General IT Operations & Project Delivery Leader
Resume:
Jonathan Niekerk
Email: ********.*******@*****.*** Mobile: +27-82-044-****
Personal Summary
General IT Operations and Project Delivery Manager with 15+ years’ experience leading large-scale IT and software development operations across regulated industries in the financial services and early career in the retail industries. Proven track record in strategy execution, portfolio delivery, stakeholder management, and financial oversight. Skilled in aligning operational efficiency with business objectives, driving productivity improvements, and embedding compliance frameworks. Known for exceptional leadership, building engaged teams, and delivering customer-focused outcomes across diverse environments.
Core Competencies
• Strategic Operations Leadership – Driving OKRs, operational efficiency, and cross-departmental collaboration.
• Consumer Solutions Operations – 10+ years managing IT operations, customer delivery, and service excellence.
• Software Development Oversight – Strong SDLC knowledge including sprint/release planning, velocity tracking, and Agile/Waterfall delivery.
• Financial Management – Budget ownership, cost control, vendor management, and margin awareness.
• Customer Delivery & SLA Governance – Ensuring client satisfaction, escalation handling, and measurable service standards.
• Compliance & Risk Management – Embedding IT security, regulatory adherence, and governance frameworks.
• People Leadership – Coaching, succession planning, performance management, and staff engagement.
• Continuous Improvement – Driving automation, optimisation, and operational maturity.
Professional Experience
Glacier by Sanlam - Business Project Delivery Consultant Feb 2025 – current (short term contractor)
Deliver business initiatives within regulated financial services, ensuring governance, compliance, and risk controls.
Lead end-to-end project delivery including planning, execution, transition, and operational handover.
Facilitate governance forums for decision-making, risk escalation, and executive visibility.
Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure operational readiness and service continuity.
North Star Network – Project Delivery Manager (May 2025 – Sep 2025) – Independent Freelance Contractor
Managed multiple delivery streams across business and technology projects.
Established governance and reporting mechanisms to track progress, risks, and dependencies.
Applied Agile principles while maintaining formal project controls.
Built strong stakeholder relationships to ensure alignment and trust.
Livescore Group – Software Delivery Manager (Aug 2023 – Dec 2024) – Retrenched
Accountable for concurrent technology projects across platform and operational systems.
Oversaw sprint/release planning, velocity tracking, and stakeholder reporting.
Coordinated engineering, product, and vendor teams to deliver business-critical outcomes.
Mentored delivery leads, embedding accountability and continuous improvement.
Ecentric Payment Solutions – Senior IT Delivery Manager (Jun 2020 – Jul 2023)
Directed delivery of complex financial services and payments projects.
Owned operational budgets, vendor performance, and capacity planning.
Ensured compliance with regulatory, security, and architectural standards.
Embedded project governance including risk management, change control, and reporting.
Ensured solutions met business, regulatory, security, and architectural standards prior to implementation.
Managed vendor performance, delivery dependencies, and capacity planning across the portfolio.
Sanlam – IT Technical Transition Consultant (Sep 2019 – May 2020) – Contract
Supported enterprise technology transitions, embedding governance and compliance.
Ensured operational readiness and risk mitigation during system changes.
Oxford University Press Southern Africa – IT Business Partner (2018 – Jul 2019) – Contract
Managed regional technology initiatives aligning with global ICT strategies.
Managed outsourced IT operations across multiple African regions.
Oversaw budgets, vendor contracts, and SLA compliance.
Directed large-scale end-user computing rollouts, ensuring operational handover.
Old Mutual South Africa – IT Manager (2011 – 2017)
Led divisional IT service delivery, managing senior and middle management teams.
Oversaw incident/change management, vendor relationships, and operational budgets.
Introduced IT governance standards, escalation protocols, and service improvement practices.
Produced structured reporting for senior leadership, highlighting risks and KPIs.
JP Morgan South Africa – IT Service Manager (2010 – 2011) - contract
Defined and implemented ITIL-based service management processes.
Chaired Change Advisory Boards and produced SLA performance reports.
T Systems South Africa – Senior IT Change and Release Manager (2006 – 2010)
Managed ITIL Change, Release, and Configuration Management processes.
Ensured governance, risk assessment, and continuous service improvement.
Woolworths – IT Operations Team Leader (1991 – 2006)
Supervised 24/7 retail IT operations, ensuring uptime and customer delivery.
Led a team of 32 staff and 3 contractors, embedding coaching and performance management.
Collaborated with vendors to deliver robust operational solutions.
Education & Certifications
• Associate in Management – University of Cape Town, 2005
• Governance Ethics and Risks – Rand Afrikaans University, 2012
• ITIL Version III – Foster Melliar, 2009
• Leadership Development Program – Harvard Management Mentor, 2014
• Exceptional Leadership: Leading at a Higher Level – Udemy, 2023
• Advanced Agile Project Management – Udemy, 2023
• SAP PM & Project Management – Udemy, 2021
• Professional Diploma in Program Management – Udemy, 2025
• Executive Diploma in Operations Management – Udemy, 2025
• Project and Portfolio Management for Digital Transformation – Skillsoft (2026)
• Leveraging Agile Enablers for Change Mngt. and Digital Transformation – Skillsoft (2026)
• Program Management Professional (PgMP): Program Resource & Dependency Mngt. – Skillsoft (2026)
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