Job Description

Job Summary

The Head of Application Support is required to lead the optimization, maintenance, and user support of our enterprise software ecosystem. This role directly oversees our enterprise core—including SAP, various legacy insurance platforms, and modern SaaS tools—while maintaining operational responsibility for the centralized IT Service Desk.

Key Responsibilities

• Application Lifecycle & SAP Governance: Maintain the functional health, patching, configuration, and evolution of SAP and critical legacy systems unique to our insurance operations.
• Service Desk Leadership: Directly manage the IT Service Desk, implementing best-practice ITIL frameworks to ensure rapid incident resolution, clear escalation paths, and high internal user satisfaction.
• Data Privacy & Compliance Governance: Enforce GDPR compliance at the application level, ensuring strict data access controls, secure audit trails, and proper handling of policyholder Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
• Legacy Systems Integration: Oversee database administrators (DBAs) and integration specialists to maintain stable data pipelines between legacy environments and modern cloud applications.
• Business Alignment & Change Control: Partner with business department heads to translate operational needs into software requirements while enforcing rigorous change-control processes to minimise software-induced disruptions.
• Manage and reduce IT risks of the IBS environment working collaboratively with clients, other partner organizations and third-party vendor
• Analyze business requirements and determine technology needs
• Report upgrade needs to upper management
• Manage IBS P&L, control budget spends, and report expenditure
• Translates the strategic direction and business objectives established by clients into holistic change management strategies
• Support project managers on daily change management activities and provide the appropriate levels of support and coaching for IBS and client team members
• Coach and guide project team members on IBS change and transformation projects in line with the business plans
• Lead new Scoping, Ideas and convert to project for the IBS business and wider HCL business as required
• Contribute to the development of IBS practice, methodologies and people
• Work with wider HCL/IBS sales and leadership on business development opportunities, developing responses to client inquiries, creating solutions and estimating work efforts for new opportunities
• Achieve growth and sales targets, engage with senior executives and support the development of IBS employees and recruiting efforts

Skill Requirements

• Proven experience of managing enterprise applications or application support teams, with a proven track record of managing a multi-tiered Service Desk.
• Strong understanding of SAP environments, legacy application support, database management (SQL), and API-driven application integrations.
• Strong familiarity with ITIL frameworks, software change governance, and GDPR application constraints within a regulated UK environment.
• Knowledge in Insurance Domain preferably Life and Pension
• Experience in analysis, implementation and evaluation of Applications and their specifications
• Able to understand and measure the impact of strategies and activities on the business
• Understands the broader context and operates with a global mindset
• Self-motivator with the ability to work with much ambiguity
• Understands the risks faced by the organization and the controls in place to manage and mitigate risks

Other Requirements

• Preferably degree / professional qualification or minimum 10 years of Leadership roles for Application Support & Management, Change / IT Strategy & Operations management with experience in delivering on transformation agenda for Insurance / FS companies.
• ITIL Foundation/Expert, Certified SAP Professional, or relevant technical management credentials.
• 10+ years of relevant work experience