TechOps Lead

kraken; Greater London; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Kraken is seeking an experienced TechOps Team Lead to run end-to-end TechOps services, scale the function, and collaborate with UK and APAC leaders. You will mentor a team, balance workload, own incidents, and drive reliability, security, and user experience across a cloud-first environment.

You will also partner with architecture and security to ensure governance and high service standards while helping people thrive in a fast-paced, evolving workplace.

Qualifications

• A proven track record of leading IT or TechOps teams, ideally through periods of growth.
• At least 3 years of people management experience.
• Experience managing performance, and professional development.
• Strong service management and operational experience.
• Comfort operating in highly ambiguous environments and managing competing priorities.
• A very strong technical background underpinning your leadership approach.
• Hands-on experience providing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd line support.
• Ability to communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong incident management and problem-solving skills.
• A people-first mindset and a conscientious approach to decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Define what good looks like for a small, lean TechOps team.
• Own the day-to-day delivery of TechOps services.
• Support global operations with opportunities to travel to our global sites.
• Liaise with TechOps leadership and architects to prioritise and deliver project work.
• Balance reactive support and projects with proactive, planned improvements and projects.
• Mentor and line manage TechOps team members, supporting their development and career growth.
• Provide hands-on 1st, 2nd and 3rd line technical support across the business.
• Collaborate closely with our Security team to balance security, productivity, and user experience.
• Manage incidents, communications, and follow-ups.
• Coordinate and deliver complex technical projects involving multiple stakeholders and teams across time zones.

Skills

People leadership

Growth scaling

Service management

Incident management

Stakeholder comms

1st-3rd line support

Tools

Okta

Microsoft Entra

Job description

Help us use technology to make a big green dent in the universe!

Kraken powers some of the most innovative global developments in energy.

We create the technology that redefines utilities and unlocks a new energy system of the future. By optimising renewable generation, building a more intelligent grid, and empowering utilities to deliver an exceptional customer experience, our operating system is transforming the industry worldwide.

It’s an incredibly exciting time to work in energy. Join us on our mission to improve the lives of ONE BILLION humans within the decade and shape a cleaner, better future for everyone.

What is TechOps?

TechOps at Kraken is a modern, lean evolution of traditional enterprise IT. We span everything from hands-on frontline support through to high-impact technical projects and long-term strategic improvements.

We are building a small, highly effective TechOps team and are looking for an ambitious, experienced TechOps Generalist to help us scale Kraken safely, securely, and with a strong focus on people.

This is a broad role with a huge amount of variety. You’ll work across identity, devices, SaaS, networking, automation, and office infrastructure - often at the same time. Ambiguity is a constant, and we’re looking for someone who enjoys making sense of it and turning it into action.

We operate almost entirely in the cloud, so you’ll be exposed to a wide range of modern tools and technologies across the business.

Where you'll fit in

• As a TechOps Team Lead, you will be responsible for the end-to-end running of the Kraken TechOps function. This is a leadership role that requires someone comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy, while remaining closely aligned with global TechOps leadership.
• We strongly believe that no matter what role you have within TechOps, it’s still important to keep your ear to the ground and see first-hand the problems our people are facing, and the impact that decisions you make have on everyone at Kraken. This means you’ll spend a significant portion of your time helping out with day-to-day support alongside your leadership responsibilities.
• As a Team Lead within TechOps, you will be responsible for balancing the team’s everyday workload, managing capacity, and prioritising proactive, planned project work alongside reactive support and unplanned work. The TechOps team operates in an environment with a large amount of ambiguity, and we are looking for someone who can make sense of this, identify the most impactful work, and keep the team focused, motivated and moving at pace.
• This is a strategically significant role which will require close collaboration with our UK and APAC leaders. You will bring strong leadership skills, service management, and operational experience, with the ability to lead, scale, and mature this function in line with Kraken’s growth trajectory.

