Head of Regional Operations (f/m/d)

Heidelberg Materials is one of the world's largest integrated manufacturers of building materials and solutions with leading market positions in cement, aggregates, and ready-mixed concrete. We are represented in more than 50 countries with around 51,000 employees at almost 3,000 locations.

At the centre of our actions lies the responsibility for the environment. As the front runner on the path to carbon neutrality and circular economy in the building materials industry, we are working on sustainable building materials and solutions for the future. We enable new opportunities for our customers through digitalisation.

For our Digital department we are seeking the Head of Regional Operations (f/m/d). The position can be located in any major HM location within Europe, preferably in Czech Republic.

This is not a role for someone who wants to maintain the status quo. Heidelberg Materials is fundamentally restructuring how local IT operations are organised-and you will be at the centre of it. As Head of Regional Operations, you take ownership of all local IT operations across Europe, AMWA, and APAC: onsite support, field engineering, infrastructure operations, and service delivery at offices, plants, and production sites. Your mandate is clear and demanding: consolidate fragmented local IT operations under one leadership, build strong regional IT operations leadership teams, and then restructure smartly to drive synergies and efficiencies-without sacrificing the service levels that your business stakeholders depend on. You will be measured on your ability to deliver savings through leaner, more automated regional structures while keeping operations stable, secure, and responsive. When a cyber incident hits at 2 AM or a critical plant system goes down, your organisation is the one that is at the frontline. This role requires a leader who has run large-scale, multi-country IT operations before, who knows how to restructure without breaking things, and who thrives under pressure.

You will report directly to the Director Operations & Services who is part of the global Digital Success & Transformation team.

YOUR NEXT CHALLENGE

• Take full ownership of local IT operations across Europe, AMWA, and APAC. Consolidate what is currently a patchwork of country-level teams, vendors, and operating models into one coherent, centrally governed operations organisation with clear accountability and consistent standards.
• Build and form regional IT operations leadership teams: recruit, develop, and empower strong regional leads who can run day-to-day operations with autonomy while delivering against global standards. You are building the leadership layer that does not fully exist today.
• Run local onsite support and field engineering across offices, plants, quarries, and production sites. Your teams are the face of IT on the ground-responsible for everything from desktop support and network infrastructure to industrial IT systems at the plant floor. Reliability is non-negotiable.
• Deliver against SLAs that meet country expectations. Understand what each business unit needs, negotiate realistic service levels, and then hold your organisation accountable for meeting them -consistently, measurably, and transparently.
• Restructure regional operations to drive savings: identify overlaps, eliminate duplication, optimise team sizes, renegotiate vendor contracts, and design smarter support models-while maintaining or improving service quality. Cost reduction without service degradation is the benchmark.
• Own vendor management and third-party relationships for regional IT operations: manage outsourcing partners, negotiate contracts, enforce SLAs, and ensure that external providers deliver the same quality and responsiveness as internal teams.
• In tight collaboration with the Global Operations team establish a unified incident management and escalation framework across all regions: standardise severity classifications, response times, communication protocols, and post-incident review processes.
• Together with the global Infrastructure team you drive infrastructure standardisation across sites: define and enforce hardware, software, and network standards for offices and plants to reduce complexity, lower support costs, and improve security posture.
• Implement robust operational reporting and KPI tracking: availability, incident volumes, resolution times, customer satisfaction, cost per user, and SLA compliance. Make performance visible to senior leadership and use data to drive continuous improvement.
• Partner closely with the Digital Success & Transformation cluster leadership and country Managing Directors to understand local business priorities and ensure that IT operations support-not hinder-digital transformation and business performance.
• Manage the transition from legacy, country-specific operating models to a regionalised structure with sensitivity and professionalism. Restructuring affects people-handle it with respect, clear communication, and fairness while maintaining momentum.
• Ensure compliance with corporate IT security policies, data protection regulations, and audit requirements across all regional operations. Your teams operate at the perimeter-they must be the first line of defence, not the weakest link.

YOUR PROFILE

• Proven experience running regional or global IT operations in a large, complex organisation-ideally spanning both office environments and industrial sites (plants, quarries, production facilities). You know the difference between supporting a headquarter and keeping a cement plant running.
• Demonstrated experience in restructuring IT operations organisations: you have consolidated teams, redesigned operating models, and delivered cost savings while maintaining or improving service quality. You do not just optimise-you transform.
• Deep expertise in IT operations across the full stack: end-user computing, onsite support, field engineering, network and infrastructure operations, and industrial/OT-adjacent IT. You are comfortable from the data centre to the plant floor.
• Strong vendor management and negotiation skills: you have managed large outsourcing relationships, renegotiated contracts, and held third parties accountable for delivery against demanding SLAs.
• Proven crisis management capability: you have led responses to major IT incidents, disaster recovery scenarios, and cyber security events. You stay calm under pressure, make fast decisions, and ensure your teams do the same.
• Experience defining, negotiating, and delivering against SLAs in multi-country environments. You understand that service expectations vary by business unit and culture-and you know how to balance standardisation with local needs.
• Strong understanding of IT security, compliance, and risk management as they relate to infrastructure and operations. You ensure your teams follow policy and act as a reliable line of defence.
• Experience with ITIL or comparable service management frameworks-not as a theoretical exercise, but as a practical foundation for running disciplined, measurable operations.
• Excellent senior stakeholder management: you are credible with country Managing Directors, plant managers, and central IT leadership alike. You can have tough conversations about service levels, costs, and restructuring with directness and professionalism.
• Outstanding organisational and coordination skills: you manage complexity across regions, time zones, vendors, and internal teams without losing control or visibility.
• A leader who builds strong teams: you attract, develop, and retain operational talent. You create a culture of accountability, speed, and pride in keeping the business running.
• Financial discipline: you manage operational budgets, track cost per user, and deliver savings targets. Every decision you make has a cost dimension and you own it.
• Resilience, stamina, and a genuine appetite for a demanding role. IT operations is a 24/7 responsibility-you do not just accept that, you embrace it.

OUR OFFER

We are convinced that only those who successfully realize their personal goals can also fully contribute professionally. That's why we offer you attractive benefits, such as:

• Flexible working time models with up to 50% remote working within Germany
• 30 vacation days plus additional special vacation days
• Attractive compensation with profit share/bonus, Christmas, and vacation payment
• Multiple learning & development options: support of job-related further training, various technical and leadership development program
• JobTicket, JobBike and further special conditions and discounts for e.g., gyms
• Company fitness room, various sports classes, health, and prevention campaigns
• Individual onboarding with buddy program as well as various networking initiatives (Network of Women, International Network etc.)
• Modern headquarters next to the river Neckar with ergonomic workplaces and height-adjustable desks
• Canteen with discounted and healthy meals
• Bicycle and underground parking with charging stations - for e-bike and car

... and much more.