Interim Head of Infrastructure

Xpertise Recruitment; Nottingham; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Xpertise Recruitment is seeking an Interim Head of Infrastructure and IT Operations in Nottingham. This 3-month assignment (Outside IR35) requires hands-on leadership to keep the IT estate reliable, secure and within budget while guiding a small team.

Work will be hybrid with one day per week in the Nottingham office, reporting to the CTO. The role combines technical escalation for 2nd line infrastructure and operational leadership across Windows, Linux, cloud and security domains, with active

Qualifications

• Strong Windows Server, AD and hybrid DNS troubleshooting to escalate when needed.
• Hands-on Azure and/or AWS experience in real projects or support work.
• Experience operating in a 3rd-line/escalation capacity with high-pressure problems.

Responsibilities

• Hands-on technical leadership to escalate and resolve complex infrastructure issues.
• Lead and develop the infrastructure and security team, ensuring support is effective and trained.
• Oversee reliability and security of IT and application infrastructure, with budget awareness.

Skills

Windows Server

Active Directory

Hybrid DNS

Azure

AWS

3rd-line support

Security fundamentals

Vulnerability management

Budget management

Vendor management

Tools

Nagios

Mimecast

Hyper-V

VMware

Job description

Interim Head of Infrastructure and IT Operations

3 months Outside IR35 with view to being extended or going permanent

Nottingham (1 day per week in the office)

The Interim Lead Senior Infrastructure Engineer / Head of Infrastructure and Operations combines two things in one person: the technical escalation point the 2nd Line Infrastructure Analyst(s) and Security Engineer can rely on, and the operational leader who keeps infrastructure, security and application-related IT running reliably, securely and within budget. You will lead and develop a small, capable team, own the reliability and security of our IT estate, and manage the associated budget, working closely with the CTO throughout.

Key responsibilities

Hands-on technical leadership

• Act as the escalation point for Windows Server, Active Directory and hybrid DNS issues the team cannot resolve alone.
• Administer and oversee Microsoft 365 / Entra ID across the organisation.
• Work confidently across both Windows and Linux environments.
• Apply genuine hands‑on Azure and/or AWS experience to live infrastructure and support work, not just certification knowledge.
• Own ambiguous, high-pressure problems in a 3rd-line capacity, seeing them through to resolution.

Operational leadership

• Ensure infrastructure and security systems remain robust, scalable and aligned with business needs.
• Oversee the reliability and performance of IT and application infrastructure, identifying opportunities for optimisation.
• Lead and develop the infrastructure and security team, ensuring they are equipped and supported.
• Collaborate with the Head of Support to ensure infrastructure and support functions integrate smoothly.
• Track delivery of outsourced/vendor‑run projects (e.g. the VMware to Hyper‑V migration) against agreed timelines and quality, escalating slippage or risk to the CTO.

Security and compliance oversight

• Apply a solid grounding in security fundamentals - patching, vulnerability management concepts and identity security - to guide and sanity‑check the Security Engineer's work, without needing to be a security specialist yourself.
• Help ensure systems remain compliant with relevant regulations and standards (e.g. GDPR, Cyber Essentials) - including seeing the current Cyber Essentials certification through to completion.
• Escalate and respond to security risks appropriately, keeping the CTO informed.

Budget and stakeholder management

• Maintain oversight of the IT operations budget, including procurement and application costs, with CTO support.
• Monitor SaaS application costs and usage, and manage vendor relationships already in place.
• Communicate clearly with non‑technical stakeholders, translating technical issues and decisions into terms the business can act on.

Essential (this is what lets you lead the team from day one)

• Strong Windows Server, AD and hybrid DNS troubleshooting - enough to be the escalation point, not just a participant.
• Comfortable working across both Windows and Linux.
• Genuine hands‑on Azure and/or AWS experience - real project or support work, not certifications alone.
• Experience operating in a 3rd‑line / escalation capacity, owning ambiguous, high‑pressure problems.
• A solid understanding of security fundamentals - patching, vulnerability management concepts, identity security - even without being a dedicated security specialist.
• Exposure to WAN/network rollouts across multi‑site estates, monitoring platforms (e.g. Nagios or equivalent) and email security gateways (e.g. Mimecast) - useful given the current project slate, though not essential to pick these up quickly.