Head of Technology and Delivery Operations

Northern Advisory Council for Further Education; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A public educational institution in Newcastle upon Tyne is seeking a Head of Technology and Delivery Operations to lead the future of technology delivery and operational excellence. The role requires proven leadership experience in technology strategy, and offers a competitive salary up to £69,782 plus benefits including a car allowance and hybrid working arrangements.

Benefits

27 days annual leave

8 bank holidays

Health cash plan

Flexible working culture

Death in service payment

Car allowance

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience across technology strategy, operations, and software delivery.
• Strong knowledge of modern infrastructure, cloud platforms, data architectures, and security frameworks (ISO 27001).
• Experience embedding agile, CI/CD, and DevOps practices within cross-functional teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management, influencing, and communication skills.
• A track record of building and mentoring high-performing technology teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and deliver a modern technology strategy that drives scalability, security, and resilience.
• Lead infrastructure, software, and data teams to adopt agile, DevOps, and continuous improvement practices.
• Build and optimise data platforms that enable advanced analytics and faster decision-making.
• Partner with stakeholders across business units to ensure alignment and transparent delivery of outcomes.
• Oversee technology budgets and supplier performance to maximise value, quality, and compliance.

Skills

Leadership experience

Knowledge of cloud platforms

Agile practices

Stakeholder management

Mentoring technology teams

Job description

Overview

Contract: Permanent

Location: Hybrid (Head Office: Quorum Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne)

This is a hybrid working role, so you’ll need to be able to work from our Head Office 1-2 times a week

Hours per week: 37

Salary: Up to £69,782, depending on experience plus £5,000 car allowance

About the role

Our Delivery and End User Computing team are excited to be looking for a Head of Technology and Delivery Operations to shape and drive the future of technology delivery, optimise operational excellence, and ensure seamless, impactful experiences for our users across the organisation.

You’ll be joining a forward-thinking Technology function that plays a critical role in enabling innovation, operational excellence, and sustainable growth across the organisation. The team is highly collaborative, working closely with business stakeholders to deliver secure, scalable, and modern technology solutions.

This role will give you exposure to shaping enterprise-wide technology strategy, leading high-performing teams, and driving innovation through cloud, data, and digital platforms. You’ll have the opportunity to influence decision-making at a strategic level, while ensuring technology delivery creates real value for both customers and the organisation.

How you’ll make an impact:

• Define and deliver a modern technology strategy that drives scalability, security, and resilience across the organisation
• Lead infrastructure, software, and data teams to adopt agile, DevOps, and continuous improvement practices
• Build and optimise data platforms that enable advanced analytics, BI, and faster decision-making
• Partner with stakeholders across Operations, PMO, and other business units to ensure alignment and transparent delivery of outcomes
• Oversee technology budgets and supplier performance to maximise value, quality, and compliance

We’d love to hear from you if you offer the following:

• Proven leadership experience across technology strategy, operations, and software delivery
• Strong knowledge of modern infrastructure, cloud platforms, data architectures, and security frameworks (ISO 27001)
• Experience embedding agile, CI/CD, and DevOps practices within cross-functional teams
• Excellent stakeholder management, influencing, and communication skills
• A track record of building and mentoring high-performing technology teams

Feeling inspired? Read the full Job Description

At NCFE, our people managers play a crucial role in creating a positive colleague experience by prioritising their people to drive an engaged always learning culture, develop and retain talent and achieve results. Our Line Manager Responsibilities can be found here.

What will we offer you in return?

Below are just some of the fantastic benefits we’ll offer you to support you both professionally and personally. You can also visit our Life at NCFE page which covers financial, physical and mental health support, time off and your development.

• 27 days annual leave, increasing to 30 days after 2 years, further increasing up to 33 days with length of service
• 8 bank holidays and an additional 3 days off during the Christmas closure
• YOU celebration day to celebrate your birthday or another life event
• YOU hour allowing you one hour per month to spend time on something that promotes your wellbeing
• Learning and Wellbeing fund of up to £200 per year
• £400 towards any NCFE accreditedqualificationsper year
• Up to 20 Volunteering hours per year
• Flexible working culture with a hybrid working approach
• Early finish on a Friday at 4:30pm to start your weekend early
• Health cash plan throughWestfieldto claim towards health costs such as dental and optical
• Tech and Home scheme with savings at Currys and IKEA
• Employee Assistance Programmewith a confidential helpline and access to face to face and telephone counselling
• Pension of up to 9% employer contribution when you contribute 3%
• Death in service payment worth 4 x your salary
• Car allowance

In addition to our benefits package, Our Colleague Experience Charter sets out the unique experience you can expect when working at NCFE, to enable a thriving, engaged culture. You can find out more about our Colleague Experience Charter and working life at NCFE.

Shape real change with an NCFE career

Imagine a career where your contributions affect not only what people learn, but the way that learningis developed and delivered.

With over 170 years of education experience our core purpose remains at the heart of the organisation – to promote and advance learning to create a fairer, more inclusive society, making sure no learner is left behind.

Want to know more? Take a lookat our websitehttps://www.ncfe.org.uk/

How to apply

Before applying, please note that we require all candidates to be able to demonstrate proof of Right to Work in the UK.

Ready to join us and shape real change? Apply with your CV if you have the commitment to excel in this position.

Closing Date: Tuesday 7 October 2025

Interview Dates: 1st stage will be held on 17 and 20 October - Initial CV discussions

2nd stage will be held on 27 and 28 October in person interviews

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) statement

We're committed to building rich diversity into our workforce at all levels, to ensure that we understand and are representative of the communities and customers we serve.

We do not discriminate against anyone due to their gender, sexuality, race, age, religion, beliefs, identity, social background, visible or hidden disability, or neurodiversity. Instead, we pride ourselves on our collaborative, vibrant and high-performance culture which embraces everyone, celebrates uniqueness, and enables everyone's voice to be heard.