Director, Digital Solutions - Operations & Engineering

Job Overview

You are a Director of Digital Solutions for Operations & Engineering at RWE Americas. In this full‑time, permanent role, you lead the team responsible for IT solutions that power the company's Engineering and Operations business areas. You shape the direction of a large, user‑facing technology portfolio of over 130 applications, including mission‑critical software and enterprise platforms, and drive the organization toward modern, resilient technology.

• Strategic Leadership:
  Define and maintain multi‑year technology roadmaps for the Operations and Engineering departments, aligning with enterprise architecture and corporate strategy; lead strategic transformation initiatives such as cloud migrations, application rationalization, and modernization programs.
• Business Alignment:
  Partner with departmental leaders to communicate program status, system health, and evolving priorities; translate business objectives into technology initiatives, ensuring measurable outcomes.
• Mentorship & Talent Development:
  Build high‑performing teams through strategic hiring, mentoring, and performance management; develop staffing models that support growth and reduce silos; champion succession planning and career development.
• Agile & Dev Ops Excellence:
  Standardize Agile and Dev Ops practices across the portfolio; use industry metrics such as DORA to improve deployment frequency, change failure rate, and time to restore.
• System Modernization & Architecture:
  Establish architectural standards and review processes for new solutions, ensuring longevity and maintainability.
• Operational Excellence:
  Ensure availability and reliability of core systems, targeting 99.9% uptime through proactive monitoring, incident response, and continuous improvement; implement real‑time dashboards.
• Integration Strategy:
  Own integration strategy within Operations and Engineering, governing data flows between 30+ systems and the enterprise data and analytics platform; enforce data quality, reliability, and discoverability.
• Enterprise Platform Management:
  Provide oversight for SAP Plant Maintenance and Materials Management; lead a Technical Manager to streamline governance between central and local teams; improve platform adoption and data quality.
• Vendor & Budget Oversight:
  Manage large‑scale IT budgets; select vendors, renew contracts, and review third‑party performance to optimize cost, reduce risk, and align with long‑term direction.
• Governance & Compliance:
  Set governance frameworks for IT delivery; partner with Cybersecurity to meet security standards and regulatory requirements.
• Portfolio Management:
  Maintain an accurate application portfolio with validated owners, support tiers, and lifecycle plans, enabling right‑size capacity and investment prioritization.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or related field (required);
  Master’s degree or MBA preferred.
• Relevant industry certifications in Cloud Architecture, Agile Leadership, or related disciplines are a strong plus.

• Minimum 11 years in IT, digital products, or infrastructure, with at least 5 years in a team or functional leadership role.
• Demonstrated track record managing platform solutions and products at scale, ensuring operational excellence, availability, and reliability in large enterprises within energy, utilities, or technology sectors.
• Proven ability to set strategic direction, orchestrate cross‑functional teams, and deliver complex, high‑impact initiatives in partnership with stakeholders.
• Deep familiarity with highly available, scalable service design, including cloud platforms (Azure preferred), Dev Ops practices, and Agile methodologies across the SDLC.
• Prior experience with ERP systems and IoT/connected device environments highly desirable; background in the energy or utilities sector a significant advantage.

• Leadership:
  Champions a culture of innovation and ownership; architects strategic roadmaps and OKRs that connect team execution to broader goals.
• Communication:
  Translates complex technical concepts and trade‑offs for…