Head of Xetra/Eurex Infrastructure Operations (f/m/d) in Frankfurt am Main

Your area of work:

• Xetra/Eurex Infrastructure Operations is responsible for the architecture and operations of the critical, globally distributed IT infrastructure that runs Deutsche Börse's Trading (Xetra, Eurex), Clearing, and Risk systems - both on-premises and in cloud environments.
• As Head of Section, you will lead multiple specialized teams across Eschborn, while closely collaborating with a related team in Chicago, USA.
• You will operate in a highly regulated environment with stringent information security and resilience requirements.
• Your section owns the end-to-end architecture and operations across the following domains:
  • Server Infrastructure - Enterprise server landscape, based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and VMware
  • Storage and Fibre Channel Infrastructure - Enterprise storage platforms (Hitachi, NetApp) and FC SAN infrastructure
  • Container Platforms - Red Hat OpenShift container platforms on-premises and in cloud environments

Your responsibilities:

• Ensure the highest availability, stability, and security of all mission-critical infrastructure services for Trading, Clearing, and Risk platforms - across global data center locations and cloud environments.
• Lead, develop, and inspire geographically distributed infrastructure teams across Eschborn; ensure close alignment and collaboration with the related team in Chicago.
• Act as a trusted point of contact for your team members; drive their professional development, provide guidance and mentoring, and foster an environment of continuous growth.
• Drive architecture decisions and operational excellence across all infrastructure domains.
• Serve as key liaison to Application Owners, IT Product Management, 2nd Line functions, Information Security, and Central IT.
• Drive the strategic infrastructure roadmap including automation, modernization, and cloud adoption while maintaining operational stability.
• Ensure full compliance with regulatory and information security requirements (DORA, KRITIS, ISO 27001, BAIT) and maintain audit readiness.
• Plan and manage annual IT infrastructure hardware, software/licensing, and consulting budgets.
• Lead infrastructure change projects including hardware refreshes, software replacements, and technology evaluations.

Your profile:

• University degree in Computer Science, IT, Engineering, or a related field.
• Extensive experience (10+ years) in IT infrastructure operations with a proven track record of leading multiple, geographically distributed teams in highly regulated, mission-critical environments - ideally in financial markets or critical infrastructure.
• Deep technical expertise across Red Hat Enterprise Linux, enterprise storage including Fibre Channel SAN, and OpenShift/Kubernetes in on-premises and cloud environments (GCP, Azure).
• Strong understanding of regulatory frameworks and information security standards (DORA, KRITIS, ISO 27001, COBIT, ITIL).
• Outstanding interpersonal skills - strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management abilities; proven capacity to motivate diverse, international teams and collaborate across organizational and cultural boundaries.
• Composure and decisiveness under pressure; strategic mindset paired with hands-on accountability.
• Fluent in German and English.

Nice to have:

• Certifications such as ITIL, COBIT, RHCE, Cisco, CKA, or OpenShift are a plus.