Head of IT

SRT Marine Systems plc; Bristol (VA); Hybrid; USD 119,000 - 159,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave rising to 28 days

Development opportunities

Competitive salary and benefits

Job summary

SRT Marine Systems plc is seeking a Head of IT to lead the internal IT function, own the corporate IT estate and manage a small in-house team with oversight of an MSP. The role focuses on delivering reliable IT services, strong security posture and alignment with business needs.

The Head of IT will report to the COO, drive the 12-month delivery plan, and collaborate with engineering and business units to protect data, assets and continuity across offices in the UK and abroad.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading an internal IT function in a growing organisation.
• Strong working knowledge of the Microsoft cloud estate: M365, Entra ID, Intune, Defender and Conditional Access, plus Mac management in a hybrid identity environment.
• Experience managing a MSP and other IT suppliers with service levels, reviews and renewals.
• Track record delivering IT projects and change alongside business-as-usual; managing an IT budget and delivery plan.
• Understanding of security controls and frameworks (Cyber Essentials Plus, ISO 27001, NIST CSF).
• Ability to lead, coach and develop a small team and collaborate with highly technical engineers.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the in-house IT team, setting priorities and standards; ensure fast, effective support across the business.
• Own the corporate IT estate end to end: Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Windows/Mac endpoints, networks, telephony, meeting-room AV.
• Define support routing, escalation, and measurement; set service levels and hold suppliers to account.
• Manage MSP performance with reviews, escalations, and contract renewals.
• Deliver IT budgets and 12-month delivery plan; contribute to long-term technology roadmap.
• Protect SRT’s data assets and people from cyber threats and breaches.
• Ensure consistent external presentation of SRT’s brand and professional image.
• Own endpoint and identity platforms; keep them current and well-configured.
• Coordinate with system owners (ERP, Jira, HR tools) for configuration and access management.
• Support security certification programs and governance with Security & Compliance Manager.
• Manage joiners/movers/leavers, licensing, asset management and related policies.
• Report to senior leadership on service, risk, cost and progress.

Skills

IT leadership

Microsoft 365

Security & Compliance

Vendor management

Budgeting & planning

Communication

Job description

SRT Marine Systems plc (SRT) is a market leader in its domain of international territorial surveillance technology and systems. We are respected, established and an ambitious company headquartered in the UK with a global customer base.

The company has a global impact in the sovereign territorial surveillance domain by leading the next generation of surveillance technologies, products and systems that significantly enhance, security, safety and environment protection and sustainability.

SRT is an exciting company where high quality results are rewarded. We are ambitious, agile and constantly seeking to innovate to deliver better products and services to our customers. We strive to make SRT a rewarding and challenging place to work where talented hard-working individuals have the opportunity to make a real impact.

We are looking for a Head of IT to lead our internal IT function as SRT grows, taking ownership of the corporate IT estate, the day-to-day IT team and the service our people receive, and delivering the technology the business needs as it grows.

This is a full-time, hands-on leadership role and the senior full-time IT position in the company, reporting to the Chief Operating Officer. As Head of IT will lead a small in-house team, direct our managed service provider, and work closely with people across the business to ensure IT needs are anticipated and delivered whilst protecting SRT from the substantial threat of cyber attacks from global threats.

SRT has grown rapidly and now has more than 200 people across our offices, most of them engineers, with a corporate estate of Windows and Mac devices, and we now need a leader to own it, run it well and take it forward. This is corporate IT rather than product engineering: our software and systems engineering teams manage their own development tooling, along with the security of our products and their deployment in customer environments.

The role of Head of IT is primarily based from our Bristol office, but you must be willing to travel to our offices in Cardiff and Midsomer Norton on occasion, with good flexibility for hybrid working.

Responsibilities - Head Of IT - Not Exhaustive

• Lead and develop the in-house IT team, setting priorities, standards and ways of working, and making sure people across the business get fast, effective support
• Own the corporate IT estate end to end: Microsoft 365 and Entra ID, Windows and Mac endpoints, networks, telephony, meeting-room AV and office IT
• Define how support requests are routed, escalated and measured across our own team and our managed service provider, set the service levels, and hold our suppliers to account against them
• Manage the day-to-day performance of our managed service provider and other IT suppliers, including quarterly service reviews, escalations and the renewal of operational contracts
• Manage and deliver to the IT operational and project budgets, own the 12-month IT delivery plan, and contribute to the longer-term technology roadmap, sequencing projects sensibly alongside business-as-usual
• Be ever vigilant in protecting SRT’s data assets, people and associated third parties from the constant threat of cyber attacks
• Ensure that the manner in which SRT presents itself to the outside world, customers in particular, is consistent with SRT’s values and position as a trusted and professional business in every respect
• Own and continually improve our endpoint and identity platforms (device management, endpoint protection, secure remote access, privilege management and Mac management), keeping them current, well configured and evidenced
• Give business systems a home in IT: work with system owners across the business (ERP, Jira, delivery and HR tools, Microsoft 365 automation) so that configuration, integration and access are managed properly
• Contribute to security assurance and certification (Cyber Essentials Plus, ISO 27001) as the owner of the corporate estate and its controls, working alongside the Security & Compliance Manager
• Own joiners, movers and leavers, licensing, asset management and device lifecycle, and the policies and processes behind them
• Report clearly to senior leadership on service, risk, cost and progress in business terms

Requirements - Head Of IT - Not Exhaustive

• Substantial experience leading an internal IT function in a growing organisation of similar or larger size, ideally an engineering, technology or manufacturing business
• Strong working knowledge of the Microsoft cloud estate: Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Intune, Defender and Conditional Access, plus Mac management, in a hybrid identity environment
• Experience of managing a managed service provider and other IT suppliers, including service levels, reviews and renewals
• A track record of running IT as a service people value: responsive, visible and pragmatic, with a bias to fixing things
• Experience of delivering IT projects and change alongside business-as-usual, and of managing an IT budget and delivery plan
• Understanding of security controls and frameworks (Cyber Essentials Plus, ISO 27001, NIST CSF) as they apply to a corporate IT estate, without needing to be a certification specialist
• The ability to lead, coach and develop a small team, and to work alongside highly technical engineering colleagues who manage their own tooling
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain technology choices and trade-offs to senior leaders in business terms
• Experience in a company that has grown quickly, or through a period of significant change, would be helpful
• Experience in high-trust, regulated or mission-critical environments would be valuable

Benefits

• Highly Competitive Salary and benefits package
• 25 days annual leave rising to 28 days with service
• Real individual development opportunities

SRT Marine Systems plc is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and welcome applications from all backgrounds.