General Information
Type of contract
Fixed-term contract which may be converted into a permanent contract after five years subject to individual performance and organisational needs
Who can apply?
EU nationals
Salary
L full time monthly net salary: €13,277 plus benefits, for further information see
what we offer.
Role specialisation
Leadership
Working time
Full time
Place of work
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Closing date
17.04.2023
Your team
You will lead the Directorate General Information Systems, which is the IT function of the ECB and comprises around 300 members of staff.
Our Directorate General develops, delivers and supports information and communication systems for the ECB, the Eurosystem/European System of Central Banks (ESCB) and the Single Supervisory Mechanism, the system of banking supervision in Europe.
We provide over 150 business and IT services to our users in the ECB, SSM, ESCB and beyond. We deliver on these services and other projects in close collaboration with business stakeholders and external partners in the areas of end-user computing, networking, IT system and security operations, application development, support and maintenance. We also provide governance frameworks (including IT architecture and IT security policies) for the common systems and services of the Eurosystem/ESCB.
We are currently undergoing a major cultural, organisational and technological transformation, with a cloud migration as well as the large-scale introduction of DevOps as the predominant way of delivering services, fostering the end-to-end responsibility of teams.
The ECB is an inclusive employer, and we strive to reflect the diversity of the population we serve. We encourage you to apply irrespective of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or other characteristics.
Your role
You will be a visionary leader with hands-on IT experience, a team player with strong interpersonal skills, and a strategic and innovative thinker.
As Director General Information Systems, you will be responsible for setting the strategic direction of IT and will manage all ECB information systems resources. You will report to the Chief Services Officer, who reports to the ECB’s Executive Board via the President of the ECB. In this role you will:
- provide the Directorate General with information technology vision and, as part of its (senior) management team, with strategic and operational leadership;
- oversee the delivery of major IT projects and services to achieve the ECB’s business objectives and foster a strong customer orientation and delivery culture among your teams;
- drive the Directorate General’s ongoing cultural, organisational and technological transformation, focusing on cloud-based solutions and DevOps, and inspire staff to embrace new developments;
- stay up-to-date with changes and evolutions technology can bring to the business;
- assess the IT workforce needs and develop the proper environment, strategy and plans for meeting those needs;
- steer the digital transformation of the ECB in collaboration with the business areas fostering cross-functional set-ups and partnering across the organisation;
- ensure the provision of timely and effective IT services across the ECB in a situation where IT demand constantly exceeds supply and budget, and where headcount stabilisation measures are active;
- maintain an effective and resilient organisational structure that supports the ECB’s technology and information systems needs and reflects best practices;
- ensures high cyber security requirements to keep the ECB safe and capable of delivering on its mandate;
- ensure business and IT alignment by fostering strong and productive relationships with the heads of all business areas and beyond, acting as a technology interpreter, change agent and true partner for business;
- represent the Directorate General and the ECB by participating in and/or chairing a wide range of internal and external committees (such as the Information Technology Committee for IT coordination and steering at ESCB level, the Operational Risk Committee, and the Project Steering Committee for project investment decisions, etc.), working groups and high-level fora, and maintaining good working relationships with all strategic IT partners;
- contributing to the ECB’s and ESCB’s strategic direction as a member of the ECB’s senior management team, while upholding and promoting the ECB’s shared values.
You will be part of a multicultural team that strives for continuous innovation to make a positive impact on the lives of European citizens.
Qualifications, experience and skills
Essential:
- a master’s degree or equivalent in information technology, computer science, computer engineering, physics, mathematics, business, economics, law or a related discipline (see How you can join us for details on degree equivalences);
- in addition to the above, at least eight years’ leadership experience with proven success as a technology executive in a variety of IT roles of increasing responsibility;
- minimum of three years’ experience of IT Leadership role (CIO or similar), leading a large function (about 100 people or more);
- Good leadership skills and cross-functional leadership experience, with at least five years’ experience in leading and motivating a team of highly qualified managers and staff from diverse backgrounds, combined with a track record of creating an agile, non-hierarchical work environment in which teams can thrive;
- a proven track record in leading and managing the successful delivery of a large-scale agile transformation and in Cloud and DevOps transformation;
- strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities combined with good communication and collaboration skills;
- recent professional experience in the definition and implementation of digital and IT strategies aligned with the latest IT trends such as large-scale Cloud and DevOps transformation in a constrained environment (budget, security, regulation);
- a solid understanding of current IT technologies and infrastructure (including CI/CD, cloud and data) as well as modern ways of working (e.g. Kanban, Scrum and DevOps) combined with an ability to embed them in the business context and a strong understanding of how IT impacts an organisation as a whole and ability to articulate what IT can bring to the business;
- professional experience in program, multi-project and vendor management, including the set-up and management of large outsourcing partnerships (e.g. for IT operations);
- a proven track record of building strong relationships and successful partnerships with business;
- an advanced (C1) command of English and an intermediate (B1) command of at least one other official language of the EU, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Desired:
- experience of working in a multicultural and multilingual environment;
- familiarity with the tasks and functions of central banks and banking supervisory authorities, as well as knowledge of the working methods of the Eurosystem, the ESCB and other EU institutions.
You build and maintain relationships throughout the organisation and beyond. You emphasise the overarching mission and common aims to achieve the best outcome for the organisation. You strive to achieve goals. You define the strategic outlook for your own business area. You build diverse teams and foster an environment of creativity and innovation. You endeavour to strengthen your teams’ capability, encouraging commitment and engagement.
You are motivated to contribute to the ECB’s mission, to serve the citizens of the EU as a member of a public institution and to work with colleagues from all over Europe. You are highly motivated to guide teams in their daily work and support their professional development.
Application and selection process
The recruitment process for this position will be conducted in part remotely. It will include a presentation and interviews. The selection procedure will also include a separate assessment of your leadership competencies.
If you are not selected for this position but are still considered suitable, you will be placed on a reserve list (see step 4 of
How we hire), from which you might be considered for similar positions within the ECB.
