IT Director

OQC; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

OQC in Reading, UK is seeking an IT Director to lead the transformation of our global IT capability, building secure, scalable foundations to support growth. You’ll own strategy, infrastructure and IT operations across an increasingly international organisation, ensuring secure, reliable technology while protecting data and IP.

You will define and deliver the IT roadmap, lead and develop the IT and networking team, oversee infrastructure and business systems, and strengthen information security,

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading IT in a global, high-technology organisation.
• Proven track record building hybrid IT functions with internal and external teams.
• Experience governing infrastructure, security, DR/BC in a business-critical environment.
• Strong vendor management and budget oversight across regions.

Responsibilities

• Define and deliver the global IT strategy and roadmap aligned with growth.
• Lead and develop the IT and networking team across regions.
• Oversee infrastructure, cloud environments, and business systems.
• Strengthen information security with ISO 27001/SOC 2 compliance.
• Drive technology transformation and automation opportunities incl. AI.
• Establish IT governance, policies and vendor relationships.

Skills

Strategic IT leadership

Hybrid in-house / outsourced IT

Infrastructure & networking

Information security governance

Disaster recovery & business continuit

Cloud technology

Budget & vendor management

Executive stakeholder engagement

Education

ITIL certification

CISSP

Cisco CCIE or equivalent

Tools

Google Workspace

Microsoft 365

Entra ID

Job description

At OQC, we aren’t just theorising about the future; we’re building it. Born from a philosophy of bold innovation, we’ve successfully transitioned quantum computing from an academic dream into a commercial reality.

The most exciting thing is that we’re just getting started and we’ve recently closed our £260 million Series C funding round which is the largest fundraise ever completed by a quantum computing company in Europe.

The Purpose

As IT Director, you will lead the transformation of OQC's global IT capability, building the scalable, secure and resilient technology foundations needed to support our next phase of growth.

You’ll own the strategy, infrastructure and operational delivery of IT across an increasingly international organisation, ensuring our people have secure, reliable and intuitive technology while protecting OQC's data, systems and intellectual property.

The Role

You’ll lead OQC's IT function across our global operations, combining strategic leadership with hands‑on ownership of a technically demanding environment.

You’ll define and deliver the IT roadmap, lead and develop the IT and networking team, oversee infrastructure and business systems, and strengthen our approach to information security, governance, disaster recovery and business continuity.

This is a highly visible leadership role, partnering with the Executive team and leaders across the business to ensure our technology estate evolves ahead of OQC's growth rather than simply responding to it.

The role supports users across the UK, EU, APAC and USA within a business operating on a 24/7 basis. Some international travel and participation in out-of-hours calls will be required. The role requires the ability to be within approximately one hour's travelling distance of OQC's Reading offices when required.

What You'll Be Working On

• Defining and delivering OQC's global IT strategy and roadmap, aligning technology investment, infrastructure and capabilities with company growth, business priorities and budgets.
• Building a scalable global IT capability, leading the IT and networking team and developing the right blend of internal expertise, outsourced services and strategic technology partners.
• Owning OQC's technology estate, including infrastructure, networking, cloud environments, business systems, end-user technology, Help Desk services, assets and software licensing.
• Strengthening information security and resilience, developing the Information Security roadmap and driving compliance with ISO 27001 and SOC 2 alongside robust backup, disaster recovery and business continuity capabilities.
• Leading technology transformation, identifying opportunities to simplify the technology landscape, improve information flows, automate processes and introduce emerging technologies including AI.
• Creating effective IT governance, developing pragmatic policies, controls and standards that protect OQC's data, systems and intellectual property while maintaining an intuitive user experience.
• Managing technology investment and partners, overseeing IT budgets, software and hardware vendors, procurement, SLAs and technology projects to improve performance, resilience and value.

What We’re Looking For

• Significant experience leading an IT function within a medium-sized, global, high-technology or similarly technically demanding organisation.
• Demonstrable experience building and scaling a hybrid in-house and outsourced IT function, including hiring, developing and leading high-performing technical teams.
• Strong experience owning a broad IT estate encompassing infrastructure, networking, IT support, cloud technology, information security and business systems.
• Proven experience implementing and operating against ISO 27001 and/or SOC 2 security frameworks, with strong knowledge of cybersecurity, data protection and technology risk management.
• Strong technical understanding across networking technologies including TCP/IP, DNS and VPNs, Windows/Linux environments, identity management, server and cloud technologies.
• Experience developing and testing disaster recovery, backup and business continuity strategies within a business-critical environment.
• Strong commercial and leadership capability, including budget management, vendor management, technology procurement, stakeholder engagement and delivery of complex IT programmes.

The ‘Nice‑to‑Haves’

• Experience scaling technology capability within a fast-growth or scale-up organisation.
• Experience supporting global users and technology environments operating across multiple time zones.
• Extensive experience managing complex multi-cloud environments, particularly Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, including Entra ID/Google Cloud Identity, cross-platform security and unified ways of working.
• Experience working with and managing third-party Managed Service Providers (MSPs).
• Knowledge of ITIL, Agile, DevOps and business process analysis.
• A relevant degree and/or professional certifications such as ITIL, CISSP, Cisco CCIE or equivalent.

Why Join OQC

You will join a world-class team at the forefront of the next computational era. We offer a culture of bold innovation, the chance to work with unique lab infrastructure, and the opportunity to see your work redefine the limits of computation.

Learn more about our benefits and positive work culture here: https://oqc.tech/company/careers-at-oqc/