Assistant Director - Digital Planning & Development

Cardiff University / Prifysgol Caerdydd; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 77,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in Cardiff is looking for an Assistant Director for Digital Planning & Delivery. This full-time role involves strategic leadership for a new IT team, financial management, and collaborating with various stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have a relevant degree, significant senior IT management experience, and advanced knowledge of IT governance. The role offers a competitive salary of £76,188 annually, among other benefits.

Benefits

37 days annual leave

Generous pension scheme

Qualifications

• Significant senior IT management experience in a complex organization.
• Proven ability to develop and deliver IT strategies.
• Advanced knowledge of IT management practices.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for the new Planning & Delivery team.
• Drive departmental strategy in alignment with university goals.
• Manage IT service demand and resources effectively.

Skills

IT governance

resource management

strategic planning

stakeholder engagement

budget management

Education

Relevant degree or professional qualification

Tools

Prince2

MSP

ITIL

Job description

Overview

Advert

Assistant Director - Digital Planning & Development

Cardiff University is seeking an Assistant Director (Planning & Delivery) to provide the strategic leadership of the development, delivery and operation for a new Planning & Delivery team within University IT.

Who we are

We want to make Cardiff University an institution that is respected the world over. Our vision is to be a world-leading, research-excellent, educationally outstanding university, driven by creativity and curiosity, which fulfils its social, cultural and economic obligations to Cardiff, Wales, the UK and the world. Our ambitious strategy to 2035 (Our Future Together) will enable the university to co-create and share new knowledge, to deliver a better world for future generations. We aim to rank consistently in the top 100 universities in the world and the top 20 in the UK.

Opportunity

The successful candidate will work within University IT alongside well-established Infrastructure, Solutions, and Service and Operations teams to create a new Planning and Delivery team. This new team is formed to support the management of departmental demand, workload, and delivery, and will support the operational and strategic delivery activity for the entire department.

You will provide the strategic leadership of the development, delivery and operation of the Planning & Delivery Team, with responsibilities including:

• Oversight, delivery, communication and end user enablement for agreed IT/Digital projects and programmes, including the delivery of the Digital Plan
• Financial planning and effective management of budgets
• Provision of the management of demand and resourcing functions
• Effective communication of departmental activity, strategic engagement with colleges, schools and professional services
• Oversight of department governance and assurance functions, including departmental risk, audits, and mitigating actions

You will ensure that the services of the team are developed and delivered in alignment to the strategic goals and objectives of the University while also ensuring that services are highly available, sustainable, innovative, secure and offer an attractive value proposition for the University.

What We Offer

Cardiff University can offer many attractive benefits to its employees, including a competitive salary, 37 days annual leave per annum and a generous pension scheme. More information on what we can offer can be found at https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/jobs/what-we-can-offer.

To provide the strategic leadership of the development, delivery and operation of the University Digital Planning & Delivery Team. Responsible within University IT for:

• Oversight, delivery, communication and end user enablement for agreed IT/Digital projects and programmes, including the delivery of the Digital Plan; financial planning and effective management of budgets
• The provision of the management of demand and resourcing functions
• Effective communication of departmental activity, strategic engagement with colleges, schools and professional services (Business Partnering)
• Oversight and assurance of departmental risk, departmental audits, and mitigating actions
• Ensuring that services are developed and delivered in alignment to the strategic goals and objectives of the University while also ensuring that services are highly available, sustainable, innovative, secure and offer an attractive value proposition for the University

This post is full-time (35 hours per week) and open ended.

Salary: £76,188 per annum (SENST).

Appointments to roles at Cardiff University are usually made at bottom of scale unless in exceptional circumstances.

Date advert posted: Tuesday, 21 October 2025

Closing date: Tuesday, 18 November 2025

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age. We therefore welcome flexible working or job share arrangements.

Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

Job Description

• Work with the Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO) and other Senior Leadership Team colleagues to set the strategy for University IT and drive the maturity of the department, developing a proactive culture.
• Drive the delivery of the departmental strategy in alignment with the University Strategy, Digital Plan and overarching business needs, ensuring that University IT staff maintain an outcome focus that achieves technology adoption, efficiencies, and measurable business value from digital investments.
• Contribute to the development of the University’s Digital Plan and lead on the implementation of the Digital and IT Strategies through the creation of effective operational plans.
• Lead the management of demand for IT services, ensuring the effective recording and delivery of requests for IT and improvement projects, onboarding and management of new projects and the delivery of ongoing projects.
• Lead effective monitoring and allocation of departmental resources, ensuring resources are utilised efficiently to deliver both business-as-usual and transformational activity. Ensure current information on resource capacity is available to support workload sequencing and prioritisation discussions with the CDIO and Senior Leadership Team.
• Own the department risk registers (operational and for programmes), ensuring periodic review and assurance that mitigating actions are progressing and implemented. Identify and coordinate department audits (both internal and external), ensuring recommendations are responded to and delivered appropriately.
• Ensure appropriate IT governance structures and processes are created and maintained for programme and project oversight, demand management, resource management, risk management and audit activities.
• Foster collaboration and engagement opportunities at a strategic level across Colleges, Schools and Professional Services to ensure IT solutions, initiatives and services support academic and administrative functions.
• Lead on the delivery of effective communication for University IT and digital engagement to promote transparency and the department’s work.
• Lead on the financial planning and budgeting of IT services related activities and ensure the effective management of all associated IT budgets.
• Ensure sound management at every level of staff within the Planning and Delivery team through professional leadership, including recruitment, training and development, performance and appraisal. Provide support, coaching and mentoring to direct line managers to fulfil objectives and commitments.
• Lead, motivate and manage the performance of the Planning and Delivery team to deliver a professional, customer-focused and high-performing service that works to agreed service scopes and levels.
• Ensure the Planning and Delivery team has access to appropriate resources to enable its functions, ensuring resources are obtained and utilised through an optimal and sustainable financial approach.
• Continually review services provided to customers to ensure overall service provision meets agreed service levels and requirements, using data and feedback to drive continuous improvement.
• Develop a network of influence with the Senior Management team and Professional Services Leadership team within the University and at peer level internally and externally

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

A relevant degree or professional qualification with appropriate experience in a comparable role, with evidence of regular skills updating. Preferably has experience delivering change through a structured methodology such as Prince, MSP or similar.

Evidence of breadth of knowledge across IT including IT governance, technology support and development as well as service management (ITIL).

Significant senior IT management experience and a track record of innovation, attainment and success in a large, complex organisation, preferably within Higher Education.

Proven ability to develop and deliver IT strategies and operational plans.

Advanced and up-to-date professional knowledge of IT management and creating a high-performance IT culture.

A vision of technology drivers that will influence IT services in the future and how this can add value to Research, Learning and Teaching and the University’s support services.

Strong ability to manage resources (financial and non-financial) and to assess and manage risks.

Personal Qualities

A strategic thinker and innovative leader with operational experience.

Mature interpersonal skills and ability to engage with stakeholders at senior levels.

Comfortable engaging with the most senior internal and external stakeholders.

Skilled at oral and written communication.

Analytical, objective and able to resolve problems with clear thinking, attention to detail and persistence.

Strategic focus with pragmatic judgement and broad knowledge of IT Director-level practices.

Ability to influence at the highest level in formal and informal settings.

Promotes professional codes of conduct and ethics.

A natural developer of people and teams with commitment to Continuing Professional Development. An excellent change agent and deliverer.

Resilient and able to prioritise and work under pressure. Able to build valuable external and internal relationships.

Additional Information

• Promote co-creation with key stakeholders to find effective IT solutions.
• Represent IT Services and the University at appropriate forums and liaise with regulators and professional bodies as appropriate.
• Collaborate with the CDIO and other Directors to manage relationships with technology partners and suppliers, including major contracts or disputes.
• Deputise for the Director of IT and undertake related activities as required.

Dimensions: Approximately 30 employees (5 direct reports). Annual staff budget around £2.5M. Shared capital budget around £2.0m, recurring budget around £7.5m, and software budget around £3.8m. IT service covers 300+ university buildings, 125,000 devices, ~1000 servers, 200TB user file-store, 400+ teaching spaces, 1000 open access PCs, and ~35,000 students and 9,000 staff.

Direct Reports include: Senior Manager – Governance & Assurance; Digital Lead; IT Portfolio Lead; Lead IT Business Partner; Supplier Manager.

Key internal relationships: Director of IT; CDIO; Transformation Delivery; Finance; College and Thematic PIVCs and Heads of School; University IT staff and Students Union; external relationships with Russell Group forum, HEWIT, and technology partners.

Salary Range: 76,188

Job Category: Information Technology

Grade: Professorial