Head of IT Operations

Head of IT Operations

The Head of IT will lead Isio's IT Operations technical teams (Infrastructure, ServiceDesk and Admin Systems Support) and their managers at an ever-growing technology focused business. These teams support a business-critical estate running exclusively on Microsoft technologies including Microsoft 365 and Azure hosting and audited and certified to ISO 27001 standards. This role will report into the Chief Technology Officer and requires a close working relationship with internal teams including Information Security, Development and Project delivery, and external suppliers for additional services or technical resources.

This role can be based in either our Belfast or Birmingham city centre office with a hybrid workstyle.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the four IT Operations teams
• Team/Line management for the four managers and their staff, including performance reviews, coaching and objectives setting.
• Ensure end to end performance and availability of a fully Azure-hosted environment
• Contribute to architectural designs and best practices for new or existing IT systems
• Provide technical guidance and oversight for the four IT Operations teams and the wider business
• Project delivery for a range of projects, either delivered solely within the teams or in support of wider business objectives
• Supplier Management and Cost Management for cloud hosting and third-party IT services
• Implement process management best practices within the IT Operations teams, including the roll out of Jira and Confluence across the wider IT department
• Delivery of Cyber Security improvements and operational activities, following industry standards and best practices
• Maintain ISO 27001 certification including delivery of day-to-day activities and providing support during audits
• Oversee a culture of continuous improvement, identifying and implementing improvements to enhance service levels and improve internal & external user experiences
• Collaborate with development & information security teams to implement and maintain stable, secure and performant IT systems
• Identify and agree clear areas of responsibility and segregation of duties between the IT Operations Teams and wider technology department, with the Head of Development to build an effective production deployment process
• Ensure a successful integration of IT systems and services for businesses acquired by Isio
• Identify opportunities and implement solutions to automate manual or repetitive activities including the introduction of Infrastructure as Code for deploy and build tasks
• Participate in Isio's CAB to ensure effective governance of changes being deployed to production systems.
• Manage a subset of Isio's Information Assets ensuring that appropriate levels of access, resilience and business continuity are maintained.

Experience/Competencies:

Essential:

• Strong experience developing and leading technical teams in mid-size or larger IT driven businesses
• Strong experience with public cloud platforms (Azure preferred), including cloud native components such as Entra ID, App Services, Storage, Backups, Conditional Access, Front Door, Load Balancers.
• Strong experience implementing & managing Microsoft 365 productivity solutions
• Design and implementation of Information & Cyber Security controls
• Use of standard security solutions and tooling including mail flow, endpoint security, web application firewalls & SIEM
• Experience of Jira & Confluence for agile work management & documentation
• Experience managing penetration tests and subsequent remediation
• Technical background in infrastructure technologies, including Microsoft Server, Active Directory/Entra ID, DNS, DHCP
• Great communication and problem-solving skills with the ability to work under pressure.
• Ability to communicate with stakeholders effectively that have varying levels of technical knowledge.
• Experience in managing a range of suppliers.
• Management of key stakeholders at all levels in a typical corporate environment.

Desirable:

• Experience working within or implementing industry standard security and compliance standards, e.g. ISO 27001, SOC2, Cyber Essentials Plus
• Experience working with outsourced providers for engineering & technical resources as well as systems/services.
• Experience working in a regulated industry, e.g. telecoms, financial services, utilities.
• Experience working with internal software development teams
• Experience automating repetitive or complex manual activities to improve efficiency
• Experience implementing system monitoring tools, e.g. SolarWinds, New Relic, Datadog etc
• Microsoft Certifications in relevant fields, e.g. Microsoft MCSE/A
• Networking Certifications, e.g. Cisco CCNA/P or equivalent
• Experience of acquisitions and integration/standardisation of IT systems
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

What we offer you

Isio is a people business, and we're committed to helping our great colleagues gain a wide variety of experience, significant development opportunities and progression through the business. The variety of work that'll be available to you will enable you to do this.

You can find out more about Isio and the benefits we offer on our careers website

We have offices across the UK and many of our roles offer a hybrid, flexible approach to work to help create a work-life balance that works for you. Isio Group is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

If you think you may require a reasonable adjustment to be made for any reason at any stage of your recruitment process, please ask us.