POSITION SNAPSHOT
Job title: Head of Digital and IT - Europe
Location: Manchester
Contract type: Permanent
WHO ARE WE
PZ Cussons is an international consumer goods business, headquartered in Manchester, UK. We employ just under 2500 people across our operations in Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific and Africa. Since our founding in 1884, we have been creating products to delight, care for and nourish consumers. Across our core categories of Hygiene, Baby and Beauty, our trusted and well-loved brands include Carex, Childs Farm, Cussons Baby, Imperial Leather, Morning Fresh, Original Source, Premier, Sanctuary Spa and St. Tropez.
Sustainability and the wellbeing of our employees and communities everywhere are at the heart of our business model and strategy and captured by our purpose: For Everyone, For Life, For Good.
If you want to join a business in transformation with exciting growth plans and the opportunity to work flexibly and finish at 1pm every Friday, apply to work for us today.
The Role:
This role is responsible for the delivery of the Digital & IT Agenda. Including but not limited to the technology underpinning how we engage with customers and consumers, how we use insights and AI to ensure our brands are best represented online and how we use modern applications to optimise our digital marketing and content creation.
Key Highlights:
Own and deliver the UK digital and IT agenda across digital shelf, digital marketing, digital content, data & analytics, and selective D2C, ensuring strong cross-functional alignment and measurable business impact
Enable Data-Driven Decision Making - Advance the UK in-market data, analytics and AI agenda, in partnership with global analytics teams, to improve decision quality, commercial performance, and operational effectiveness
Ensure Fit-for-Purpose Applications & Workplace Technology - Ensure the UK has reliable, secure and modern applications and workplace technology that enable productivity, collaboration and seamless day-to-day operations
Lead Change, Prioritisation & Delivery - Support the regional application roadmap by prioritising demand, managing delivery, and championing adoption and change. Ensure strategic change is understood and managed from a UK technology perspective especially across the ERP landscape
Own UK Technology Financial & Risk Accountability - Hold accountability for the UK technology budget, vendor value, and local cyber risk posture (including OT), balancing cost, risk and value
Act as a Key Contributor to Global IT Transformation - Partner with global IT and regional peers to manage global platforms, share best practice, introduce new ways of working (including AI), and contribute to wider transformation outcomes
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic IT & Digital Leadership
Develop and execute the UK IT & Digital strategy (including data, analytics and AI) aligned to PZ Cussons business objectives
Provide leadership across digital shelf, digital marketing, digital content and D2C, leveraging AI and emerging technologies to drive growth and efficiency
Act as a senior technology partner to UK leadership, translating business priorities into executable technology roadmaps
Data, Analytics & AI Enablement
Evolve in-market data and analytics capabilities to support faster, better decision-making across commercial, marketing, supply and finance functions
Work with global analytics teams to align UK needs with global platforms, standards and tooling
Champion practical AI adoption that delivers measurable productivity, insight and value
Application Delivery & Service Management
Lead the implementation and lifecycle management of UK applications supporting core business processes (e.g. marketing, commercial, finance)
Own UK demand prioritisation, ensuring alignment to business outcomes and capacity constraints
Workplace Technology & User Experience
Oversee site technology support, meeting room solutions and end-user computing (laptops, devices) to ensure a consistent, high-quality employee experience
Manage and develop a small team of IT leaders responsible for workplace technology and user support
Information Security & Technology Risk
Work with global security teams to enforce information security policies and controls across the UK
Support the UK supply chain by addressing cyber security across the OT landscape, in partnership with global and operational teams
Financial & Vendor Management
Own and manage the UK technology budget
Manage relationships with external vendors, ensuring effective service delivery and performance
Negotiate UK-specific contracts and agreements
Global Collaboration & Continuous Improvement
Partner with global IT teams to implement and operate secure, resilient global platforms (ERP, networks and key enterprise applications)
Collaborate with regional IT leaders in Africa and Indonesia to share best practice and build a connected IT community
Equal Opportunities:
At PZ Cussons, we value diversity and make sure everyone feels included. We want our team to reflect society and our global customers. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and your unique perspective helps us develop brands and create new products for our consumers.
Please note that we are not able to offer visa sponsorship or assist with relocation support for this role. Applicants must have the right to work in the country where this role is located before applying.
If you need extra support during this process, please inform us so that we can accommodate your needs appropriately. It is important to us that all candidates feel recognised and have a good experience with PZ Cussons as part of our commitment to inclusivity.
#LI-Hybrid
#LI-CE1
Dare to be bold, Discover what’s possible, and Do the incredible.
Skills Required
- Right to work in the country; employer cannot offer visa sponsorship
- Proven experience developing and executing IT and digital strategy
- Experience leading data, analytics and AI initiatives to drive business outcomes
- Experience managing ERP platforms, enterprise applications and global platform collaboration
- Experience with information security and cyber risk management, including OT security
- Experience managing technology budgets, vendor relationships and UK-specific contracts
- Experience leading and developing small IT teams responsible for workplace technology and user support
What We Do
Want to be part of the success story of some of the world’s leading household brands? Join us and you could be helping to enhance the lives of consumers around the world with extraordinary products. Talent, imagination and drive will take you places at PZ Cussons. Join our global family to see what’s possible. We believe work should be fulfilling and talent should be recognised, so if you have positive attitude, aptitude and ambition, there’s no end to the opportunities available. You’ll work on the best brands, in interesting markets and with great people who truly excel in their field. We have teams based in London, Manchester and Salford in the UK, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia and New York! Our brands include Carex, Charles Worthington, Cussons Baby, Fudge haircare range, Imperial Leather, Original Source, Rafferty’s Garden, Sanctuary Spa, St. Tropez, and many more… and you could be part of it…
