Head of IT Delivery

We are really proud to say that in 2024, Outcomes First Group were officially certified as a 'Great Place to Work' for the fifth year running.

You'll work 80% of your contractual hours for 100% of your pay, giving you more time to do the things that make you happy. 4DWW is subject to successful completion of probation and is not a contractual benefit

Job Title: Head of IT Delivery

Location: Bolton (Hybrid)

Salary: £70,000 - £80,000 per annum

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, Mon-Fri, 9-5

Job Type: Permanent

JOB PURPOSE

The Head of IT Delivery is responsible for overseeing the successful delivery of IT projects across the organisation. This role ensures that technology solutions are implemented on time, within budget, and aligned with the organisation's strategic objectives.

The Head of IT Delivery will work closely with cross functional teams, manage project delivery processes, and drive continuous improvements to enhance operational efficiency and service quality.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Lead the delivery of IT projects, ensuring they meet business requirements, timelines, and budget constraints.
• Ensure all IT projects are aligned with the organisation's strategic goals, delivering value to key stakeholders.
• Oversee and manage cross-functional project teams, fostering collaboration, and ensuring clear communication throughout the project lifecycle.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate risks and issues that may impact project delivery, ensuring proactive solutions are implemented.
• Act as the key point of contact for senior stakeholders, providing regular updates on project progress, challenges, and milestones.
• Manage relationships with external vendors and partners, ensuring they meet project delivery standards and SLAs (Service Level Agreements).
• Ensure effective allocation of resources to support project delivery, balancing competing priorities and managing capacity within the team.
• Implement and uphold best practices in project management, ensuring that all deliverables meet agreed quality standards and regulatory requirements.
• Drive process improvements within the IT delivery function, ensuring efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and alignment with industry best practices.
• Manage and monitor project budgets, ensuring financial controls are in place and expenditure is aligned with forecasts.

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS:

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in managing IT cross-functional and infrastructure teams. This includes a proven track record of leading diverse teams across various IT disciplines such as network administration, systems engineering, and cybersecurity.

The candidate should demonstrate strong leadership skills, with the ability to coordinate and integrate efforts across different departments to achieve strategic objectives.

Experience in overseeing large-scale IT projects, ensuring seamless collaboration between development, operations, and support teams, is essential. Additionally, the candidate should possess excellent communication and problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate complex technical challenges and drive continuous improvement in IT infrastructure and service delivery.

Essential Qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Project Management, or a related field.

Certifications:

• Relevant project management certification (e.g., PRINCE2, PMP, Agile Certified Practitioner).

Technical Skills:

• Strong understanding of project management methodologies and tools (e.g., MS Project, Jira, Trello).
• Familiarity with IT infrastructure and software development processes.

Desirable Qualifications:

Certifications:

• Additional certifications in Agile methodologies (e.g., Scrum Master) or ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library).

Experience:

• Experience in the education sector or a similar industry, particularly within organisations focused on social care or special education.
• Experience with vendor and partner management.

Technical Skills:

• Knowledge of emerging technologies and trends in IT.
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements related to IT and data management in the education sector.

QUALITIES AND BEHAVIOURS:

• Hold and articulate clear values
• Demonstrate optimistic personal behaviors, positive relationships and attitudes towards colleagues, and wider internal and external contacts
• Lead by example, demonstrating integrity, creativity, resilience and clarity
• Highly motivated and resilient

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Act as an ambassador for Outcomes First Group
• At all times promote and comply with organisations commitment to safeguarding, equal opportunities and health and safety Please note the role specification is subject to change as part of the dynamic nature of the business

Why join Outcomes First Group?

About the Group

Outcomes First Group is the leading provider of specialist education in the UK. We exist to give neurodivergent children and young people access to a great education that caters to their specific needs, abilities and aspirations.

There are three brands in our Outcomes First family: Acorn Education, Options Autism and Momenta Connect. Together, we educate, care for and support children, young people, and adults across the UK, empowering them to be happy and make their way in the world.

We are really proud to say that in 2024, Outcomes First Group were officially certified as a 'Great Place to Work' for the fifth year running.

Benefits

Your health and wellbeing are important to us, so you'll get an exceptional reward package including:

• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme with options to increase your contributions
• "Your Wellbeing Matters" - access to a wide range of first-class mental health support services and physical health checks
• Family Growth Support - inclusive benefits package covering enhanced maternity and paternity leave, along with paid fertility treatment support.
• A wide range of health, wellbeing, and insurance benefits
• 100's of discount options valid in the UK and abroad
• Electric Car Purchase Scheme
• Critical illness cover

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and we expect all employees to share this commitment and undertake appropriate checks. All applicants will be subject to social media checks and successful applicants to a fully enhanced DBS

We are an Equal Opportunities Employer.

Winner UK Great Place to Work Awards, for the past 4 years.