Global Director of IT

Cambridge Aerospace; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Private medical

Cycle to work

Catering on site

Job summary

Cambridge Aerospace seeks a technically credible IT leader to guide global services as we scale across sites and production. You will shape IT strategy, run cloud-first enterprise services and lead cross‑functional teams across regions.

You will own the enterprise systems portfolio (ERP, MES, PLM, CRM, HRIS), drive data governance and secure collaboration, and manage budgets, partners and service delivery in a fast-paced, regulated environment.

Qualifications

• Experience leading IT services across multiple countries and time zones.
• Track record of scaling IT through rapid growth and expanding service demand.
• Experience running cloud-first and SaaS-led IT environments with identity/endpoint management.

Responsibilities

• Set IT strategy, roadmap and operating model for growth across sites and production.
• Develop cloud-first services with secure identity, devices, collaboration and SaaS integration.
• Lead enterprise systems strategy for ERP/MES/PLM/CRM/HRIS with partners and budgets.
• Build and lead distributed global support teams and ensure coverage across shifts.
• Translate data handling requirements into practical IT services with data residency controls.
• Support manufacturing and engineering IT services for production dependencies and site needs.
• Own IT service performance, incidents and recovery objectives with stakeholders.
• Recruit and develop leaders, manage budgets, suppliers and contracts.

Skills

IT leadership

Cloud-first

Enterprise systems

Global teams

Budget management

Incident management

Data handling

Manufacturing tech

Governance & compliance

Job description

Overview

Lead global IT through rapid international growth. You will build and run the services that help our engineering, manufacturing and business teams work effectively as we scale our people, sites and production.

We are looking for a technically credible leader with experience in cloud-first environments, enterprise systems leadership, complex data handling and manufacturing, who has built support teams across countries and time zones. You will set direction, develop strong teams and stay close enough to delivery to make sound decisions and resolve difficult problems.

Responsibilities

• Global IT and scaling. Set the IT strategy, roadmap and operating model for growth in headcount, countries and production. Establish repeatable onboarding and site-launch processes, with clear priorities, service ownership and delivery commitments.
• Cloud-first services. Develop a consistent employee technology environment across identity, devices, collaboration and SaaS services. Automate routine work, improve the user experience and ensure services can be operated and supported as demand increases.
• Enterprise systems leadership. Lead enterprise systems strategy and delivery with Business Technology and functional owners, covering platforms such as ERP, MES, PLM, CRM and HRIS. Oversee selection, implementation, integration, data migration, adoption and lifecycle management, with clear accountability for delivery and business outcomes.
• Global support. Build and lead distributed teams and service partners. Combine local site support with global escalation and handovers, matching coverage to working hours, production shifts and service criticality.
• Complex data handling. Translate requirements agreed with Information Security, Legal and business owners into practical IT services. Enable collaboration while managing data location, access, retention and supplier sharing, including contractual and export-control restrictions where applicable.
• Manufacturing and engineering. Work with Manufacturing, OT and business system owners to support the IT services that engineering and production depend on. Plan changes around operations and establish clear support arrangements for sites, specialist users and application dependencies.
• Availability and reliability. Own IT service performance and major incident coordination. Agree availability and recovery objectives with the business, address recurring failures and test recovery arrangements with service owners and suppliers.
• People and commercial delivery. Recruit and develop capable leaders, set clear accountability and plan capacity ahead of demand. Own the IT budget, supplier performance, contracts and licensing, balancing service quality with sustainable cost.

Requirements

• Leadership of IT services across multiple countries and time zones, with direct responsibility for teams, service delivery and operational outcomes.
• A record of scaling IT through rapid business growth. You can explain the changes in users, sites, service demand and team size, what you built, and the impact on reliability and cost.
• Experience running a cloud-first and SaaS-led IT environment, with a strong grasp of identity, endpoint management, collaboration, automation and service integration.
• Proven leadership of enterprise systems portfolios and major implementations or transformations, from business requirements and platform selection through delivery, integration, user adoption and ongoing ownership. Experience managing implementation partners, budgets and cross-functional stakeholders, with measurable improvements to business processes and performance.
• Experience supporting manufacturing or another business that designs and produces physical products, including production dependencies, site support, change windows and recovery priorities.
• Practical experience delivering IT services under complex data-handling requirements, such as sensitive engineering information, customer restrictions, data residency and controlled external collaboration.
• Experience recruiting and leading geographically distributed teams, developing managers and holding internal teams and service providers accountable for outcomes.
• Strong judgement during major incidents and competing delivery demands, supported by clear communication with technical teams and senior business leaders.
• Ownership of budgets, suppliers and commercial decisions, with the technical depth to challenge proposals and the pragmatism to deliver in an environment that changes quickly.

Preferred Qualifications/Experience

• Aerospace, defence, robotics, advanced manufacturing or another technically complex, regulated industry.
• Microsoft 365, Entra ID and modern endpoint management; collaboration with teams operating cloud and specialist engineering platforms.
• Opening new international sites or establishing support services in a new country.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation and stock options
• Private Medical & Dental
• Cycle to work scheme
• Lunchtime catering on site

About Us

The mission of Cambridge Aerospace is to eliminate the risk of existential war. That risk comes from the air – low-cost drones and cruise missiles now manufactured in colossal volumes by our adversaries, and ballistic missiles capable of ending the world as we know it.

We're building low-cost interceptors that defeat these threats, and the surveillance systems to detect and target them – at a cost taxpayers can afford, at the pace the threat demands, and with sovereign supply chains that assure delivery.

We have immense backing from the world's best venture funds, we’re building a company for the scale and urgency of the mission and we’re one of the fastest-growing defence technology companies in history. That demands exceptional people across every discipline—people who combine deep expertise with sound judgement, take ownership of difficult problems and turn ambition into results.

The standards are high. The work is demanding. The impact is real. If you want to build something that matters, join us.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply.