Group IT Manager

We are a Bursa-listed group operating multiple business units across Malaysia (currently 5 and growing), supporting more than 300 users. As the group expands, we are looking for a practical and accountable Group IT Manager to strengthen group-wide IT stability, governance, team structure and digital capabilities.

This is a hands-on leadership role reporting directly to the Director. You will not be expected to handle day-to-day technical support personally; however, you must be technically credible enough to lead system administrators, evaluate infrastructure decisions and hold external vendors accountable. The immediate priority is stable, reliable and well-monitored IT operations. Over time, the role will grow into driving practical digitalisation, automation, reporting and AI-enabled improvements.

Reporting & Team

·     Reports directly to the Director.

·     Leads the IT team, currently made up of 5 system administrators and expected to expand as the group grows.

·     Has the mandate, with management support, to review and redesign the IT team structure — including the right mix of operations, support, security and project roles.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Operational Stability & Monitoring (Core Priority)

• Ensure reliable and uninterrupted IT services across all business units and locations.
• Establish proactive monitoring for critical systems, including servers, network, firewall and ERP platforms, so that incidents are detected early before they escalate into major business disruptions.
• Define and enforce SLAs, escalation procedures and incident response processes.
• Maintain a culture of transparency where issues are escalated early, clearly and responsibly.
• Analyse recurring incidents and service trends to prevent repeat issues and improve overall reliability.

2. Infrastructure & Systems

• Manage a mixed infrastructure environment spanning on-premise, data-centre and cloud-based systems across multiple business units.
• Oversee a diverse systems landscape, including ERP and accounting platforms, manufacturing / production systems, RFID, helpdesk and HR systems, Linux / WHM servers and enterprise-grade firewall environments, many of which are supported by external vendors.
• Lead infrastructure planning, including patching, backups, lifecycle / end-of-life management, upgrades and migration projects.
• Maintain clear system ownership, documentation, support contacts and operational standards for all critical systems.

3. Security, Governance & Continuity

• Implement and maintain cybersecurity controls to protect the group’s data, infrastructure and business-critical systems.
• Develop, update and enforce IT policies, procedures, security protocols and disaster recovery / business continuity plans.
• Ensure compliance with internal controls, audit requirements and access governance expectations.
• Review backup, recovery, access-control and incident-response readiness on a regular basis.

4. Team Leadership & Vendor Management

• Lead, mentor and grow the IT team, including recruiting to fill structural or capability gaps where required.
• Define clear roles, responsibilities, coverage expectations and performance standards within the IT team.
• Manage IT budgets, software licensing, procurement and vendor performance, balancing cost control with reliability and business continuity.
• Hold external vendors accountable through clear ownership, escalation paths, service expectations and support agreements.

5. Projects & Digitalisation (Growth Direction)

• Plan and deliver IT projects from scope definition to completion, ensuring alignment with business needs, budget and timeline.
• Improve management visibility through better reporting, system integration and practical use of data / BI tools.
• Identify and drive practical opportunities to apply automation, workflow tools and AI-enabled solutions to improve operational efficiency.
• Work closely with business heads and key users to prioritise technology improvements that create measurable business value.

First 90 Days Priorities

·     Review the current IT infrastructure, systems, vendors, support model and team structure.

·     Identify key operational risks, system vulnerabilities, recurring incidents and support gaps.

·     Establish or strengthen system ownership, escalation paths, monitoring coverage and documentation for critical systems.

·     Propose a practical improvement roadmap covering stability, cybersecurity, governance, team structure and digitalisation opportunities.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science or equivalent.
• Minimum 8 years of IT experience, with proven experience managing an IT team and multi-site IT operations.
• Strong track record in keeping IT operations stable, well-monitored and properly governed.
• Solid working knowledge of enterprise infrastructure, including Linux servers, networks, firewalls, backups and ERP environments.
• Strong incident-management mindset, with the ability to respond calmly, communicate clearly and prevent repeat issues.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple external vendors effectively.
• Strong sense of accountability, transparency and ownership — raises issues early, keeps stakeholders informed and follows through until resolution.
• Good command of written and spoken English and Chinese.

Advantageous

*Experience supporting manufacturing / production-floor systems, such as CAD, cutting, RFID, colour / dispensing or production automation systems.

*Experience with ERP platforms such as Infor M3 or comparable enterprise systems.

*Experience with WHM / cPanel server environments.

*Familiarity with SQL Server, Power BI and reporting / BI tools.

*Interest or practical experience in applying automation, AI tools or workflow improvements to business operations.

Who Will Succeed in This Role

• A practical IT leader who enjoys building structure, not just solving tickets.
• Someone who can communicate with both management and technical teams in a clear, direct and accountable manner.
• Someone who stays calm during incidents, but is proactive enough to reduce the chance of incidents happening again.
• Someone who can balance reliability, cost control, vendor performance, cybersecurity and long-term improvement.
• Someone who is curious about business operations and can use technology to improve efficiency, visibility and decision-making.