At Sphere we design, develop, support and enhance solutions and systems that help our customers run their business operations, grow and take advantage of efficiencies by leveraging cutting edge technologies.

 

Sphere is seeking for an entrepreneurial and progressive leader to lead the growth and success of our solutions offerings.

Our teams work to define technology strategies and implement solutions that provide tangible business value to our clients. Our multi-capability approach enables us to bring innovative thinking to address problems and challanges from all angles.

The primary responsibility of the Director of Delivery is to establish, develop and grow the professional services practices into a profitable and sustainable businesses within Sphere and aim to increase our value with key clients. Key accountabilities include: building and growing consulting practices and revenue strems, strategic planning and business plan execution, ensuring client success, including successful project delivery, attainment of revenue and profit goals, business management and forecasting, project controls and project management office.

 

Accountability for the practice, including driving sales, revenue, recruiting, solution development, technical solution architecture, delivery, consulting, and all operational aspects, including:

Practice Building – Drive overall growth of practice area through a combination of business development, guidance for opportunity development, talent management, solution architecture, oversight of delivery work, and thought leadership.

 

What you'll be doing

The key responsibilities for this role will include:

 

• Business plan and road map development for the practice
• Accountability for the practice, including driving sales, revenue, recruiting, delivery, consulting, and all operational aspects, including:
• Practice Building – Drive overall growth of practice area through a combination of business development, talent management, oversight of delivery work, and thought leadership.
• Build relationships with new and existing clients.
• Work effectively with alliance partners
• Work with teams to capture best practices and develop case studies and other core deliverables to build solution offerings
• Financial, strategic and tactical management against goals for the global consulting practice
• Participate in industry forums, events, and speaking engagements; manage production of project deliverables, budget, and presentations to client personnel and leadership
• Ownership of processes and metrics to support consulting practice
• Engagement Management – Manage engagement risk, project economics including planning and budgeting, managing accounts receivable, defining deliverable content, and ensuring buy-in of proposed solutions from top management levels at the client.
• Proactively lead the practise by setting strategy, defining business plan and road map, drive the development of new business in the market, and provide advice across disciplines
• Creation, introduction and management of new service offerings and capabilities to meet market and growth opportunities
• Forecasting revenue and hours demand by resource type
• Internal status on consulting operations
• Service Planning
• Cross group collaboration on commercial management of consulting engagements (bid to delivery)
• Resource capacity management against the on-going project demands
• Negotiation of cross group resource utilization with peers to accommodate anticipated peaks in demand
• Collaboration with project leadership in project planning, resourcing, risk management and quality management
• Service Delivery
• Provide oversight to project leadership for risk & quality management across all engagements
• Provide oversight to team leadership for the technical and business work-order project delivery process
• Establishing a consulting culture that balances financial goals with customer satisfaction.
• Escalation point for client engagement relationship, resourcing, risk management and quality management
• Ownership of hiring process of new consulting team members
• Daily leadership of consulting practice managers and team members
• Training, professional development and career planning for consulting team
• Manage and deliver large projects by developing the project team, assessing engagement risks throughout, driving conclusions, and reviewing / challenging the output produced by the team

 

Strategy development

Director ofDelivery will translate the global services strategy and regional strategic objectives into a regional services strategy. They ensure a continuous basis that the regional and global services organization flexibly reacts and is aligned to current business drivers, organizational initiatives and global programs.

They work with practice leaders and leadership to translate organizational strategy and strategic objectives into a global and coordinated services strategy. He/she is a key role-player and uses a deep understanding of Sphere solutions and of service trends to evaluate services strategies and ensures their translation into detailed operational plans. They consider the demands of the market and the offering of competitors as well as service demands and customer outcomes to shape and develop competitive service strategies. This individual advises on the design, development and implementation of service management not only as an organizational capability but also as a strategic asset. They advise on the planning of the service lifecycle from concept to retirement and advise on the business positioning to deal with the costs and risks associated with its services portfolio. This services strategy is developed into the operational plans and actions assigned to specific roles and responsibilities in service management and across the services lifecycle, by the Global Delivery Executive.

The Director, Global Delivery is one of the key drivers of strategy implementation for the Professional Services Leadership. He/she maintains good knowledge of industry trends working with global and local marketing and applies this knowledge to assist with the development of the strategic direction of their team, to set annual growth targets and manage the internal organizational impacts on the team in terms of resourcing, financing and up skilling.

 

Business Development

The Director, Global Delivery demonstrates outstanding client engagement skills and can support his/her consulting and professional services teams in complex engagements by generating demand by acting as trusted advisor.

They lead their team by example, and continuously drive for client satisfaction by ensuring that their services and/or consulting teams display the appropriate level of client engagement. This Director is required to take a leadership role in structuring and planning client engagements by understanding the client’s business needs and technology strategy. He or she maintains relationships with selected clients by acting as trusted advisor.

