Head of IT (London)

Role type: Perm, FT/PT

Location: London

Preferred start date: ASAP

LIFE AS A SATALIAN

As an organisation, we push the boundaries of data science, optimisation and artificial intelligence to solve the most complex problems in industry. Satalia, a Wunderman Thompson Company, is a community of individuals devoted to working on diverse and challenging projects, allowing you to flex your technical skills whilst working with a tight knit team of high performing colleagues.

Led by our founder (who is also WPP's Chief AI Officer), Satalia's ambition is to become a decentralised organisation of the future. Today this involves developing tools and processes to liberate and automate manual repetitive tasks, with a focus on freedom, transparency and trust. At the core of our thinking is an approach to wellbeing and inclusivity. We unpack human behaviour and unpick prejudice to ensure a safe and inviting environment. We offer true flexible working and allow our employees to find the working practice that makes them most productive. At Satalia, your opinion matters and your achievements are celebrated.

THE ROLE

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced IT Director to lead and manage all aspects of our IT infrastructure, security, and operations. As a key member of our leadership team, you will play a critical role in ensuring the smooth and secure operation of our technology systems, enabling our team to deliver cutting-edge AI solutions to our clients.

As we grow and scale, this key role will help facilitate and put in place the needed processes and plans to enable that scale to continue and ensure we are compliant and meet our clients needs.

Our Base team consists of a small team of IT professionals looking after our day to day IT operations and security needs. The team also works closely with other group internal IT teams to provide wider day to day support to our people.

Governance

• Develop a strategic roadmap that aligns with the business strategy and objectives.
• Scope to cover information security, privacy and information technology.
• Devise and establish policies and systems to support the implementation of strategies set by the leadership team.
• Implement and Manage an effective Staff Training and Awareness program to promote best practices.
• Adopt a continuous improvement approach to the management of Information Technology, Information Security and Privacy.
• Ensure that main stakeholders are informed and consulted via an effective Management Review process.

Risk

• Identify information security threats and manage an effective Vulnerability Management Process.
• Maintain an effective, proactive Risk Management Framework.
• Manage and maintain the Satalia Risk Register.
• Ensure an effective Incident Management procedure and Business Continuity Plan are maintained.

Compliance

• Manage an effective Audit Programme to check compliance against key control requirements.
• Ensure an appropriate level of support for annual external audits required to support certification.
• Ensure data security and compliance with relevant legal, regulatory, contractual and policy requirements.
• Ensure process and requirements are met to support GDPR compliance and protection of personal data.
• Maintain and improve level of compliance with ISO 27001:2022 and Cyber Essentials Plus requirements.
• Work in partnership with development staff to embed best practices in the development processes throughout the software development lifecycle.
• Devise and embed an effective Vendor Management programme to ensure the service provided by critical suppliers meet organisational requirements.

Operational

• Oversee all technology operations and evaluate them according to established goals.
• Oversee the management and improvements of our inhouse digital twin hubble.
• Manage and deliver IT projects on time and within budget.
• Supervise the use of technological equipment and software to ensure functionality and efficiency.
• Monitor technology developments to identify the need for upgrades, configurations or new systems, and report to upper management.
• Work with the parent company IT operations teams to ensure practices are aligned and fit for purpose for a modern AI organisation.
• Analyse the costs, value, and risks of information technology to advise management and suggest actions.
• Support multiple groups of users with differing requirements, e.g. Business IT users, Cloud Developers, Data Scientists.
• Support the sales teams by providing content to RFP and RFI processes.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS / SKILLS

Education & Experience:

• 7+ years of progressive experience in IT / IS management, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
• Proven experience in managing IT infrastructure for an AI, data science, or technology-driven organisation.

Technical Skills:

• Strong understanding of cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and their security implications.
• Experience with running and managing heterogenous hardware (Apple, Intel), OS (OSX, Linux, Windows) and software environments.
• In-depth knowledge of cybersecurity principles, best practices, and relevant technologies. Professionally qualified e.g. CISSP, CISM or CISA.
• Experience with IT service management (ITSM) frameworks, such as ITIL.

Other Skills & Abilities:

• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced environment.
• Have run small teams.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills.

NICE TO HAVE QUALIFICATIONS / SKILLS

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Experience running both Microsoft O365 and Google Workspace solutions.
• Understanding of AI solutions.
• Interest in modern organisational design and how technology can drive change and improvement within an organisation.

If you feel like you don't tick all our boxes but know you'd make a fantastic Head of IT at Satalia, please do apply! We know the value of transferable skills and experiences and would love to hear about these in your cover letter.

As an equal opportunity employer we welcome applications that reflect the diversity of our wider community. Please let us know at any time if you require reasonable adjustments to your interview process.

WE OFFER

• Benefits – enhanced pension, life assurance, income protection, private healthcare.
• Remote working – cafe, bedroom, beach – wherever works.
• Truly flexible working hours – school pick up, volunteering, gym – no problem.
• Generous leave – 27 days' holiday plus bank holidays and enhanced family leave.
• Annual bonus – when Satalia does well, we all do well.
• Impactful projects – focus on bringing meaningful social and environmental change.
• People oriented culture – wellbeing is a priority, as is being a nice person.
• Development – annual development budget to upskill yourself.
• Transparent and open culture – you will be listened to and heard.

By applying to Satalia you are expressly giving your consent for the collection and use of your information as described within our Satalia Recruitment Privacy Policy . In addition, please note that background checks are included as part of our on-boarding process.

We aim to respond to all applications within 2 weeks. If you have not heard from us within 2 weeks this means your application has been unsuccessful.

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