Head of IT Operations

JR United Kingdom; London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Head of IT Operations to lead their Linux estate management in London. This pivotal role involves overseeing the operational management of electronic trading and market data platforms, ensuring high availability and performance. The successful candidate will define and implement IT strategies, manage complex workloads, and foster a collaborative team culture. If you have extensive Linux and DevOps experience, a passion for innovation, and a commitment to excellence, this is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in Linux and DevOps engineering with strong problem-solving skills.
• Proficient in managing complex workloads in fast-paced environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational management of Linux estate ensuring high availability.
• Define and drive IT strategy for Linux-based infrastructure.

Skills

Linux

DevOps Engineering

Problem-Solving

Troubleshooting

Bash

Python

GitLab

Terraform

Ansible

Puppet

AWS

Kubernetes

OpenShift

TCP/IP Networking

Tools

Oracle Linux

Red Hat

NetApp

Pure Storage

HPE SAN

ESXi

KVM

Proxmox

Job description

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Tradition is the interdealer broking arm of Compagnie Financière Tradition and one of the world's largest interdealer brokers in over-the-counter financial and commodity related products. CFT is represented in over 28 countries, employing over 2,500 people.

Tradition’s goal is to provide superior client services. It believes its business success is a direct reflection of its employees and recruits. As such, teamwork, creativity, reliability and integrity are components of a work ethic taken very seriously since the company was founded in 1959.

Tradition is currently seeking to appoint a Head of IT Operations to be based within the London office.

Main responsibilities within the Head of IT Operations position include:

• Lead the operational management of Tradition’s Linux estate (including electronic trading and market data platforms) to ensure high availability and performance.
• Define and drive the IT strategy for Linux-based infrastructure, aligned with business and senior IT leadership requirements.
• Oversee infrastructure support including monitoring, maintenance, deployments, and change control across Linux (90%) and Windows (10%) servers in physical and virtualised environments.
• Ensure compliance with internal policies, regulatory standards, and maintain up-to-date operational documentation.
• Manage and support internal/external stakeholder queries with professionalism and efficiency.
• Deliver infrastructure performance KPIs and capacity metrics to inform business planning and decision-making.
• Lead the IT Operations team to provide full support coverage during EMEA business hours, and coordinate out-of-hours change implementations.
• Foster a collaborative team culture focused on accountability, diversity, and continuous improvement.
• Stay informed on emerging technologies and assess opportunities for innovation or efficiency within the infrastructure estate.

Key skills, experience and competencies required to be successful in this role:

• Extensive Linux and DevOps engineering experience, with strong problem-solving and troubleshooting capabilities.
• Proven track record managing complex BAU and project workloads in fast-paced environments.
• Deep expertise in supporting Oracle Linux/Red Hat estates and enterprise storage solutions (e.g. NetApp, Pure, HPE SAN).
• Proficient in Bash, Python, GitLab, and infrastructure automation tools (Terraform, Ansible, Puppet).
• Skilled in managing hybrid environments including AWS, ESXi, KVM, Proxmox, and containerisation platforms like Kubernetes and OpenShift.
• Strong grasp of TCP/IP networking and change control processes.
• Excellent communication skills—both written and verbal—with a proactive, self-motivated approach.
• Highly adaptable, quick to learn new technologies, and committed to automation and standardisation.