Ability to build relationships, gain credibility, and win/close new deals

Develop service management policies

 

These individuals ensure that the global delivery and services strategy provides guidance on the principles underpinning the practice of delivery management to aid the development of service management policies, guidelines and processes across the delivery lifecycle. The Director, Global Delivery collaborates with senior business leaders to assist with the formulation of operational policies that will guide delivery management within Sphere.

Managed service portfolio

The Director, Global Delivery ensures the maintenance of a well-documented service portfolio which contains a detailed view of past and ongoing contractual obligations and ensures that third party services are noted. They ensure that the service portfolio is accurately maintained in terms of:

• Service catalog – the services that are currently offered
• Service pipeline – future services that are currently in development
• Retired services – past services that were rendered by the company

They ensure the management of the service portfolio and the service catalog by validating and approving changes and maintaining updates as approved by business leaders.

Service management review

The Director, Global Delivery takes responsibility for determining the status of services in each step of the services lifecycle by collaborating with a variety of internal stakeholders. They advise on the establishment of internal controls to ensure management validation checks that ensure that services goals are being achieved and that business value is being realized throughout the services lifecycle. They measure the actual progress achieved against the initial criteria that was established in the planning phase.

Financial Management

They ensure that the business units meet its profitability targets, maximizing revenue per billable resource within agreed cost constraints and without compromising the integrity and standards of the company. The VP participates in the setting of the business unit budget and provides assistance on bids for major contracts with both customers and subcontractors. They establish and control revenue and expense budgets for the project(s). They are required to successfully manage and monitor business metrics such as achievement of gross profit and revenue targets, cost management, forecasting accuracy and appropriate headcount ratios.

People management

They act as a people manager by partnering within the organization to attract the right professional services leadership and talent to ensure their team is staffed according to requirements and all team members are fully utilized. They ensure that employees reporting into them are engaged and understand their career opportunities, by taking responsibility for the development and training of their team members. The VP, Global Delivery ensures that his or her team is rewarded and remunerated according to their performance.

 

Behavioral skills

This Leader contributes to the successful growth of Sphere by contributing to strategy in the relevant forums, advising colleagues of client and industry trends. They also continuously contribute to the improvement of internal effectiveness by contributing to improving current methodologies, processes and tools. The VP, Global Delivery is meticulous with excellent solution architecture and project management ability. They have excellent strategic thinking capability and good analytical skills. They are a service oriented individual who is able to create client value while maintaining profitable business results. They have a deep understanding of business processes and strategic objectives and can translate these into services that create a competitive edge for Sphere in the positioning of their services. They possess excellent verbal and written communication skills and employ these skills to interact with a variety of stakeholders. This individual is a charismatic leader that inspires.

 

In this position you will need to:

• Shape and develop competitive service strategies and translate it into a global and coordinated services strategy and detailed operational plan with the aim of and growing the professional services practice regionally or divisionally into a profitable and sustainable business.
• Structure and plan complex client engagements and generate demand through acting as trusted advisor.
• Provide guidance on and formulate service management policies, guidelines and processes in collaboration with senior business leaders.
• Manage and maintain the service portfolio and the service catalogue.
• Advise on the establishment of internal controls to ensure that services goals are being achieved by measuring the actual progress achieved against the initial criteria.
• Ensure that the business units meet its profitability targets and manage and monitor business metrics.
• Effectively manage a team, their resource allocations, assignments, capacity and overall performance.

 

Experience

• Proven experience in formulating and executing strategy and operational plans
• Demonstrated success of business development, pipeline management, and success in influencing additional pull-through
• Experience in establishing and controlling revenue and expense budgets and managing business metrics
• Experience in managing a team and applying human resources principles
• Experience in IT and Technology projects and programs
• Experience and passion for Emerging Technologies and Digital Innovations

 

Personal Attributes and Skills Required

• Have an in-depth understanding of contemporary technology solutions and of service trends
• Business acumen and proven technology expertise and deep understanding of technology echo system and emerging technologies
• Display excellent strategic thinking capability and good analytical skills
• Have an in-depth understanding of business processes and strategic objectives
• Knowledgeable of design, development and implementation of delivery management
• Possess excellent verbal and written communication skills and employ these skills to interact with a variety of stakeholders
• Knowledgeable of industry trends working with global and local marketing
• Excellent communication skills, particularly the ability to influence and negotiate through face to face communication with individuals and audiences
• Excellent interpersonal skills, communication and organizational skills
• Excellent project management ability
• Service oriented individuals with the ability to create client value whilst maintaining profitable business results
• Possess charismatic leadership ability
• Demonstrate the ability to manage and resolve complex / difficult / sensitive situations