Head Of IT. 50% Hands on - Network, Security, Cloud, IAM/IDAM

Head Of IT - Security, Networks, Cloud Infrastructure, IAM/IDAM etc.

As the Head of IT, you will provide both strategic direction and hands-on technical leadership to shape, develop and maintain a high-performing, innovative and proactive technology function.

Operating within a fast-paced, rapidly growing UK Fashion Retailer, you will lead by example, combining technical expertise with strong people leadership. This is a hands-on role, with approximately 60% of your time focused on technical engineering, architecture and project delivery, and 50% on leadership, mentoring, planning and stakeholder engagement.

We are looking for an IT leader who has progressed from a strong technical background and remains passionate about technology. You should be equally comfortable designing complex network topologies, configuring hybrid cloud environments and troubleshooting infrastructure issues as you are presenting technology initiatives to senior stakeholders. You will bridge the gap between technical execution and business adoption, driving the modernisation of our technology estate whilst ensuring a first-class service delivery culture.

Key Responsibilities

• Leadership
• Leadership & Team Development: Provide strong leadership to the IT team, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement. Lead by example, demonstrating professionalism, technical excellence and a commitment to outstanding customer service.
• Performance & Mentoring: Develop the technical capability of the team through coaching, mentoring, regular performance reviews and structured development plans. Encourage continuous learning through training, certifications and knowledge sharing.
• Talent Attraction & Retention: Build an engaged, forward-thinking IT team by recruiting high-calibre technical professionals and creating an environment where innovation and technical excellence are recognised and rewarded.
• Succession Planning: Cross-train team members to reduce key-person dependencies and develop future technical leaders to ensure operational resilience.
• Hands-On Technical Leadership
• Hybrid Infrastructure Management: Design, configure and maintain our hybrid infrastructure, ensuring seamless integration between on-premise platforms and cloud services while supporting ongoing modernisation initiatives.
• Client Engineering: Support and manage a mixed Windows and Apple estate, administering Microsoft Intune, JAMF and Apple Business Manager to deliver secure and efficient endpoint management.
• Collaboration & Identity Management: Act as the technical lead for Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Entra ID, Single Sign-On and identity management platforms, ensuring secure access and effective collaboration.
• Technical Escalation: Act as the senior technical escalation point for complex infrastructure, networking, cloud and security issues. Work alongside the IT team to troubleshoot, resolve and implement long-term improvements.
• Security & Compliance: Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of cybersecurity controls, including patch management, endpoint security, Firewalls, disaster recovery, backups and information security frameworks.
• Delivering for the Business
• Technology Planning: Support the ongoing development of the IT function to meet the needs of a fast-growing, £250m+ retail business, ensuring technology remains secure, scalable and aligned with business objectives.
• Performance Management: Introduce modern service management practices using business-focused KPIs and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
• Technical Standards: Define and maintain technical standards, architecture principles and documentation, ensuring solutions delivered internally and by third-party suppliers meet business and security requirements.
• Vendor Management: Manage relationships with software vendors, managed service providers and hardware suppliers, ensuring service quality, value for money and contractual compliance.
• Service Delivery & Business Adoption
• Customer-Focused IT: Promote clear communication across the business, ensuring technology services consistently deliver an excellent customer experience for both head office and retail operations.
• Service Improvement: Continue to develop the Service Desk into a proactive, customer-focused function that reduces downtime and improves the user experience across the organisation.
• Technology Adoption: Work closely with business stakeholders to maximise the value of existing technologies, supporting user adoption through training, workshops and effective communication.
• Change Management: Lead the technical planning and implementation of infrastructure upgrades, migrations and business change, ensuring minimal disruption during critical trading periods.

The Ideal Candidate

Required Experience

Proven experience operating as a senior IT leader within a fast-paced, multi-site environment.

A strong technical background with previous hands-on experience as a Systems Administrator, Infrastructure Engineer, Network Engineer, Cloud Engineer or Infrastructure Architect.

Experience balancing hands-on technical delivery with team leadership and strategic planning.

Previous experience within retail, E-commerce or other customer-facing organisations is highly desirable.

Technical Skills

Strong knowledge of hybrid cloud and on-premise infrastructure.

Experience administering Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and identity platforms including Entra ID.

Expert administration of Windows, Apple macOS, Microsoft Intune, JAMF and Apple Business Manager.

Practical networking knowledge covering routing, switching, Firewalls, VPNs, SD-WAN and enterprise Wi-Fi.

Strong understanding of cybersecurity best practice, disaster recovery, backup technologies and endpoint security.

Experience with PowerShell, Bash or Python Scripting to automate routine administration is desirable.

Personal Attributes

A hands-on technical leader who enjoys remaining close to the technology.

Commercially aware with excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills.

Strong communicator, capable of engaging effectively with technical teams, senior leadership and business stakeholders.

Passionate about continuous improvement, innovation and developing high-performing teams.