Head of IT Infrastructure

Canopius; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Competitive base salary

Non-contributory pension

Discretionary bonus

Health and dental cover

Job summary

Canopius seeks a Head of IT Infrastructure to define and deliver the organisation's infrastructure strategy, connecting secure, resilient, and scalable technology foundations to current and future business needs.

The role provides strategic and operational leadership across cloud platforms, networks, storage, OS, and database services, with direct accountability for the DBA team to ensure high availability, performance, and security of infrastructure assets.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of successfully leading and managing IT teams within a complex trading environment.
• Experience in planning and executing IT infrastructure and system modernisation initiatives, with a focus on cloud and DevOps.
• Strong understanding of IT security principles and best practices, with experience in implementing robust cybersecurity measures.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong relationships with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Proven ability to develop and execute strategic IT plans aligned with overall business objectives.
• Experience in a regulated environment, managing complex IT infrastructures and relevant technologies, is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the IT infrastructure strategy, aligned to business objectives, technology roadmaps, and enterprise architecture principles.
• Lead the evolution of infrastructure platforms, including cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments.
• Ensure infrastructure designs are secure, resilient, scalable, and cost-effective.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and vendor solutions to support innovation and operational efficiency.
• Oversee the day-to-day operation of infrastructure services, ensuring high availability, performance, and reliability.
• Establish and maintain infrastructure standards, operational procedures, and service documentation.
• Drive continuous improvement across infrastructure services and operational processes.
• Lead and manage the DBA function, ensuring robust database performance, availability, security, and integrity.
• Set strategy and standards for database platforms, including design, configuration, backup, recovery, and patching.
• Ensure effective capacity planning, performance tuning, and lifecycle management of database technologies.
• Develop DBA team capability, providing leadership, coaching, and performance management.
• Work closely with Information Security and Risk teams to ensure infrastructure and database environments meet security and compliance requirements.
• Ensure disaster recovery, backup, and business continuity solutions are in place and regularly tested.
• Identify and manage infrastructure risks, vulnerabilities, and technical debt.
• Contribute to infrastructure budget planning and cost management, including cloud spend optimisation.
• Manage vendor relationships, contracts, and third-party service providers.
• Ensure value for money and effective commercial management of infrastructure services.

Skills

IT team leadership

Cloud and DevOps

IT security principles

Stakeholder communication

Strategic IT planning

Regulated environment experience

Job description

The Head of IT Infrastructureis responsible fordefining and delivering the organisation’s infrastructure strategy, ensuring a secure, resilient, and scalable technology foundation that supports current and future business needs.

This role provides strategic and operational leadership across core infrastructure services, including cloudplatforms, networks, storage, operating systems, and database services. The role has direct accountability for the Database Administration (DBA) team and ensures high availability, performance, security, and effective lifecycle management of all infrastructure assets.

Responsibilities will include:

Infrastructure Strategy & Architecture

• Define and own the IT infrastructure strategy, aligned to businessobjectives, technology roadmaps, and enterprise architecture principles.
• Lead the evolution of infrastructure platforms, including cloud, hybrid, andonpremiseenvironments.
• Ensure infrastructure designs are secure, resilient, scalable, andcosteffective.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and vendor solutions to support innovation and operational efficiency.

Infrastructure Operations & Service Management

• Oversee thedaytodayoperation of infrastructure services, ensuring high availability, performance, and reliability.
• Ensure effective monitoring, incident management, problem management, and capacity planning.
• Establish andmaintaininfrastructure standards, operational procedures, and service documentation.
• Drive continuous improvement across infrastructure services and operational processes.
• Lead and manage the DBA function, ensuring robust database performance, availability, security, and integrity.
• Set strategy and standards for database platforms, including design, configuration, backup, recovery, and patching.
• Ensure effective capacity planning, performance tuning, and lifecycle management of database technologies.
• Develop DBA team capability, providing leadership, coaching, and performance management.

Security, Resilience & Risk Management

• Work closely with Information Security and Risk teams to ensure infrastructure and database environments meet security and compliance requirements.
• Ensureappropriate disasterrecovery, backup, and business continuity solutions are in place and regularly tested.
• Identifyand manage infrastructure risks, vulnerabilities, and technical debt.
• Contribute to infrastructure budget planning and cost management, including cloud spend optimisation.
• Manage vendor relationships, contracts, andthirdpartyservice providers.
• Ensure value for money and effective commercial management of infrastructure services.

Skills and Experience

• Proventrack recordof successfully leading and managing IT teams within a complex trading environment.
• Demonstrated experience in planning and executing IT infrastructure and system modernisation initiatives, with a focus on cloud and DevOps.
• Strong understanding of IT security principles and best practices, with experience in implementing robust cybersecurity measures.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong relationships with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Proven ability to develop and execute strategic IT plans aligned with overall businessobjectives.
• Experience in a regulated environment, managing complex IT infrastructures and relevant technologies, is highly desirable.

About Us

Our benefits
We offer all employees a comprehensive benefits package that focuses on their whole wellbeing. This includes hybrid working, a competitive base salary, non-contributory pension, discretionary bonus, insurances including health (family) and dental cover, and many other benefits to enhance financial, physical, social and psychological health.
About Canopius
Canopius is a global specialty lines (re)insurer. We are one of the leading insurers in the Lloyd’s of London insurance market with offices in the UK, US, Singapore, Australia and Bermuda.
At Canopius we foster a distinctive, positive culture which enables us to bring our whole selves to work to flourish as people, and build a business which delivers profitable, sustainable results.
Based in incredible new offices in the heart of the City of London, Canopius operates a flexible, hybrid working model and is committed to providing an environment that challenges employees to be their best and where everyone's unique contributions are recognised, valued and respected.
We are fully committed to equal employment opportunities for all applicants and providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are made regardless of age, sex, gender identity, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, religion or beliefs, marital or caring status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We encourage and welcome applicants from all diverse backgrounds.
We make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and during employment. Please let us know if you require any information in an alternate format or any other reasonable adjustments.

Job Info

• Job Identification 635
• Job Category Information & Technology
• Job Schedule Full time
• Locations Level 5, Manchester, M2 3AB, GB (Hybrid)