D-Commerce IT Operations Manager

As a regional best in class Omni-retail luxury company, Sephora is seeking a highly skilled and experienced D-commerce IT Operations Manager to oversee the technical aspects of our D-commerce operations. The role will operate at the intersection of E-Commerce & IT. We are operating in 6 countries with SFCC platform, along with OrderDynamics as an OMS and ContentFul as a headless CMS, within a very rich and various tech ecosystem with a mix of both approaches: best-of-breed and best-of-suite. The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring the smooth functioning of our D-Commerce platforms, managing IT infrastructure, and leading a team of IT professionals to ensure business continuity, maintain optimal performance, security, reliability, and systems metrology.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES :

D-commerce Platform Management :

Oversee the day-to-day operations of our D-commerce platforms, including website & app performances, high availability, scalability, and business continuity.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support the implementation of technical new features, enhancements, and integrations in alignment with business objectives.
• Take over the existing monitoring and implement new monitoring features to track and trace website & app traffic, trends, and build performance metrics to identify areas of improvement.

IT Infrastructure Management :

Manage and maintain all IT infrastructure components related to the D-commerce platform, and oversee the design, implementation, and maintenance of robust IT infrastructure supporting digital commerce activities including servers, databases, networks, cloud services, storage solutions, and security systems.

• Implement and enforce best practices for system configuration, data management, and disaster recovery.
• Manage the scalability and performance to handle peak loads during sales events and maintain optimal performance to provide a seamless customer experience.
• Set up, monitor, and adapt cyber security rules and configurations, including: Vulnerability management, ensuring appropriate security posture on AKAMAI for different modules, WAF - Web Bot Manager, SDK-App, Anti DDOS, CDN, Account protector, Page Integrity.

Data protection, privacy, and Compliance :

Data Protection : Implement and monitor robust security measures to protect customer data, financial transactions, and sensitive information.

• Compliance: Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards such as GDPR, PCI-DSS, and industry-specific requirements.

Team Leadership and Development :

Lead a team of IT professional stakeholders responsible for supporting the D-commerce platform.

• Provide coaching, mentoring, and professional development opportunities to colleagues and team members.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement within the IT operations team.
• Proactively adapt, structure, and streamline the teamwork.

Manage relationships with third-party vendors and service providers, including hosting providers, software vendors, and security vendors and colleagues from Sephora EU and LVMH.

• Review and negotiate contracts, validate service level agreements, and pricing terms to ensure value for the organization.
• Monitor vendor performance and address any issues or concerns in a timely manner.
• Define SLR / SLO / SLA and monitor the QoS with the stakeholders.

Incident Management and Troubleshooting :

Develop and implement incident response procedures to address technical issues, outages, and security breaches.

• Coordinate with internal teams and external partners to resolve incidents and minimize downtime.
• Conduct RCA and post-incident reviews to identify root causes and implement preventive measures.
• Proactively adjust and implement alerting and monitoring.
• Trace and track incidents/program backlogs, priorities, and include them in the PI.

Process Optimization : Identify areas for process improvement within IT operations and implement measures to streamline workflows and enhance productivity.

• Performance Metrics: Define and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of IT operations.

SKILLS, QUALIFICATIONS AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

You should have a blend of technical skills, managerial experience, and specific personality traits to effectively oversee the IT infrastructure supporting digital commerce operations. Your personality & knowledge should match with the below qualities:

Adaptability : A flexible and adaptable mindset to navigate evolving technologies, market dynamics, and business requirements in the digital commerce landscape.

• Collaborative: A team-oriented approach with excellent communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate effectively with colleagues across different departments and levels of the organization.
• Analytical Thinking: Strong analytical skills with a detail-oriented mindset to analyze complex problems, evaluate options, and make well-informed decisions that drive business outcomes.
• Resilience: The ability to remain calm and composed under pressure, resiliently overcoming challenges and setbacks to maintain high levels of performance and service reliability.
• Customer-Centric: A customer-centric mindset focused on delivering exceptional user experiences, driving customer satisfaction, and building long-term relationships with digital commerce stakeholders.
• Continuous Learner: A passion for learning and staying updated on emerging technologies, industry trends, and best practices in digital commerce and IT operations.
• Have around 10 years’ experience, ideally in an Omni-Retail company.
• Be fluent in English. Arabic & French are a plus.
• Have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree or equivalent with a significant tech background.

E-commerce Platforms:

• IT Infrastructure, on-prem and cloud (IAAS, PAAS, SAAS, DAAS, BAAS).
• Software Development.
• Cyber-Security.
• Payment Gateways.
• Supply Chain Management.
• User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) Design.
• Analytics and Data Management.
• Regulatory Compliance.
• Team and stakeholders Management.

Most importantly, the candidate needs to live and breathe Sephora Culture.