About the role

Head of IT

Location: New Delhi, India

Reports to: COO

Leadership responsibility: Leads a team of 4/5 IT professionals in the IT function located in New Delhi and Europe.

The Head of IT leads ASE's IT function across its New Delhi office and European locations, with full ownership of IT strategy, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. The role has a particular focus on value-add technology deployment - specifically AI tools and application integration - to drive operational efficiency across the business.

As a small, high-performing company, ASE expects its senior leaders to be personally active in their areas. The Head of IT is expected to both lead and do — setting direction while being willing to step in and contribute directly where the team or business requires it. This is consistent with ASE's broader leadership culture.

The role manages a distributed team of IT professionals covering systems & infrastructure, cybersecurity, and AI & digital tools, and works closely with all business functions to ensure IT is a strong enabler of business performance.

Job Responsibilities:

Leadership & Strategy
- Develop and maintain ASE's IT strategy and multi-year technology roadmap, aligned to business objectives and growth plans.
- Lead, develop, and performance-manage a geographically distributed IT team across India and Europe, supporting team members of varying experience levels.
- Own the IT budget, including vendor contracts, licensing, and capital expenditure decisions.
- Act as the senior IT stakeholder for internal business functions and external technology partners.
- Report on IT performance, risks, cybersecurity posture, and strategic initiatives to senior leadership.
- Define and maintain ASE's overall IT architecture, ensuring coherence across systems, infrastructure, and applications.
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and cross-functional collaboration within the IT team.
IT Systems & Infrastructure
- User Support
  - Oversee day-to-day helpdesk operations, ticket management, and desktop support.
  - Manage device setup, on/offboarding processes, and IT asset lifecycle (laptops, mobile devices, peripherals).
  - Define and maintain user-facing IT policies (VPN, mobile device usage, AI tool use, remote working, etc.).
- M365 Environment
  - License and user management, guest account management, and on/offboarding administration.
  - Data storage governance (SharePoint usage, external access management).
  - Data governance in line with GDPR, ISO 27001, and NIS2 requirements — including data categorization and loss prevention.
  - Data backup management: monitoring, testing, and reporting.
- Azure Environment
  - Cloud administration including access management, server/VM management, and conditional access.
  - Database management and VPN management.
- Networking
  - Network architecture, administration, and ongoing management.
  - Firewall management, data and file transfer protocols (SFTP, SSH, VPN), and WiFi management.
Operational Technology (OT)
- Oversee the security, integrity, and performance of ASE's Operational Technology environment across solar and BESS assets, including:
Cybersecurity
- Provide leadership and oversight of ASE's cybersecurity posture across IT and OT environments. Day-to-day cybersecurity operations are managed by a dedicated cybersecurity team member. Provide strategic direction and escalation oversight.
Application Management / AI Deployment
- Lead the identification, evaluation, and deployment of AI tools across ASE business functions, working with the COO/senior leadership and function owners to prioritize use cases.
- Own application integration and management across the core technology stack:
- Drive automation initiatives to improve operational efficiency.
- Ensure AI tools are deployed in a controlled, governed environment in line with applicable regulatory requirements.
- AI license management, coordination, and benefit measurement / reporting.
- SaaS administration and vendor management across the technology portfolio.

This is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities for this role.

Minimum Requirements:

Qualifications & Experience

Degree in a relevant IT field.
Minimum 12 years in IT, with at least 4 years in a leadership role.
Renewable energy industry background, particularly solar and BESS.

Technical Experience

IT leadership in an international environment, particularly across European and Indian teams.
Microsoft 365 and Azure environment management.
Cybersecurity — strategic oversight level; working knowledge of IT and OT security frameworks.
Operational Technology and SCADA systems in an operating renewable energy environment (solar/BESS).
AI tool deployment and automation — hands-on experience implementing and rolling out AI and advanced digital tools.
Application integration across SaaS platforms (NetSuite, Kyriba, SharePoint, Smartsheet, DocuSign, CRM).
Scripting ability (e.g. Python) for automation and integration purposes.
Knowledge and experience of ISO 27001 implementation and maintenance.
Knowledge of NIS2 (EU) and relevant European and UK cybersecurity regulatory requirements.

Leadership & Personal Qualities

Demonstrated experience managing, motivating, and developing distributed IT teams.
Strong cross-cultural communication skills; experience working with European counterparts.
Ability to operate both strategically and hands-on — comfortable leading and doing.
Willingness to operate outside standard hours to provide extended time-zone coverage as required.
Fluency in spoken and written English.
Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.
Collaborative, pragmatic approach with a focus on business outcomes.

Nice to Have

German or Dutch language skills.
Experience with NetSuite, Kyriba, or Smartsheet specifically.