Head of Strategic Operations (Technology)

Overview

In this role you define Saga’s long-term technology direction and shape how operations align with business ambitions. You will scan the tech landscape, influence supplier roadmaps and drive evidence-based decisions across cross-functional teams. You’ll balance innovation with resilience, manage long-term tech risks, and ensure technology supports a seamless customer experience. This position offers strategic influence, executive exposure and the chance to shape Saga’s evolving tech landscape in a hybrid work setting.

Pay / Benefits

• Car allowance 4800 per annum
• Pension scheme matched up to 10%
• Company performance related annual bonus up to 15%
• Private medical insurance after 1 year
• Life assurance policy 4x salary
• Wellbeing programme

Responsibilities

• Develop a forward-looking 24–48 month technology horizon view for Technology Operations and translate insights into strategic options.
• Identify long-term risks, opportunities and market shifts impacting Saga’s strategy; include remedial actions and budget considerations.
• Challenge and shape supplier roadmaps to ensure alignment with Saga’s enterprise direction and avoid dependency or lock-in.
• Ensure enterprise technology initiatives are reflected in the retained Technology Operations strategy.
• Identify long-term technical debt, platform dependencies and capability gaps; propose mitigation or investment.
• Ensure Technology is onboarded to ITIL service design principles (capacity, performance, availability).
• Understand business strategy to support a Technology Operations plan that underpins strategic goals.
• Convert strategy into influence across the retained organization and embed future-facing governance.
• Act as deputy to the Technology Operations Director and represent Technology Operations in strategic forums when needed.
• Align Technology Operations with wider enterprise programs and transformation initiatives beyond functional boundaries.
• Support development of long-range positioning papers, investment cases and strategic narratives for executive decisioning.
• Build and maintain relationships across Group functions, business units and strategic suppliers to stay externally informed and internally aligned.
• Promote a culture of disciplined innovation, structured optionality and evidence-based strategic thinking.
• Assess strategic initiatives and emerging opportunities through value, feasibility, risk and readiness lenses.
• Provide insights and reporting on long-term technology trends and their operational, financial and regulatory implications.

Key requirements

• Senior technology leadership experience; track record of shaping long-term technology direction in complex, multi-supplier environments.
• Experience challenging supplier strategies and influencing roadmaps.
• Strong understanding of enterprise architecture principles and operational service models (without owning architectural governance).
• Experience in regulated or large-scale enterprise environments.
• Proven ability to act as deputy or senior strategic advisor to executive leadership.
• Strong facilitation of strategic discussions and governance forums.
• Clear articulation of complex technical concepts to executive audiences.
• Ability to operate across organizational boundaries without formal authority.
• Experience with technology MSPs is advantageous.

• Strategic thinking and vision setting
• Executive-level communication and storytelling
• Cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management
• Enterprise architecture principles
• Operational service models
• ITIL service design principles (capacity, performance, availability)

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