Interim Head Of It

Location: Hybrid from our office in Amsterdam Central Station

Length of assignment: 6 months

Type: Project-Based Contract

We are looking for an experienced Interim Head of IT to lead a portfolio of improvement and change projects within our IT Engineering and IT Support departments for a period of 6 months. This role is critical in driving key transformation initiatives while at the same time ensuring smooth day-to-day IT operations. In this role, you will be responsible for overseeing backend, networking, platform engineering, aside from maintaining the technical infrastructure used by RIPE NCC’s staff, like laptops and meeting room equipment. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership experience, expertise in modern IT infrastructure, and a strategic mindset to improve efficiency and agility.

You know how to engage your team and how to inspire them to build the best solutions. It’s important that you take full responsibility in this role and that you are able to challenge your teams when needed. You not only know where the challenges arise, but you can adjust accordingly when things do not go as planned.

Key Deliverables:

• Lead international and experienced System Engineering/IT teams (2 teams, 15 people in total).

• Drive Change and Compliance: Lead efforts to achieve ISO 27001 certification and ISAE 3000 Type 2 audit without compromising agility.

• Enhance Change Management: Improve processes to ensure smooth IT service delivery and minimise risks.

• Refine Business Continuity Plans: Strengthen resilience strategies to mitigate potential IT disruptions.

• Foster the growth of IT Leadership: Mentor and coach the Managers of IT Engineering and IT Support.

• Advance DevOps Practices: Support the organisation's transition towards DevOps and further containerisation efforts.

• Optimise IT Operations: Identify inefficiencies and streamline IT processes.

• Support Infrastructure Evolution: Oversee on-premises Kubernetes cluster implementation, cloud platform (AWS), and data center footprint reduction.

• Focus on Delivery: Make delivery focused decisions to ensure we meet our commitments.

Required expertise and competences:

• 5+ years of leadership experience in IT, managing teams and driving change.

• Strong expertise in modern IT infrastructure, DevOps, Kubernetes, and cloud infrastructure (AWS).

• Solid knowledge of IT security, compliance, and compliance frameworks (ISO 27001, ISAE 3000 or equivalent).

• Experience in change management and optimizing IT service processes.

• Ability to lead high-performing teams and foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.

The IT Department

The IT department is composed of two teams: IT engineering and IT support. We are an international team of 15 dedicated engineers who love their craft. We are responsible for building and maintaining the infrastructure for most of the RIPE NCC's services. And to support our colleagues with systems administration and room equipment. We work in an Agile environment and rely on good communication and collaboration within our team and organisation.

About the RIPE NCC

The RIPE NCC is a not-for-profit organisation founded on the belief that the Internet should be governed openly, transparently and together with the wider Internet community. We are one of the oldest Internet organisations in Europe and are proud of our legacy.

Our strength is our staff. We bring together more than 180+ people from over 44 countries in our modern, vibrant office in the east wing of Amsterdam Central Station. Currently, we have a hybrid way of working and allow our staff to work from their homes and the office. Our official working language is English, but our colleagues speak more than 30 languages.

Our backgrounds are diverse, but our goal is the same: we work for the good of the Internet. Will you join us in this mission?

How to apply

If interested, please click the ‘Apply’ button and submit your CV and cover letter in English. Adding a cover letter is highly important and appreciated, our team read them carefully.

Not ready to apply yet? Then send me an email to openings@ripe.net and we can have an informal chat.

At the RIPE NCC, we are proud to serve our members and the RIPE community in 76 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. We celebrate unique perspectives and talents from different backgrounds and cultures. So if you're passionate about what you do and want to help shape the future of the Internet, apply now - we'd love to hear your story.

Please note that due to the nature of our activities, we will require successful candidates to follow a background screening (conducted by our partner Validata). This involves requesting a criminal record and education certificates.