Role Overview The Head of Production Services for Equity IT is responsible for the stability, availability, and operational excellence of front-office equity trading and post-trade platforms. This role leads the Japan production support function, ensuring mission-critical systems operate with high resilience while meeting global control standards and local regulatory expectations. The position partners closely with Equity Trading, Sales, Risk, Operations, and global technology teams to deliver a best-in-class production environment in a high-pressure, low-latency trading context. Key Responsibilities
Own production stability and service availability for Equity Front Office, including trading, order management, market data, and downstream systems
Lead incident, problem, and change management processes, ensuring rapid resolution, clear communication, and root-cause remediation
Act as the senior technology escalation point during major incidents, including interaction with trading desks and senior management
Partner with global Production Services and Development teams to ensure follow-the-sun support and consistent operating standards
Drive operational excellence through automation, monitoring, and continuous improvement initiatives
Ensure systems meet regulatory, audit, and risk requirements (FSA, J-SOX, internal controls, operational resilience)
Manage third-party vendors and outsourced support providers, enforcing SLAs and accountability
Participate in release management, deployment planning, and production readiness reviews
Provide transparent reporting on system health, incidents, and service KPIs to senior stakeholders
Lead, mentor, and develop local Production Services and Support teams
Required Experience & Skills
12+ years of IT experience within investment banking or capital markets, with significant exposure to Equity trading systems
Strong understanding of Front Office Equity workflows (cash equities, derivatives, order lifecycle, market connectivity)
Proven experience leading Production Services, Application Support, or Site Reliability functions in low-latency environments
Hands-on knowledge of ITIL processes (Incident, Problem, Change, Release Management)
Experience operating in a global, follow-the-sun support model
Strong stakeholder management skills with Front Office and senior technology leadership