Head of Information Technology

Our purpose – You will be part of the largest skills development fund in Pakistan. PSDF’s purpose is to shape the future and well-being of our poor and vulnerable youth by giving them access to skills training of the highest standard so they can find sustainable employment and income-generating opportunities in Pakistan and beyond.

The impact we have created – PSDF started its operations in the 4 poorest districts of Punjab. Since 2016, the geographical remit has expanded to the entire 36 districts of Punjab. PSDF has trained almost 300,000 underprivileged youth across Punjab, which includes 180,000+ male and 110,000+ female graduates. These graduates have been trained in approximately 250 demand-driven and market relevant trades across 10 sectors.

Diversified and challenging team – At PSDF, our team constantly works in a fast paced and challenging environment and needs someone who can match and deliver at our pace. We are looking for a passionate and innately talented individual who can actively pursue and drive the agenda of PSDF and is always ready to take up new challenges.

This position leads and directs IT department of PSDF; Develop IT plans aligned with PSDFs future direction. Designs and manages implementation of IT operations, applications & infrastructure projects.

The assigned responsibilities for this role are carried out WITH the objective to optimally meet organizational technology requirements, ensure seamless support and continuous technological improvement WITHIN the limits of established company policies and procedures, departmental goals, directions/guidelines from CEO and Project Scope.

The primary job responsibilities for this role will be carried out are:

• Contributes to finalizing the strategic IT directions, identifies and evaluates organization’s future IT (application and infrastructure) needs based on future direction and strategic plan.
• Develop an overall IT strategy, operating plans and quarterly initiatives aligned with 5 year approved strategic targets as per Supervisor’s directions in-coordination with Strategy & BD and seeks approval of the same from Senior Management.
• Establishes IT policies and procedure inclusive of Information Security and Disaster Recovery.
• Manages IT operations and ensures timely & seamless IT support to all departments.
• Briefs subordinates about approved plan, delegates responsibilities and allocates targets to team. Implements and monitors progress of approved annual plan and ensures compliance with same.
• Research and brainstorms new opportunities for improvements in existing IT services, application, network and hardware infrastructure. Develop requirements (as per approved IT plan), outlines budgets through feasibility analysis and schedule for approved information technology projects.
• Ensures continuous performance review of existing applications. Encourages subordinates to foresee and avoids glitches & bugs. Advise and consult with other departments on application issues, concerns and problems.
• Manages & monitors IT infrastructure (LAN, WAN, Surveillance Network and other communication systems) support activities. Defines the database physical structure and functional capabilities, database security, data back-up, and recovery specifications.
• Establishes and maintains the detailed disaster recovery plans (DRP). Administers execution of all disaster recovery procedures as per schedule. Ensure adequacy of disaster recovery initiatives in place, maintained, and tested as part of the regular operational life cycle. Provide ongoing feedback for risk management, mitigation, and prevention.
• Provides effective and inspiring leadership to direct reports. Ensures parity among subordinates with regards to learning and growth opportunities. Helps creating a conducive working environment to build and sustain an engaged and committed team.
• Manages all the activities of the software development group, sets attainable goals to team members in order for the project to be finished on time and provide guidance to team members to encourage work productivity.

To perform effectively as Head of Procurement, the Key Performance Indicators for this role are:

• 100% compliance with approved IT strategy and implementation plan
• of policy & SOPs successfully implemented
• 100% compliance with approved timeline, budget and quality standards
• 90% escalated queries resolved within 24 hours
• 90% of complaints/ queries successfully resolved within  24  hours
• 100% security of company systems and information database
• %age decrease in security breach incidents
• 100% compliance with applied information security standards
• of IS initiatives implemented successfully
• % increase in Employee Engagement Index (EEI) of the department with respect to previous year
• Bench strength for critical and key positions in concerned department

• Masters degree or Bachelors in Computer Science/Software Engineering or Software Project Management recognized by HEC
• A Minimum of 10 years of specific experience of working in the IT department is required. At least 3 years at senior management position in IT Department
• Worked with top off the shelf ERP system (i.e. SAP, Oracle, Microsoft)
• HR Operations system (i.e. SuccessFactors, Bamboo HR)
• Worked with top infrastructure technology providers (IBM, DELL, HP, Huawei, Cisco, Ayava, APC etc.)
• Data Center and Disaster Recovery Site operations management
• Good understanding of business policies, procedures, and Development sector its dynamics, trends and technical/operational structure with a particular focus on IT
• Knowledge of Public Procurement and Tender Management is preferred
• Certified\ Trained PMP, Project management institute is preferred
• Thorough knowledge of application development methodologies / practices
• Good knowledge and Experience of programming languages
• Thorough knowledge of IT, IS & Governance
• Knowledge and experience of Business Intelligence and Data warehousing
• Knowledge and experience of Network Operations
• Knowledge and experience of IAAS, SAAS and PAAS
• Knowledge and experience of LMS is preferred
• Knowledge and experience of database its backup and recovery operations
• Knowledge of website development, operations and management
• Knowledge and experience of e commerce portal & payment gateway integration is preferred
• Sound working knowledge of IT operations, IT systems, and their developments
• Good business processes, financial acumen
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong leadership and project management skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Experience of working with International Donor

PSDF has a lot more to offer than a market competitive salary and perks. As a PSDF employee you will get:

• Professional development and career growth opportunities with the largest skills development fund in Pakistan.
• Experience a professional environment that believes in innovative solutions to addressing youth employment and entrepreneurship.
• Opportunity to develop and execute innovative approaches to skills development for Pakistan’s youth.
• Opportunities to interact, learn and develop expertise by actively working on large-scale donor funded projects. PSDF works closely and collaboratively with large international donors and organizations such as World Economic Forum, UNICEF, DFID-UK Aid, ILO, and World Bank as well as with the most influential business leaders of Pakistan through the Parwaaz platform https://parwaaz.com/.
• Opportunity to work as one team with the most talented, dynamic, and seasoned professionals in the Development Sector.
• Experience a progressive, transparent, and fair organizational culture.