Head of Application Services (IT)

Position

Head of Application Services

Group

London 

Reports to

Chief Technology Officer

Direct reports

5 (and temporary/contract resource)

Internal relationships

• Business colleagues
• Technology Teams
• Information Security Office 
• Risk

External relationships

• 3rd party vendors
• Internal and External Auditors
• NBK Kuwait IT Teams

 Number of full-time equivalent employees: 0

Grade: 

   Manager

Job purpose

The Head of Application Services is responsible for the overall strategy, architecture, management, and performance of the application landscape across NBKI. This includes ownership of core banking systems, integration platforms, digital services, and other business applications.

This role leads a team of application support analysts, developers and architects, working closely with business stakeholders, IT leadership, and external vendors to ensure application platforms support business growth, operational efficiency, and customer experience.

Key responsibilities 

Team Leadership and Management

• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of software developers, support analysts and Solution & Integration Architect.
• Foster a collaborative and high-performance work environment that encourages innovation and continuous improvement.
• Conduct regular performance evaluations and provide guidance on professional development.

Change, Projects and Transformation

• Oversee the planning, design, and implementation of new software applications and enhancements.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to gather and analyse requirements, ensuring alignment with business goals.
• Define project scope, timelines, and resource requirements, and manage development activities to meet deadlines.
• Work with the IT Delivery Manager and PMO to mange team capacity, demand and change/project delivery.

Service Ownership, Support and Maintenance

• Ensure prompt and efficient support for existing applications, addressing any bugs, performance issues, or feature enhancements.
• Provide application support for supported business applications. 
• Establish and monitor SLAs for application support and resolve any escalated issues with a focus on root cause analysis.
• Implement and oversee application monitoring, performance tuning, and optimization strategies.
• Onboard support for existing and new applications to deliver a single and holistic application support model.
• Ensure all applications and services remain in support with 3rd party vendors

Quality Assurance and Compliance

• Establish best practices for software development and testing, including code reviews, automated testing, and deployment processes.
• Ensure compliance with internal and external regulations, security standards, and data protection requirements.

Collaboration and Communication

• Serve as a liaison between technical teams, business units, and external vendors to ensure clear communication and alignment of priorities.
• Provide regular status updates, reports, and presentations to IT Change Management, IT Delivery Manager and PMO on project progress and support metrics.

Strategic Planning

• Participate in strategic planning sessions to shape the long-term vision and roadmap for application development and support.
• Recommend new tools, technologies, and methodologies to enhance the development process and improve operational efficiency.

Budget and Resource Management

• Manage the budget for development projects and support activities, ensuring cost-effective use of resources.
• Make staffing and resourcing recommendations to meet project and support needs.
• Contribute to the annual budget cycle, ensuring applications are invested in and maintained.

Committee membership/involvement

None.

Qualification & Experience

• Proficiency in various programming languages and development frameworks
• Experience in application and development lifestyle management
• Experience in analysis and design, testing and documentation of software
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field. 
• 5+ years of experience in software development, with at least 3 years in a leadership or managerial role.
• Strong understanding of application lifecycle management, agile methodologies, and DevOps practices.
• Proven experience with application support and incident management in complex technical environments.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with the ability to handle complex technical issues.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
• Experience with cloud platforms (Microsoft Azure)
• Familiarity with ITIL or other service management frameworks.
• Certifications such as PMP, Scrum Master, or relevant technical certifications.

Essential Competencies

• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, managing multiple projects simultaneously.