Head of Commercial Technology Platforms

Head of Commercial Technology Platforms

Location: Hybrid (Manchester, London and Corby)

RS Group is seeking an experienced Head of Commercial Technology Platforms to lead the development, strategy, and execution of our core digital and customer experience platforms across EMEA, including e-Commerce, CRM, and CDP. This role will drive technology innovation, ensuring seamless integration and delivery of all associated and dependent technology changes.

Key Responsibilities

1. Technology Vision & Strategy Execution
   Define and implement the strategy, roadmap, and commercial prioritization of technology platforms that drive our web presence and customer experience. Collaborate with business leaders and technology teams to ensure alignment with overall digital strategy and strategic priorities.
2. Optimizing e-Commerce Performance
   Oversee the performance of e-Commerce technology across key metrics, supporting a revenue contribution of over £1.5bn across 50+ global digital storefronts. Drive efficiency, cost optimization, security, stability, scalability, and sustainability through data-driven monitoring and analytics.
3. Customer-Centric Digital Solutions
   Lead the design and development of e-Commerce platforms and CRM systems that enable personalized, omni-channel experiences. Leverage data, AI, and advanced technology to generate insights and drive data-driven decision-making.
4. Driving Digital Transformation & Change
   Act as a transformation leader, developing a clear change and delivery roadmap in collaboration with markets and functions. Ensure timely delivery, budget alignment, and resource optimization. Oversee strategic initiatives such as personalized experiences, product journeys, and basket capabilities, managing significant investments of over £10m and an annual budget of ~£3m.
5. Technology & Engineering Leadership
   Lead and inspire a global team of ~50 onshore and nearshore technology professionals, fostering a culture of innovation, skill development, and collaboration. Maintain strong partnerships with key technology vendors to support ongoing advancements.
6. Expanding Technology Reach & Scalability
   Ensure our technology infrastructure is “cloud-ready” and optimized for rapid expansion into new markets, enabling cost-effective digital entry and penetration. Standardize technology platforms to facilitate seamless integration of new digital businesses through M&A.
7. Championing Customer-Centricity
   Advocate and implement best-in-class technology and engineering practices with a strong focus on customer impact. Ensure all development efforts enhance user experience and drive meaningful business outcomes.
8. Enhancing Speed & Scale
   Align e-Commerce and CRM solutions with API, cloud, and value-added services, balancing global standardization with localized flexibility to meet the diverse needs of various customer segments.

About You
The ideal candidate is a visionary digital technology leader with a data-driven mindset, a deep understanding of e-Commerce platforms, and the ability to drive business transformation. You thrive in a fast-paced environment, solving complex challenges while mentoring and developing high-performing teams.

What We’re Looking For

1. Technology Strategy & Execution – Proven ability to define and implement technology roadmaps for e-Commerce, cloud, and customer platforms.
2. E-Commerce & CRM Performance Optimization – Experience managing large-scale, high-revenue digital platforms, ensuring security, efficiency, and scalability.
3. Customer-Centric Digital Solutions – Expertise in leveraging AI, data, and automation to enhance personalization and engagement.
4. Digital Transformation Leadership – Strong track record of leading high-impact digital transformations, managing large budgets and complex initiatives.
5. Technology & Engineering Leadership – Experience leading global engineering teams, driving innovation, and managing vendor relationships.
6. Cloud & Scalable Tech Implementation – Proficiency in cloud-first strategies and scalable technology solutions for global expansion.
7. Customer-Focused Tech Mindset – Ability to embed customer-driven engineering principles to enhance user experience and business value.
8. API, Cloud & CRM Integration – Skilled in aligning e-Commerce, CRM, and API solutions for global consistency while allowing regional flexibility.

The Extras You’ll Get
At RS, as well as the usual employee benefits you’d expect from a FTSE listed company, including annual performance bonus, enhanced maternity and paternity leave, private healthcare, in the UK&I, we’ve just introduced a number of new Family Friendly Policies including:

1. Help for people to take control of ongoing Health conditions such as diabetes or asthma with £500 a year available for monitoring & consultation.
2. Support for Neurodiverse colleagues and families with neurodiverse members with needs assessment, diagnosis and post diagnostic support for autism spectrum, ADHD and Tourette’s syndrome.
3. Support for Women at different life stages from streamlined fertility support through to diagnosis and monitoring of both endometriosis and menopause.
4. Helping our LGBTQ+ community through enhanced coverage for trans colleagues, including voice coaching, facial surgery and gender confirmation surgery.
5. Additions to Fertility coverage including IVF for lesbian couples and information/support around surrogacy and adoption for all.

We are RS
At RS we’ve been solving engineering problems for over 80 years: big ones, small ones, easy and difficult ones. We turn the ‘what ifs’ into the ‘why nots’, the impossible into the possible.

Our purpose? Making amazing happen for a better world.

We offer service and product solutions. We send out a parcel every 2 seconds, to over 130 countries. We provide over 700,000 in-stock and over 3 million unstocked products to more than 1.2 million customers.

We want people like you, as you are curious about things, you like doing things differently and also in a human way with empathy. Because that’s exactly how we partner with people – our customers, suppliers, colleagues and communities – to solve problems.

We’ll also invest in your development and wellbeing – because building a more diverse and inclusive culture, being ethical, responsible and committed to our Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) action plan is at the heart of everything we do.

Come and join us and we’ll help you to think big, do more and unleash your brilliance, so you do amazing things too.