Director (m/f/d) - Business Technology

Director (m/f/d) - Business Technology

Alvarez & Marsal

Munich, Frankfurt am Main, Düsseldorf or Hamburg

A&M’s professionals work on some of the world’s most high-profile cases in a rapidly transforming landscape, striving for game-changing solutions that provide impactful long-term change. Our international team is comprised of seasoned executives from diverse backgrounds, functional experts & highly skilled consultants.

Purpose of the Director Business Technology (BT) role

This role sits within the EMEA Digital Technology Services (DTS) practice at Alvarez and Marsal.

Our BT Performance Improvement team works with clients across Europe to:

• Carry out effective technology and E-Commerce due diligence pre-transaction, and provide necessary post transaction services (Post Merger Integration, Carve Out, 100-day planning);
• Lead enterprise-wide systems & online programmes in order to deliver performance improvement via business transformation and/or cost reduction programmes;
• Realign the performance of the technology / IT function through operational restructuring to directly improve the earnings and cashflow within the business;
• Design and implement Digital Transformation initiatives in Data Science & Analytics, Digital Workforce & Artificial Intelligence and Digitization.
• Take interim management positions for example (and depending on experience) CIO, CTO, IT Director, Program Manager, Head of E-Commerce initiatives etc.

We are looking to hire someone who has a successful track record within the consulting market, an entrepreneurial approach and networks across the Technology community. The role will involve delivering (and selling) initial rapid diagnostic into a company's immediate and future major issues. This will include our market-leading IT Due Diligence (ITDD) product, focusing on profitability, cost base, processes and all other options for performance improvement.

Building on the success of the A&M brand and supported by the European Performance Improvement team, you will help build the profile and reputation of the DTS team across the European market. The successful candidate will bring first leadership experience from operational or/and advisory roles.

The preferred Director candidate will play a lead role in both developing and executing a specific strategy focused on target clients and distinctive go-to-market propositions, identifying targeted solutions which are ahead of the market curve. This is a great opportunity for an individual to use their market network and industry experience to become involved and be an integral part of a ‘hands on’ high performance team.

As a valued member of the team, you will work on a variety of pan-European assignments, leveraging your industry knowledge and experience supporting clients across a broad range of mission critical situations. The Director will work closely with Senior Directors / Managing Directors, taking on mentoring and coaching roles for more junior staff members, aligned with the DTS practice broader staff development strategy.

Responsibilities

The Director role will bring market leading strategic insight into the power and role of IT in private equity owned and corporate businesses, offering deep functional knowledge and insight, a blend of operational and commercial skills and an entrepreneurial approach.

The successful appointee will have responsibility for continuing to build the profile and reputation of A&M as a strategic IT advisory and programme delivery partner to leading businesses. Furthermore, the successful candidate will develop and execute a specific strategy focused on target clients and distinctive go-to-market propositions.

Specifically, the Director will be tasked to:

• Building a robust yet flexible plan to generate both deal flow and develop a sustainable business, externally and internally. The successful appointee will be an experienced in delivering consulting assignments;
• Participating in business development activity including developing successful pitches and help converting initial diagnostic projects into implementation work;
• Support to grow our practice through strengthening our Business Technology business, broadening out our routes to market, developing and leveraging relationships and collaborating with our European partnership group;
• Conduct initial rapid diagnostics & DD’s looking into a company's immediate and future major Technology issues, digital propositions, product profitability, cost base, processes and overall options for performance improvement;
• Delivering ITDDs, 100-day planning, post-merger integration and performance improvement mandates;
• Advising and implementing performance improvement programs for major corporations across a wide range of industry sectors;
• Evaluating both cost reduction and revenue enhancement opportunities;
• Leading the post-acquisition work to ensure that the ITDD and ODD was realized in full and in the shortest possible time.

Requirements

The successful candidate will be an experienced consultant with excellent financial skills, a Technology/Platform background & a track record of executional success.

Essential:

• Must have significant experience in the diagnostics & delivery of and performance improvement mandates from either a) a Top Tier strategy consultancy, b) Big 4 advisory firm or c) boutique advisory practice;
• A recent track record of delivering major IT due diligence (ideally in a client-site focused delivery model) assignments at pre and post deal;
• An appreciation of the challenges that businesses face within the deal environment including leading IT integrations and separations, identifying IT synergies, outsourcing opportunities and costs;
• Ideal additional corporate experience (program management or transformation roles);
• Strong business technologist exposure – experience in preparing & presenting key technology material including separation playbook, Day 1 technology models & cut-over plans, post- merger integrations (PMI) and 100 day planning;
• An understanding of digital technology including, analysis and data mapping skills of IT cost trends, IT product and support systems and vendor / supplier relationships;
• Clear ability to deliver the latest thinking and work within multi-disciplinary teams delivering projects using a variety of methodologies;
• A consulting toolkit including how to frame a business issue, judiciously find and use internal and external data to test hypotheses and draw conclusions;
• Proven ability to work in international teams and create measurable and identifiable improvements in Technology & IT;
• Have a professional demeanor with requisite gravitas including having had exposure to client facing activities and be able to deal with top executives in complex and high-pressured situations;
• Ability to interpret client requirements and present it in a clear and meaningful way, including how this could impact strategy, revenue streams or wider business issues;
• Strong ability to conceptualize, summarize, and provide key messages to clients and/or senior levels and consultant teams alike;
• Business fluency in both German and English language skills are must haves;
• Additional European languages are also highly desirable.

Department

A&M DTS revolves around six core areas of expertise; Digital Strategy, Digital Customer Experience, Data & Intelligence, Cyber Security, Smart Products & Assets and Business Technology (BT).

We are full service Digital offering spanning Strategy, Customer Experience, Technology and Data. Our positioning is at the intersection of strategy and execution (not slides and then gone, nor fingers on keyboards coding & testing or detailed customer journey designing), architecting the destination, orchestrating the delivery and navigating the change & transformation journey.