IT & Transformation Strategy & Governance Lead

Leisure (Operations); Northwich; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension with matched contributions up

Bonus scheme 2%

35 days holiday incl. bank holidays

Healthcare cashback plan

Wellbeing support

Gym membership

Life Assurance

Job summary

Places for People in the UK is seeking an IT & Transformation Strategy & Governance Lead based in Northwich, with around three days on site. You will own and continually improve IT strategy, the technology roadmap, contracts and policy framework, connecting IT and Transformation to clear technology priorities.

You will maintain governance across the portfolio, work with teams organization‑wide, and provide leaders with practical recommendations while balancing risks and dependencies.

Qualifications

• Experience in IT strategy, governance, portfolio management, operations or transformation.
• Ability to maintain governance records like roadmaps, inventories, registers and reports.
• Proven cross‑functional stakeholder engagement with IT, finance, legal and leadership.
• Experience overseeing IT contracts, renewals and supplier performance.

Responsibilities

• Own and continually improve IT strategy, technology roadmap and policy framework.
• Maintain governance across the technology portfolio with dashboards and logs.
• Support investment and prioritisation decisions with clear recommendations.
• Work with leaders and suppliers to keep ownership, risks and changes visible.

Skills

IT strategy

Technology governance

IT portfolio management

IT operations

Stakeholder management

Contract management

Reporting & business cases

Tools

Microsoft 365

SharePoint

Power BI

Visio

Jira

ServiceNow

Job description

As the UK's leading Social Enterprise, we move lives forward every day by building, managing and supporting thriving Communities. From new homes, social housing and student accommodation to leisure, education and Community initiatives, our work makes a positive difference to millions of People across the UK. And that takes People who care about doing the right thing. People who are ambitious, ready to grow and motivated to make a difference through the work they do.

We're looking for Colleagues who bring energy, curiosity and ownership. People who enjoy being challenged, support those around them and want to keep raising the bar. Because when we perform at our best, we create more opportunities to invest in our Customers, our Communities and each other.

Experience matters, but it's only part of the story. If you share our values and want to build a career where your work has real impact, we'd love to hear from you.

More about your role

As our IT & Transformation Strategy & Governance Lead, you will own and continually improve our IT strategy, technology roadmap, application landscape, IT contracts and policy framework. You will connect IT and Transformation, turning operational and transformation needs into clear technology priorities while making sure plans, risks, dependencies and supplier commitments remain visible and well managed.

You will maintain effective governance across the technology portfolio, including roadmaps, decision logs, policy schedules, contract dashboards, application reports and risk registers. Working with teams across the organisation, you will support investment and prioritisation decisions, challenge unclear ownership or unmanaged technology change, and provide leaders with clear, practical recommendations.

This role is based in Northwich around 3 days a week.

At Places for People, we are committed to a safe working environment so a basic DBS check is mandatory.

Essential criteria

• Experience working within IT strategy, technology governance, IT portfolio management, IT operations, transformation, business systems, architecture or technology delivery.
• Practical experience of maintaining governance records such as technology roadmaps, application inventories, contract registers, policy libraries, risk registers or portfolio reports.
• Evidence of working with stakeholders across functions such as IT, Transformation, Procurement, Finance, Legal, operational teams, technology suppliers and senior leadership.
• Experience managing or providing oversight of IT contracts, renewals, supplier performance, licensing, costs or value-for-money considerations.
• Experience translating complex technology, supplier or governance information into clear reports, business cases, decision papers or recommendations.

More about you

You will be organised, commercially aware and comfortable bringing structure to a complex technology environment. You can work confidently with specialists, suppliers and senior leaders, ask constructive questions and turn detailed information into clear decisions and actions. You will take ownership of keeping governance information accurate, current and controlled while balancing several priorities.

Experience in housing, property, customer operations, shared services or another regulated organisation would be useful, particularly if you have worked with complex or legacy application landscapes. Qualifications or training in areas such as ITIL, COBIT, TOGAF, business analysis, project or programme management, supplier management, Agile or Lean Six Sigma would also be welcome. Experience with platforms such as Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Power BI, Visio, Jira or ServiceNow would be beneficial but is not essential.

What you'll get

We know rewarding work deserves rewarding benefits. That's why, alongside a competitive salary, you'll have access to a package designed to support you at work and beyond.

You will receive:

• Pension with matched contributions up to 7%
• Bonus scheme for colleagues at 2%
• 35 days holiday (including bank holidays) with the option to buy or sell days
• Healthcare cashback plan for everyday medical costs, with private GP and health support services available
• Comprehensive wellbeing support including counselling, flu jabs, our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and access to our Wellbeing Hub, supporting your mental, physical and financial wellbeing
• Access to Our Place Rewards, offering discounts and savings on groceries, travel, shopping, home products and other lifestyle purchases
• Ongoing training, professional qualifications, internal development programmes and career progression opportunities
• Recognition programmes including Star Awards and Colleague Awards, celebrating achievements and recognising great work
• Strong focus on inclusion, wellbeing and colleague engagement
• Free membership to Places Gyms
• Life Assurance to provide financial security for your loved ones, alongside access to will writing services to help you plan for the future with confidence