You will have experience in:

• Significant people leadership experience
• Scaling teams and services over time
• Service management, capacity planning, and operational maturity
• Managing support pipelines, projects, and assignments
• Building regional processes while balancing global standards
• Working with internal and external stakeholders and vendors
• Driving reliability, consistency, and continuous improvement
• You will bring strong technical depth across areas such as identity, MDM, networking, office infrastructure,and SaaS, with the confidence to challenge partners and vendors when needed.
• You will be comfortable owning incident management, security and compliance considerations, and contract and service quality oversight.
• This is a huge opportunity for the right candidate to step in and lead an amazing team that is critical to keeping Kraken moving at pace.

What you’ll own

• Define what good looks like for a small, lean, high-performing TechOps team.
• Own the day-to-day delivery of TechOps services.
• Support global operations with opportunities to travel to our global sites.
• Liaise with TechOps leadership and architects to prioritise and deliver project work.
• Balance reactive support and projects with proactive, planned improvements and projects.
• Mentor and line manage TechOps team members, supporting their development and career growth.
• Provide hands-on 1st, 2nd and 3rd line technical support across the business.
• Collaborate closely with our Security team to balance security, productivity, and user experience.
• Manage incidents, communications, and follow-ups.
• Coordinate and deliver complex technical projects involving multiple stakeholders and teams across time zones.

Examples of TechOps projects include:

• Rollout of, and migration to, a new identity provider
• macOS and Windows MDM migrations
• Rollout of device trust and posture compliance solutions
• Replacing insecure factors such as SMS with phishing-resistant authentication
• Office fit-outs including networking, AV, and access control
• SaaS migrations for acquisitions (e.g. Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace)

What you bring to the party

Must have

• A proven track record of leading successful IT or TechOps teams, ideally through periods of growth.
• At least 3 years of people management experience.
• Significant experience managing performance, and professional development.
• Strong service management and operational experience.
• Comfort operating in highly ambiguous environments and managing competing priorities.
• A very strong technical background underpinning your leadership approach.
• Hands-on experience providing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd line support.
• Ability to communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong incident management and problem-solving skills.
• A people-first mindset and a conscientious approach to decision-making.

Should have

• Experience working across time zones and with globally distributed teams
• Strong opinions on best practice and a desire to challenge traditional IT norms.
• Experience mentoring team members with varying levels of experience.
• Experience supporting macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android environments.
• Experience with Identity & Access Management platforms such as Okta or Microsoft Entra.
• Willingness to travel and maintain presence in regional office locations if required.

Bonus points

• A foundational understanding of programming or software engineering.
• Familiarity with security tooling such as CrowdStrike, Kolide, osquery, and Zscaler.
• Experience with email gateway administration and routing.

Don't think you check off all of the above? We love hiring passionate people with a drive to learn so get in touch and let us know which areas you don't currently have confidence and/or experience with, we'd love to hear from you!

Kraken is a certified Great Place to Work in France, Germany, Spain, Japan and Australia. In the UK we are one of the Best Workplaces on Glassdoor with a score of 4.7. Check out our Welcome to the Jungle site (FR/EN) to learn more about our teams and culture.

Are you ready for a career with us? We want to ensure you have the right tools and environment to unleash your potential. If you have any accommodation requests, please contact us at [e-mail]. We’ll do our best to tailor the experience to your needs so you can feel comfortable, confident and be at your best!

Studies have shown that some groups of people, like women, are less likely to apply to a role unless they meet 100% of the job requirements. Whoever you are, if you like one of our jobs, we encourage you to apply as you might just be the candidate we’re looking for! At Kraken, we're creating a team of genuine, honest, empathetic people. Our people are our strongest asset and the unique skills and perspectives people bring to the team are the driving force of our success. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute. We consider all applicants without regard to race, colour, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

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Please note that, in line with our current recruitment policy, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position; applicants must have the right to work in the country that they're applying to, at the time of application.