Head of Information Technology

Head of Technology - Contract role. Location: Prescot, Merseyside – Hybrid Contract duration: Six months IR35 status: Outside IR35 Start: Immediate Reports to: Group Head of IT Direct reports: Head of Development, Head of Infrastructure, Head of Data, Head of QA and Technology Delivery Lead Role purpose My client is seeking an experienced Interim Head of Technology to deliver a focused programme of improvement across its technology functions. The Head of Technology's immediate priorities are to mature the data department, strengthen infrastructure capability, and take ownership of technology change control. The successful contractor will quickly assess the current position, identify risks and gaps, and implement practical improvements that establish stronger governance, clearer accountability and more reliable delivery. Working with the heads of Development, Infrastructure, Data and QA, alongside the Technology Delivery Lead, the Interim Head of Technology will ensure these functions operate cohesively, with consistent standards and a shared approach to managing priorities, dependencies and change. Key responsibilities Maturing the data function

• Assess the data department's current capabilities, structure, processes and delivery commitments.
• Work with the Head of Data to establish a clear operating model, with defined responsibilities, priorities and ownership.
• Strengthen data governance, quality, documentation and controls across data engineering, reporting and analytics.
• Introduce a consistent approach to capturing requirements, prioritising demand and delivering data initiatives.
• Identify skills, capacity and technology gaps and implement or recommend appropriate improvements.
• Establish measurable standards for data quality, delivery performance and business value. Maturing infrastructure
• Review infrastructure services, technical capability and operational processes to identify weaknesses and risks.
• Work with the Head of Infrastructure to improve resilience, reliability, monitoring, maintenance and support.
• Strengthen processes for capacity management, technical documentation, backup, recovery and business continuity.
• Review infrastructure improvement projects and ensure delivery priorities reflect business needs and operational risks.
• Establish clear ownership, service standards and performance measures.
• Develop a prioritised improvement roadmap covering immediate remediation and longer-term infrastructure requirements. Ownership of change control
• Take ownership of technology change control across development, infrastructure, data and QA.
• Review existing arrangements and implement a consistent, proportionate change management framework.
• Establish clear requirements for assessing, approving, scheduling, testing and implementing changes.
• Ensure changes include appropriate risk and impact assessments, stakeholder communication and rollback plans.
• Lead the change approval process, including a Change Advisory Board where appropriate.
• Define procedures for standard, normal and emergency changes.
• Ensure QA and release readiness are incorporated into change decisions.
• Introduce post-implementation reviews and reporting to reduce failed changes and avoidable service disruption. Technology leadership and delivery
• Provide leadership and direction to the Head of Development, Head of Infrastructure, Head of Data, Head of QA and Technology Delivery Lead.
• Set clear expectations, responsibilities and delivery priorities across the technology functions.
• Improve collaboration and resolve dependencies between teams.
• Work closely with the Group Head of IT and colleagues in Security, Service Delivery, Strategy and Governance.
• Provide clear reporting on progress, risks, decisions and delivery outcomes.
• Ensure improvements are documented, embedded and supported by a clear handover at the end of the engagement. Essential experience and skills
• Proven experience as a Head of Technology, IT Director or senior technology leader overseeing multiple technical functions.
• A track record of delivering improvements within interim or contract assignments, with the ability to become effective quickly.
• Demonstrable experience developing the maturity of data functions, including governance, data quality and delivery processes.
• Strong experience improving infrastructure operations, resilience and service reliability.
• Proven ownership of change management and change control across complex technology environments.
• Experience leading senior managers across development, infrastructure, data, QA and technology delivery.
• A broad technical understanding of enterprise systems, infrastructure, data platforms, software delivery and testing.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to explain technical risks and priorities clearly.
• A practical, decisive approach, with evidence of delivering measurable improvements within defined timescales.
• Availability to start immediately and work onsite in Prescot three days per week. Desirable experience
• Experience within a global, multi-site organisation.
• Familiarity with ITIL change management and service management practices.
• Experience improving coordination between Agile development teams and operational technology functions.
• Experience within inspection, testing, laboratories or a similarly complex operational environment. My client needs someone to start ASAP, and we will consider applicants of all ages and backgrounds. Ascent People Ltd is acting as an employment business for this vacancy.