Head of Delivery Assurance, Acquisition & Operations Technology

In February 2016, Paddy Power and Betfair merged to form one of the largest online betting operators in the world: Paddy Power Betfair plc. The merger propelled the enlarged group into the FTSE 50. The Paddy Power brand boasts an international multi-channel betting and gaming group. The Paddy Power brand is widely seen as one of the most distinctive consumer brands in Europe. The Betfair brand is famous for Innovation. Betfair pioneered the betting exchange in 2000 - a product which altered the landscape of the sports betting industry. Today, Paddy Power Betfair is a force to be reckoned with. We have a market-leading presence in the UK, Ireland, Australia and the USA, as well as a range of B2C and B2B operations across Europe. The Head of Delivery Assurance is responsible for the demand management from the business to product engineering through pitches and business cases, planning and resource optimisation and ongoing management of these initiatives across the Acquisition and Operations Missions. By working closely with the Product Engineering Tribe Leaders, the role holder will ensure the priorities are clearly understood and articulated, outcomes and hypothesis are defined and that demand is planned with focus on predictability, pace and customer quality accelerated by resourcing optimisation. He/she will ensure a transparent and objective view over results is shared through a clear definition of success measures and KPIs, ongoing measurement and regular publication through the relevant forums. In addition, he/she will be responsible for the management of technology 3rd party suppliers, including budget management and the standardisation of technology inputs into other contracts where relevant. This role reports into the Director of Technology, Delivery Assurance and will require travel to other locations including London, Dublin, Porto, Cluj. Accountabilities: * Work closely with the Portfolio team and Product Management to understand product strategy, business needs and expectations, initiatives in terms of pitches and business cases and priorities. * Clear understanding of the business hypotheses and through facilitation from all teams ensuring a recommendation is in place regarding best iterative way to influence the outcomes through scope definition, planning, test and learn and decision making for further investment. * Engagement with Shared Services where required and alignment of outcomes and plans * With support from the Tribe leads, ensure a complete and accurate view from technology perspective is in place for each initiative through subject matter experts and 3rd party engagement, workshops, estimations and planning * Planning and alignment of overall deliverables with other technology areas that have capacity federated into the tribes and shared services * Contribution to the strategic outcomes as demonstrated by the defined KPIs. Ongoing assessment of these KPIs with clear and actionable insights. * Provide a consolidated view of the current state of delivery across the Acquisition & Operations missions including internal & external dependencies and delivery risks & issues. * Work with Tribe Leaders to create and maintain consolidated resource, capability & capacity plan * Provide regular reporting on resource utilisation and recruitment status, anticipating future needs and demand * Provide a consolidated view of 3rd Party Supplier contracts and spend and take responsibility for ongoing management of direct Technology supplier relationships. * Ownership of the product engineering ways of working continuous improvement and close collaboration with the Portfolio team for incorporating learnings into the end to end process * Good understanding of outcome driven models like Squads/Tribes/Missions * Highly commercially aware with a strong customer focus; * Proven track record of delivering complex technology through multi-disciplinary teams using agile and lean software development methods; * Structured thinking and a clear ability to plan and deliver business and customer outcomes * Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to explain complex technical challenges in a simple and effective manner; * Experience of driving third-party vendors to deliver high performance; * Ability to set priorities and focus teams on what is most important; * Builds strong relationships with key stakeholders based on mutual respect, openness and transparency; * Gives honest, direct feedback to team members and stakeholders to help resolve issues quickly; * Works at pace and conveys a sense of urgency to the team; * Leads by example in terms of work ethic and professional attitude; * Works well under time and environmental pressures; * Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Competencies: Personal leadership style Places a high priority on developing and empowering others, develops others through coaching, feedback and stretch assignments, Aligns employee career development goals with organisational objectives. Is resilient and confident under pressure, handles and manages crisis effectively, Experiments to find new solutions isn't afraid to fail and learn from the experience. Commercial acumen: Knows how the business works and how the organisation makes money and stays competitive. Encourages diverse thinking to promote and nurture innovation. Articulates credible pictures and visions of possibilities that will create sustainable value. Ability to drive change: Talks about the future possibilities in a positive way Creates milestones and symbols to rally support behind the vision Articulates the vision in a way everyone can relate to. Creates organisation wide energy and optimism for the future. Highly effective leader of teams: . Flexes communication style to meet the needs of various audiences. Attracts and selects diverse and high caliber people, finds the right talent to meet the groups needs. Business engagement and relationship management: Works cooperatively and partners with other across the organisation to get work done. Uses knowledge of business drivers to guide actions.