IT Operations Lead

At Ecowize, we rely on our IT systems to keep the business running reliably every day. We are seeking an experienced IT Operations Lead who can take full ownership of the day-to-day stability, performance, and security of our infrastructure. In this role, you will act as the primary escalation point for all operational issues and manage our vendor and consulting ecosystem. High-Level Job Objectives: Incident & Problem Management Establish, maintain, and execute the Business's incident response framework, acting as the primary escalation point for all operational issues. Act as the "Crisis Commander" for outages, the final line of defence before an issue reaches the Head of IT. Build and own a formal on-call rotation and 24/7 alerting coverage, closing the current gap in after-hours monitoring. Vendor & Consultant Governance Hold external partners to account for delivery quality and contracted service levels, ensuring SLAs are met and issues are resolved without unnecessary escalation. Serve as the primary interface for external MSPs and IT consultants (including Netsurit, First Technology, and Vikele), ensuring SLAs are met. Progressively insource security alert triage, reducing the Business's reliance on external partners over time. Team Development & Leadership Mentor and manage the internal service desk / tactical team (IT Engineers), building a culture of autonomy and technical ownership. Support the professional growth of team members through coaching, delegation, and structured development. Coordinate day-to-day workload and priorities across the operational team. Operational Reporting & Governance Translate messy technical data into clean, operational health metrics for the Head of IT on a weekly basis. Distinguish genuine business-critical issues from operational noise, reducing unnecessary escalations reaching the EXCO. Flag vendor SLA items that require the Head of IT's direct relationship intervention. Infrastructure Stability, Security & Compliance Own the day-to-day stability, performance, and security of Ecowize's infrastructure. Ensure IT operations align with cybersecurity, governance and POPIA-aligned compliance standards. Coordinate with IT Systems Owners on the operational health of business-critical applications.