Head of IT Operations

Red Dot Search; Bolton; Hybrid; GBP 60.000 - 75.000; Vollzeit

Benefits dieser Stelle

35 hours per week

28 days holidays + birthday off + half

Contributory pension

Free on-site parking

Cycle to work scheme

Zusammenfassung

Red Dot Search is exclusively handling the recruitment for a Head of IT Operations in Bolton. The role is hybrid, reporting to the CEO, and oversees IT operations across two Bolton sites and remote workers.

You’ll lead the service desk and infrastructure engineers, own the stability, performance and security of the group’s systems, and still contribute hands‑on on complex projects and major incidents. The ideal candidate has 5+ years in senior infrastructure engineering with leadership, strong

Qualifikationen

• 5+ years in senior infrastructure engineering with leadership experience.
• Experience leading service desk/IT operations across multiple sites.
• Hands-on Windows Server, virtualization, Microsoft 365 and networking experience.
• Proven incident, problem and change management experience.
• Security and compliance experience such as Cyber Essentials Plus, CIS Benchmarks and pen test remediation.

Aufgaben

• Lead the service desk and infrastructure team across two Bolton sites and remote workers.
• Own the stability, performance and security of the group’s systems.
• Manage major incidents and technical escalations with reviews.
• Oversee change management, IT policy and documentation standards.
• Oversee backup, disaster recovery and business continuity planning.

Kenntnisse

Leadership

IT Operations

Windows Server

Virtualization

Microsoft 365

Networking

Incident management

Change management

Security & Compliance

PowerShell scripting

AI literacy

Tools

Jira Service Management

Veeam

Wazuh SIEM

Mitel MiVoice

Active Directory

Jobbeschreibung

Head of IT Operations | Bolton (Hybrid) | £60,000–£75,000

Are you an IT Infrastructure Manager, IT Operations Manager or Head of IT who still enjoys being hands-on? This Head of IT Operations role reports directly to the CEO of an established, FCA-regulated financial services business in Bolton, leading IT operations across two Bolton sites and home workers.

As Head of IT Operations you'll lead the service desk and infrastructure engineers, own the stability, performance and security of the group's systems, and still get stuck in on complex projects and major incidents. It's a genuine blend of leadership and hands-on technical work.

What the Head of IT Operations will own

• Leading and developing the service desk and infrastructure team through 1:1s, appraisals and a skills matrix
• SLAs, KPIs and service quality, run through Jira Service Management
• Technical escalation: leading major incidents and the reviews afterwards
• Change management, IT policy and documentation standards
• Windows Server, Hyper-V, Dell PowerEdge, SQL Server and Linux
• Networking across both sites: SonicWall firewalls, switching, VLANs, Wi-Fi and secure remote access
• Microsoft 365, Exchange Online, Entra ID and Active Directory
• Patching, vulnerability management, Wazuh SIEM and Cyber Essentials Plus
• Backup, disaster recovery and business continuity with Veeam, including regular restore and failover tests
• Mitel telephony and call recording
• The IT budget, suppliers, licences, contract renewals and the hardware refresh programme
• Automating routine work with scripting, and bringing in AI tools that genuinely help the team

What you'll bring

• At least 5 years in senior infrastructure engineering, including 2+ years in a leadership role
• Experience leading a service desk or IT operations team across multiple sites, on-premises and home workers
• Strong hands-on Windows Server, virtualisation, Microsoft 365 and networking (switching, VLANs, wireless, firewalls)
• Proven incident, problem and change management
• Security and compliance experience such as Cyber Essentials Plus, CIS Benchmarks and pen test remediation
• Backup and disaster recovery you've designed and tested
• PowerShell or similar scripting
• A track record of delivering projects end to end
• The ability to explain technical risk clearly to non-technical leaders
• AI literacy, with a genuine interest in bringing in AI tools that help teams work better

Nice to have: Mitel MiVoice or similar telephony, Dell PowerEdge and enterprise storage, ITIL, Intune or Action1, experience developing and onboarding AI solutions, and time in an FCA-regulated business.

How they work

They’ll look for someone who's comfortable making sound calls without a perfect rulebook, stays calm under pressure, gets to the root cause, weighs cost and risk like a business owner, and gets up to speed fast.

What's on offer

• £60,000–£75,000
• Hybrid working, 35 hours, Monday to Friday
• 28 days' holiday plus bank holidays, your birthday off and a half-day for seasonal shopping
• Contributory pension and support with industry-relevant qualifications
• Free on-site parking, cycle to work scheme and casual dress

The honest bit

This is a hands-on leadership role. You'll coordinate out-of-hours cover, including Saturday support and a monthly Maintenance Sunday. If you've moved fully into IT strategy, or you don't want to manage people or a budget, it won't suit you.

Confidential search

This Head of IT Operations search is run exclusively by Red Dot Search.