growth private equity firms specializing in technology.

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:

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.
• 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.

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.

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.

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:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• 18–20 years of progressive experience in IT Operations and IT Service Management, with at least 5–7 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.

• Working for Us
• At Cyncly, we call our team OneCyncly, a reflection of how we work together as one, united by our purpose: powering businesses that bring spaces to life. Our strength comes from our diversity of experiences, perspectives, and skills - and we thrive when we work together with openness, trust, and respect.

Here, you’ll join a group of colleagues who take ownership, solve problems, and focus on making an impact. We embrace curiosity, welcome new ideas, and see mistakes as opportunities to learn. You’ll have the freedom to work flexibly and autonomously, supported by teammates and leaders who are committed to your growth.

We celebrate the different ways people contribute and encourage everyone - from every background - to bring their authentic self to work. Because when we collaborate, challenge each other, and share what we know, we build something better together.

If you want to work in a place where your ideas matter, your growth is valued, and your work shapes the spaces people live, work, and play in - Come join us.

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