Head of Digital Services (IT)

Middlesbrough College Group; Tees Valley; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 63,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Substantial annual leave

Health & Wellbeing

Flexible hours

Professional development

Cycle to Work

Discounted onsite car parking

Salary sacrifice schemes

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

Middlesbrough College is seeking a Head of Digital Services to shape IT strategy across infrastructure, security, and projects for 16,000 users. The role reports to the Chief Technology Officer and drives cloud-first, security-driven IT services in a digitally ambitious environment.

You will lead multi-disciplinary teams, build a culture of service excellence, and collaborate with curriculum and professional services to deliver transformative digital initiatives.

Qualifications

• Strategic ability to translate digital ambition into operational excellence.
• Deep understanding of cloud, networks, systems, and cyber security.
• Experience building high-performing IT teams with a strong service ethos.
• Ability to drive innovation, automation, and continuous improvement.
• Calm under pressure and able to lead major incidents with clarity.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across IT services from infrastructure to security and project delivery.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams and ensure a culture of service excellence.
• Deliver reliable, secure, scalable digital environments with customer focus.
• Plan, prioritise and deliver digital and IT projects.
• Oversee governance, risk, and cyber security compliance.

Skills

Strategic

Technically strong

People-centered

Forward-thinking

Calm under pressure

Collaborative

Job description

Job Title: Head of Digital Services (IT)

Department: Digital & Campus Services

Contract: Full Time, Permanent

Hours: 37 hours per week

Salary: £53,352 to £62,751 per annum

Annual Leave: 36 days per annum plus statutory Bank Holidays

Pension: Local Government Pension Scheme

Be the Driving Force Behind one of the UK's Most Digitally Ambitious Colleges

Middlesbrough College is looking for an exceptional digital leader to shape the future of technology across a thriving, high-performing organisation. As a Microsoft Showcase College, we are nationally recognised for pushing the boundaries of cloud, data, and AI to transform teaching, learning, and business operations. Now, we are seeking a Head of IT who can turn this ambition into reality every single day.

This is your opportunity to lead a modern, cloud-first, security-driven IT service that supports more than 16,000 users and underpins every aspect of College life. You will work at the heart of a digitally progressive organisation, reporting directly to the Chief Technology Officer and playing a pivotal role in delivering our next phase of transformation.

This is your chance to lead IT in an organisation where digital is not an afterthought, it is a strategic priority.

Why This Role Matters:

The Head of Digital Services will provide strategic and operational leadership across all IT services, from infrastructure and networks to service operations, systems, cyber security, and project delivery. You will lead multidisciplinary teams, build a culture of service excellence, and ensure our digital environment is reliable, secure, scalable, and relentlessly customer-focused.

This is not a maintenance role. It is a mission-critical leadership position that shapes how staff teach, how students learn, and how the College operates.

What You Will Lead:

• High-performing IT operations delivering seamless, responsive services
• A secure, resilient, cloud-first infrastructure aligned to our Digital Strategy
• Cyber security, data protection, and compliance across all systems and services
• Planning, prioritisation, and delivery of digital and IT projects
• Service performance management through metrics, SLAs, and continuous improvement
• Full lifecycle management of IT assets, procurement, and resource optimisation
• Strong, proactive relationships with curriculum and professional service teams
• Major incident leadership, escalation management, and clear communication
• Contribution to governance, risk, audit, and strategic digital initiatives

What We Are Looking For:

A leader who is:

• Strategic, with the ability to translate digital ambition into operational excellence
• Technically strong, with deep understanding of cloud, networks, systems, and cyber security
• People-centered, building high-performing teams with a strong service ethos
• Forward-thinking, driving innovation, automation, and continuous improvement
• Calm under pressure, able to lead major incidents with clarity and authority
• Collaborative, working across the College to improve outcomes and productivity

Please find the full job description here –Head of IT

Why Join Us?

• Substantial annual leave entitlement plus holiday purchase scheme.
• Health &Wellbeing; freegym membership, 24/7 counselling for you and your family
• Family-friendlypolicies: flexiblehours and a supportive work environment
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): confidential support including and financial advice.
• Professional development: extensive training, mentoring, and career progression opportunities
• Funded CPD opportunities, regular staff development training, and paid volunteering days
• Access to discounted hair and beauty treatments at our onsite salon.
• Collegebenefit scheme - College Extras:
• Up to 15% cashback at top retailers & restaurants
• Discounted gift cards for big brands
• Home & tech upgrades via salary sacrifice
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Discounted onsite car parking.

To learn more about working at Middlesbrough College, please visit our Work For Us page.

For further details, please contact Richard Shuttleworth, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) on [e-mail]

Safeguarding Our Students

Middlesbrough College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all students. All staff are expected to share this commitment. If you’re successful, you’ll be required to complete thorough pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references. All roles within the College carry safeguarding responsibilities, including promoting student welfare, reporting any concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), and modelling safe and appropriate conduct in line with College policies.

All posts at Middlesbrough College involve regulated activity and are therefore exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. The amendments to the ROA 1974 (Exceptions Order 1975, (amended 2013 and 2020) mean that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’, so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. The MOJ’s guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications, related exceptions and further information.

Please be aware that it is a Criminal offence to apply for this post if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity in connection to children.

As part of our shortlisting process, we will conduct an online search for all shortlisted candidates to identify any safeguarding or reputation-related concerns (as required by KCSIE).

Right to Work

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

Equality & Diversity

Middlesbrough College is an equal opportunities employer, committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone is valued. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and make recruitment decisions based on skills and experience. As a Disability Confident employer, we actively support applicants with disabilities