Head of IT (Interim 6 months)

Centrepoint; Greater London; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 79,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Private Medical Insurance

Pension contributions 5%

Cycle to Work scheme

Travel loan

Job summary

Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, seeks a Head of IT for a 6-month interim contract based in Aldgate, London. You will lead the IT function, deliver the IT strategy, and manage cyber risk while coordinating with the outsourced provider and internal teams.

The role requires strong leadership, a track record in IT transformations, and a hands-on approach to governance, security, and performance amidst a period of organisational change.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading IT services and teams.
• Experience developing and implementing IT strategies aligned with organisational priorities.
• Strong experience managing IT budgets and outsourced service providers, including contracts and performance.
• Excellent understanding of cyber security, information security and data protection, with a focus on managing organisational risk.
• Experience delivering technology transformation, systems implementation and technology refresh programmes.
• Excellent communication, leadership and relationship-building skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate at all levels.

Responsibilities

• Lead Centrepoint’s IT function, ensuring a reliable, effective and high-quality day-to-day service.
• Develop and deliver our IT strategy, ensuring technology supports Centrepoint’s organisational ambitions.
• Lead on cyber security, information security and data protection, ensuring appropriate controls and risk management are in place.
• Manage our outsourced IT service provider, including contracts, performance, relationships and budgets.
• Support major business transformation and technology projects, helping to deliver new systems and ways of working.
• Provide strategic IT leadership and advice across Centrepoint, working collaboratively with senior leaders and teams to drive effective use of technology.

Skills

IT leadership

IT strategy

cyber security

budget management

vendor management

communication

Tools

IT service management

Job description

Contract: Interim, Full-Time (37.5 hours) – 6 months

Salary: £72,000 per annum

Closing Date: 4th October2026

Interviews will be held w/c 5th October 2026

Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, is looking for an experienced Head of IT to join our Finance and Corporate Services Directorate on a 6-month interim contract, based in Aldgate, London.

About us

We help vulnerable young people by giving them the practical and emotional support they need to find a job and live independently. Centrepoint provides homeless young people with accommodation, health support and life skills in order to get them back into education, training and employment. We want to end youth homelessness by 2037.

Together with our partners, we support over 15,000 young people each year.

The role

As Head of IT, you will play a leading role in supporting Centrepoint’s ambition to be a digitally enabled organisation, powered by modern and effective technology.

You will lead on all aspects of technology and digital, including the development and delivery of Centrepoint’s IT strategy, the provision of effective IT services and the management of cyber risk. You will lead and support the internal IT team, while managing our outsourced IT service provider to ensure a high‑quality, responsive and continually improving service.

Working closely with senior leaders and teams across Centrepoint, you will also play a key role in supporting our Business Transformation project, helping to deliver new technology and processes that enable colleagues to work more effectively. You will work collaboratively with the Head of Data, Insight and Performance to support Centrepoint’s transition towards becoming a more data‑driven organisation.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced IT leader to make a significant contribution during a period of organisational transformation and technological change.

Office-based working

Colleagues are required to spend a minimum of 50% of their working week in our offices and must be able to commit to this requirement each week. For most full‑time colleagues, this means attending the office for five days over a two‑week period (e.g., two days one week and three days the next). For colleagues on different contracts (including part‑time or compressed contracts) this will be adjusted accordingly. Our core working hours are 9:30am to 4:30pm, and colleagues must be in the office during these times.

About you

• Significant experience leading IT services and teams, with a strong track record of delivering effective technology solutions.
• Experience developing and implementing IT strategies aligned with organisational priorities.
• Strong experience managing IT budgets and outsourced service providers, including contracts and performance.
• Excellent understanding of cyber security, information security and data protection, with a focus on managing organisational risk.
• Experience delivering technology transformation, systems implementation and technology refresh programmes.
• Excellent communication, leadership and relationship‑building skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate at all levels.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead Centrepoint’s IT function, ensuring a reliable, effective and high‑quality day‑to‑day service.
• Develop and deliver our IT strategy, ensuring technology supports Centrepoint’s organisational ambitions.
• Lead on cyber security, information security and data protection, ensuring appropriate controls and risk management are in place.
• Manage our outsourced IT service provider, including contracts, performance, relationships and budgets.
• Support major business transformation and technology projects, helping to deliver new systems and ways of working.
• Provide strategic IT leadership and advice across Centrepoint, working collaboratively with senior leaders and teams to drive effective use of technology.

Why join Centrepoint?

In return for your efforts, you’ll receive a competitive salary, excellent training and development, and a host of staff benefits including:

• 25 days of annual leave per year, rising by one day per year to a maximum of 27 days
• Healthcare cash plan (Cover the costs of a wide range of medical treatment including Dental, Optical, Complementary and Alternative therapies).
• Private Medical insurance
• Income protection
• Employer pension contributions of 5%
• Access to Cycle 2 Work loan scheme
• An interest‑free travel loan

At Centrepoint we challenge the discrimination within society that contributes to youth homelessness, and we are just as committed to fairness and equality within Centrepoint itself. We are passionate about ensuring all of our colleagues are made to feel included in the work we do and that we value the rich diversity within the organisation.

We are an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications regardless of sex, gender, race, age, belief in any religion and none, gender identity, ethnic origin, class, sexuality, nationality, appearance, unrelated criminal activities, disability, responsibility for dependents, part time or shift workers, being HIV positive or living with AIDS, lived experience of homelessness or using young people’s services and any other matter which causes a person to be treated with injustice.

Centrepoint’s policy is to recruit, employ and promote people on the basis of their suitability for the work to be performed, and to this end, our aim is to ensure that all applicants, employees and volunteers receive equal treatment.

Our approach to applications

We recognise that candidates may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support their applications. While this is absolutely fine, all examples and statements included must be truthful, accurate and based on your own experience.

We're keen to understand your individual skills, experience and motivations, so please ensure your application reflects your own voice.

Please note, we may close this advert early if we receive a high volume of applications.