Head of Applications

Outcomes First Group; Manchester; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life Assurance

Pension plan

Wellbeing support

Family leave enhancements

Flexible benefits via Vista

Job summary

Outcomes First Group is seeking a Head of Applications to lead the Group IT application portfolio and integration capability. You will oversee lifecycle management, governance, and cost optimisation across a multi-site education and care organisation.

This role reports to the Chief Architect and drives delivery plans, vendor governance, and cross-functional collaboration to achieve strategic outcomes. The Head of Applications will guide a team, partner with project teams, and ensure secure,

Qualifications

• Experience leading enterprise applications or integration teams.
• Strong ITSM and lifecycle management expertise.
• Proven supplier contract and vendor governance experience.
• Ability to communicate complex tech and commercial topics to senior leaders.
• Experience translating business needs into delivery plans and designs.
• Familiarity with Agile and project management.
• Excellent communication, organisational and stakeholder skills.

Responsibilities

• Own the Group Application portfolio with clear ownership, support models, data classifications, and roadmaps.
• Lead reviews of the application landscape to identify opportunities for rationalisation, remediation, retirement, or investment.
• Assess business requirements for new applications or material changes prior to procurement.
• Oversee application implementations, upgrades, releases, migrations, and decommissioning.
• Lead the Integration function, ensuring Power Automate workflows are designed, developed, tested, monitored, and supported to standards.
• Manage operational relationships with suppliers, overseeing service performance, contracts, and renewals.
• Manage application service KPIs, incident trends, risks, and improvement actions.
• Contribute to budget setting, forecasting, and commercial cost optimisation across licenses, subscriptions, and platforms.
• Support and build a capable, engaged team with clear objectives and development pathways.

Skills

Enterprise Apps Leadership

ITSM & Lifecycle

Supplier Governance

Stakeholder Communication

Requirements Translation

Agile/PM

Stakeholder Management

Tools

Power Automate

Job description

We're now looking for a Head of Applications to join our Group IT team^. Reporting to the Chief Architect, this pivotal role will oversee our application estate and integration capability across the Group^., The Head of Applications is accountable for the effective management, governance, and continuous improvement of the Group application estate and integration capability^. The role ensures that applications and integrations remain secure, reliable, supportable, cost-effective, and aligned with business priorities across the Group^.,

Responsibilities

• Own the Group Application portfolio, ensuring clear technical/business ownership, support models, data classifications, and roadmaps^.
• Lead reviews of the application landscape to identify opportunities for rationalisation, remediation, retirement, or investment^.
• Partner with project teams to assess business requirements for new applications or material changes prior to procurement^.
• Oversee application implementations, upgrades, releases, migrations, and decommissioning^.
• Lead the Integration function, ensuring solutions and Power Automate workflows are designed, developed, tested, monitored, and supported to approved standards^.
• Manage operational relationships with strategic application and integration suppliers, overseeing service performance, contracts, and renewals^.
• Manage application service KPIs, incident trends, risks, and improvement actions^.
• Contribute to budget setting, forecasting, and commercial cost optimisation across license, subscription, and platform costs^.
• Support and build a capable, engaged team with clear objectives and development pathways^.

Essential

• Significant experience leading enterprise applications, business systems, application support, or integration engineering teams in a complex multi-site organisation^.
• Strong understanding of application lifecycle management, IT service management (ITSM), operational acceptance, and supplier governance^.
• Proven track record of managing supplier contracts, vendor selections, due diligence, and software cost management^.
• Ability to communicate complex technical and commercial matters clearly to senior non-technical stakeholders^.
• Experience translating business requirements into delivery plans, options, high-level designs, and supportable services^.
• Familiarity with agile and/or project management techniques^.
• Excellent communication, organisational, and stakeholder management skills^.

Desirable

• Experience with or familiarity with education systems (e.g., MIS, safeguarding, assessment platforms)^.
• Passionate about using technology to improve education, safeguarding, and outcomes for young people^^.^

Outcomes First Group is the UK's largest independent provider of specialist education and care. Through our divisional brands, including Acorn Education, Options Autism, Blenheim Schools and Momenta Connect, we support children, young people and adults across the UK to achieve incredible outcomes and live more fulfilled lives^.

As our organisation continues to grow, we're investing heavily in our technology services to ensure colleagues across our schools, services and offices have the tools and support they need to deliver exceptional outcomes^.

Outcomes First Group is the UK's largest independent provider of high-quality special needs education, operating across England, Scotland, and Wales. Our divisional brands include Acorn Education, Options Autism, Blenheim Schools, and Momenta Connect. By joining our central teams, you'll help shape strategy, provide expert support, and drive continuous improvement across a growing organisation renowned for quality, impact, and innovation. We value collaboration, professionalism, and creativity, offering the opportunity to influence change at scale while staying true to our core values of care, aspiration, and inclusion.

Benefits

• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme with flexible contribution options
• "Your Wellbeing Matters" - mental and physical health support
• Family Growth Support, including enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Flexible benefits via Vista (Cycle to Work, Electric Car Scheme, discounts, critical illness cover, and more)^^

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All applicants will be subject to social media checks and successful applicants to a fully enhanced DBS check. We are an Equal Opportunities Employer.