IT Director

Big Red Recruitment Midlands Limited; St Albans; Hybrid; GBP 102,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment agency is seeking a hands-on IT Director to streamline technology operations and drive growth in St Albans. The ideal candidate will possess leadership skills, budget management experience, and a background in EdTech or Software Houses. This hybrid role offers a salary of up to £120,000, a 20% bonus, generous holiday, and various employee benefits, including a wellbeing program and modern office facilities.

Benefits

20% bonus

28 days holiday + Bank Holiday

6% employer pension contribution

Wellbeing programme

Free breakfast

Discounted parking

Qualifications

• Experience in a fast-growing, founder-led environment.
• Background in EdTech or Software House preferred.
• Commercially minded with budget ownership experience.

Responsibilities

• Own and deliver a 3-year technology roadmap aligned to business growth.
• Lead IT strategy, operations, security, and vendor management.
• Optimise OPEX budget to cut costs through smarter spend.

Skills

Leadership

Cybersecurity

Budget management

SaaS platforms

Automation

Strategy development

Cloud environments

Tools

Jira

Salesforce

Job description

Our client is a fast-growing, founder-led organisation moving from start-up energy into a more structured, scalable growth phase. Technology is central to success, but it now needs focus to enable the business to move faster.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for a hands‑on IT Director who can take a solid but fragmented technology estate and turn it into a streamlined, secure, future‑ready platform. You’ll sit at Executive level, work closely with founders and the CEO, and play a defining role in shaping how technology supports customers, revenue, and long‑term growth.

The foundations are in place :

• Strong technology partners and consultants
• Modern tooling (Jira, Salesforce re‑platforming underway)
• Improved software stability
• A small but capable core team across IT Ops, DevOps, Helpdesk, and Projects

Now the focus shifts to proactivity, optimisation, and leadership visibility :

• Reducing cost and complexity
• Driving automation and AI‑led efficiencies
• Making technology more effective, better communicated, and more commercially aligned

Your mandate is clear : make it leaner, smarter, and more impactful.

As IT Director, you will :

• Own and deliver a 3‑year technology roadmap aligned to business growth
• Lead IT strategy, operations, security, and vendor management
• Optimise OPEX budget, with a clear target to cut costs, through smarter spend, simplification, and automation
• Rationalise a tech stack that has grown through add‑ons and point solutions
• Strengthen cyber security, governance, and compliance
• Bring visibility and clarity to technology decisions, risks, and outcomes at Exec level
• Be present, vocal, and influential
• Lead, develop, and challenge a hybrid internal and outsourced team

About you :

• An EdTech or Software House background would lend itself well here, or a B2B2C environment, so you have full understanding of customer onboarding and experience.
• Commercially minded and comfortable owning full budgets
• Previously led change in scaling, founder‑led or growth‑stage environments
• Balances strategy with delivery and isn’t afraid to get hands‑on
• Can simplify complexity and explain technology simply
• Has experience with SaaS platforms, cloud environments, integrations, and vendors
• Understands cyber security, GDPR, and operational risk

Permanent opportunity

Hybrid role : 3 days per week in the office (St Albans)

Salary up to £120,000

Up to 20% bonus, 28 days holiday + Bank Holiday, 6% employer pension contribution, wellbeing programme and more.

Modern office space, free breakfast, discounted parking