IT Director

Perch Group; Manchester, Lancashire; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life insurance

Car scheme

Formal qualifications

Wellbeing and development

Job summary

Perch Group is seeking an IT Director to lead the IT operations supporting around 400 employees in a fast-paced FCA-regulated environment.

You'll own service management, supplier relationships and cloud infrastructure (Azure, AWS, Microsoft 365), driving data‑driven improvements and resilient IT strategies. Hybrid working, 3 days in the office, with Manchester Spinningfields and a DBS/credit check on offer.

Qualifications

• Experience leading IT operations across multiple sites.
• Proven ITIL implementation and people development.
• Experience with Azure, AWS and/or Microsoft 365.
• Strong supplier management and commercial skills.
• Knowledge of information security, data protection and resilience.
• Experience using service data to drive continuous improvement.
• FCA-regulated financial services experience.
• ITIL Foundation or higher.
• Security or cloud certifications.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop and motivate the IT team across service desk, infrastructure and service management.
• Embed ITIL practices and manage incidents, changes and knowledge.
• Manage third-party suppliers with SLAs and reviews.
• Oversee Azure, AWS and Microsoft 365 and on-site infra.
• Maintain ISO27001, ISO9001, Cyber Essentials Plus and GDPR readiness.
• Provide weekly/monthly IT performance MI and out-of-hours escalation.
• Develop and deliver an IT resilience and improvement strategy.

Skills

IT leadership

IT operations

Incident management

Service desk

ITIL

Cloud environments

Security governance

Data-driven

Stakeholder management

Tools

Azure

AWS

Microsoft 365

Jira Service Management

Atlassian suite

Job description

Lead the team, solve the problems, make the difference. Apply to be Perch Group’s IT Director!

At Perch Group, our vision is clear: to lead the UK debt purchase and collection industry by harnessing cutting-edge technology to drive ethical, efficient, and data-driven debt resolution.

Our annual mission is to empower hundreds of thousands of customers to positively engage with and resolve their outstanding debts. We do this through an empathetic and customer-centric approach that is at the heart of our success.

What are we looking for?

We're looking for a hands-on, pragmatic IT Director who leads from the front in a fast-paced, FCA-regulated environment. Responsible for IT operations supporting around 400 employees, you'll combine strong technical, operational and people leadership with a calm, solutions-focused approach under pressure. You'll take ownership of major incidents through to resolution, act as the senior escalation point when issues arise, hold suppliers and teams accountable, and use data to drive continuous improvement. Most importantly, you'll be someone who rolls up their sleeves, supports the team through challenges, and focuses on fixing problems rather than reporting on them.

So, what will your day-to-day look like?

Leadership and team

Lead, develop and motivate the IT team across service desk, infrastructure and service management. Review the structure and ways of working and make changes where required. Build clear ownership, accountability and calm, effective incident leadership.

Service management and service desk

Own the service desk and embed proportionate ITIL practices covering incident, problem, change, request and knowledge management. Analyse demand and address recurring causes of tickets. Ensure effective use of Jira Service Management and the wider Atlassian toolset.

Suppliers and commercial management

Establish effective service management for third-party suppliers, including clear SLAs, service reviews, escalation routes and performance tracking. Support supplier, contract and licensing negotiations to secure value and appropriate terms. Work with the Operations Director on dialler performance.

Cloud and infrastructure

Oversee Azure, AWS, Microsoft 365 and physical data-centre infrastructure. Ensure services are reliable, secure, monitored and appropriately supported. Lead a review of cloud environments and recommend the future approach.

Information security, resilience and compliance

Hold operational responsibility for information security under the CTO’s accountability. Maintain ISO 27001, ISO 9001 and Cyber Essentials Plus requirements, support UK GDPR compliance and contribute to FCA operational resilience. Prepare the organisation for likely PCI DSS requirements.

Performance, incidents and strategy

Provide weekly and monthly management information on the performance of IT. Act as the senior out-of-hours escalation point for significant incidents and drive timely resolution. Develop and deliver an IT improvement and technical resilience strategy.

Does this sound like you?

• Experience leading IT operations, including service desk, infrastructure and service management teams across multiple sites.
• Proven ability to embed ITIL processes and develop managers and team leaders.
• Experience overseeing Azure, AWS and/or Microsoft 365 environments.
• Strong supplier management skills, including performance improvement and commercial support.
• Working knowledge of information security, data protection and operational resilience.
• Experience using service data and MI to drive root-cause analysis and continuous improvement.

• Experience within FCA-regulated financial services, debt purchase, collections or another operationally regulated environment.
• Working knowledge of ISO 27001, ISO 9001, Cyber Essentials Plus and PCI DSS.
• ITIL Foundation or a higher ITIL qualification.
• Relevant security or cloud certification.

The Application Timeline

• A first stage video call with the internal talent acquisition team (15-minute call)
• An introductory call with the Chief Technology Officer via Teams (30 minutes)
• A final interview with the Executive Team, at our Manchester site

Why you should be EXCITED to apply...

Up to £100,000 + up to 20% of your annual salary, paid as a bonus.

This role is hybrid with a requirement to be in the office 3 days per week. At least 1 of these days will be in the Blackpool office.

Our Manchester Spinningfields site is a premium workspace located in the heart of Manchester’s commercial hub with regular social events planned. Oh, and did we mention the free coffee bar and beer tap? Don't believe us? See for yourself! https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7350451348598837248

37.5 hours per week. We offer flexible and hybrid working between our core hours of 8am- 6pm, Monday to Friday. Due to the nature of this role, you will be the out of hours escalation point, where required.

Life insurance to give you and your family peace of mind.

Car scheme for hybrid and electric vehicles.

The opportunity to complete formal qualifications and learn on the job in a successful, growing organisation.

And many more benefits to support your wellbeing and professional development. Please note that some of our benefits are available after probation.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to age, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, national origin, veteran, neurodiversity or disability status.

If you have any questions or suggestions of how we can assist you in your application due to disability or personal reasons, please email [e-mail].

PLEASE NOTE - All new employees must undergo a full DBS, Credit Check and Right to Work Check upon acceptance of a job offer with Perch Group.