Head of Technology

About the role

Safal Group is looking for a Head of Technology for a full-time, on-site management position in Nairobi. The role leads the group's technology and digital agenda to improve manufacturing performance, business efficiency, resilience and growth. It owns enterprise technology strategy, digital transformation, cybersecurity, data and analytics, enterprise applications, infrastructure and the integration of IT and operational technology across manufacturing sites. Technology operates as a cost centre, so the role is accountable for the cost, performance and return of the group's technology investment.

Key responsibilities

• Own the group's technology opex and capex budgets and total cost of technology; co-sign business cases for material investments with business leaders.
• Develop and execute the technology roadmap, set architecture, standards, policies and investment priorities, and anchor every investment to a quantified business case.
• Lead automation, smart factory and Industry 4.0 initiatives to improve OEE, yield, uptime, energy efficiency and conversion cost per unit.
• Own and optimise ERP, MES, CRM, HRIS and supply chain platforms, simplifying the application landscape and strengthening integration.
• Establish data governance and a single source of truth, and deliver dashboards, analytics and practical AI use cases.
• Protect information and operational technology assets, overseeing cyber risk, privacy, business continuity, disaster recovery and security awareness.
• Ensure secure, reliable networks, cloud and workplace technology across locations, and drive down unit cost of service.
• Allocate capital to the highest-return programmes using stage-gate governance (NPV, IRR, payback), run post-investment reviews and renegotiate vendor contracts.
• Build a capable technology team and strengthen digital capability across the business.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in information technology, computer science, engineering or a related field; postgraduate qualifications are advantageous.
• Progressive technology experience, including senior leadership in a manufacturing or multi-site, asset-intensive environment.
• Experience managing a significant cost base and delivering measurable outcomes alongside operating leaders; exposure to P&L accountability is advantageous.
• Proven delivery of enterprise systems, digital transformation, cybersecurity and technology modernisation with quantified financial results.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams, major vendors, large budgets and organisational change across multiple sites or countries.
• Strong commercial and financial literacy, including business case development, NPV/IRR, total cost of ownership and benefits tracking.