Information Technology (IT) Manager vacancy in Central London (089jc)

My client, who is one of the UK’s leading Outdoor Fitness Companies are now seeking an Information Technology Manager to join their new and expanding team in the London HQ.

They have recently partnered up with a well-respected a venture capitalist and they are now putting in place an aggressive growth plan for the company, initially in the UK, but with longer term plans for overseas and sees this as one of the key personnel they must recruit to instigate their long term plans for the company.

You will be reporting to the board and your role will be to rationalise and recommend new processes and systems for the company, as they have a number of systems that have been developed over time which need optimising and the business is developing an online booking and payment capability which does not exist at the moment; improving overall customer interaction (use of an App for instance) is a priority together with a better function CRM system.

From an IT perspective, the business has a number of integrated suppliers, services and technologies with a bespoke extranet system which underpins the operations of the business.
The main system functions are:
• Customer relationship and membership management
• Payment processing and pricing configuration
• Venue, region and timetable configuration
• Instructor management, booking and attendance tracking
• Venue / region dashboard and other reporting tools
• API’s, Database backup and storage
• Mobile app

The business needs someone to be the main point of contact for all IT matters and to oversee the company’s IT infrastructure above as well as server hosting, email management and security and therefore your responsibilities for operational delivery will include:

• Responsibility for the IT department budget and driving cost savings;
• Ensure agreed targets on the IT department scorecard are consistently met or exceeded;
• Define, manage and work in accordance with the IT roadmap to improve and optimise operations by researching, recommending and implementing technological strategic solutions;
• Primary contact for all IT-related support issues, either directly or by using outsourced providers;
• Management, administration and maintenance of all IT and MIS systems;
• Responsibility for IT framework and infrastructure and manage day to day operations and ad hoc projects;
• Manage the quality and consistency of data capture across all customer touch points including the website, in-park, competition, and call centre systems;
• Work with the marketing team to track and improve the performance of key communication KPIs;
• Work with the finance and operational teams to improve quality and efficiency of management information / KPI reporting;
• Preserves assets by implementing disaster recovery and back-up procedures and information security and control structures.

The ideal candidate will ideally have experience of CRM and IT systems within the leisure or a similar sector. You must be comfortable within a start-up environment where their first role is to review and articulate the company’s technology needs. You will naturally work across several departments including Finance, Operations and Marketing.
• Demonstrable experience in working with databases, data analysis, segmentation and email marketing platforms;
• Proven experience working within CRM/Email marketing and or campaign management;
• Experience in customer acquisition, re-engagement and retention strategies
• Experience within an e-commerce company where 80% of revenue is achieved online
• Advanced level of computer literacy particularly within all Microsoft packages, data analysis software (MATLAB)
• Demonstrable IT Project Management skills
• Numerate and analytical, with the ability to produce reports and derive valuable insights and analysis
• Ability to work to strict and tight deadlines whilst remaining calm when under pressure
• Confident and articulate communicators capable of working across numerous departments and areas of the organisation

In return they are offering a good basic salary to start with, as well as other benefits, as well as becoming a key player within the organisation and its long term growth.