Chief Technology Officer

About Us

The Financial Times is one of the world's leading news organisations globally recognised for its authority, integrity and accuracy with a mission to deliver quality information and services worldwide. At the FT, curiosity thrives and ambitious thinking is rewarded. Together we help audiences stay better informed and deepen their understanding of the world around them. Our Product & Tech teams drive us forward in an ever-evolving digital landscape delivering cutting-edge products to over one million digital subscribers daily. Our growth relies on a diverse, dedicated and dynamic group of product, tech, delivery and data specialists. With a supportive culture, entrepreneurial spirit and opportunities at every turn, there are no limits to where your FT career can take you.

Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion

We believe in the power of unique perspectives and want all voices in our organisation to be heard, respected and valued. A supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves and operate to their full potential. We are committed to removing barriers for everyone with a focus on addressing those faced by underrepresented groups.

The Role

Product and Technology as a department employs over 500 people with teams in London, Sofia (Bulgaria) and Manila (Philippines) and includes traditional IT services, cyber security, data professionals and product development teams. The CTO organisation within Product and Technology is approximately 300 people (augmented by another 50 contractors). Our tech estate is modern, having migrated from data-centres into the cloud several years ago and uses modern DevOps style engineering techniques. The CTO role reports directly to our CPTO (board member) and is part of the product and technology leadership team consisting of a Chief Data Officer and Chief Product Officer (amongst other roles).

United by a passion for delivering compelling, trusted journalism alongside an ambition to find growth underpinned by modern technology, The Financial Times are looking to hire a Chief Technology Officer to lead the core Technology organisation across our Group. The right candidate will bring deep expertise of software development, quality assurance, operational service delivery and security of the products, platforms and services provided and operated by the Technology team as well as senior leadership experience in safeguarding the welfare and championing professional development of technical teams.

The successful candidate will be accountable for:

• Defining and delivering a scalable technology strategy that enables growth, supports operations and delivers the FT's long-term product vision.
• Ensuring systems are resilient, performant and secured, compliant with CISO data governance and regulatory standards.
• Embedding best practices in product development and lean-agile ways of working, making sound build-versus-buy choices and leveraging SaaS platforms effectively.
• Building and leading a diverse, high-performing global technology organisation that reflects FT values and fosters inclusion, innovation and excellence.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Reporting to the Chief Product & Technology Officer, you will be accountable for the technical nature, quality support, operational service and security of the products, platforms and services under your remit as well as the welfare and professional development of the technology staff within your department. As the technology leader for the Group you will:

• Lead the execution of a technology strategy to allow sustainable, scalable product development and business growth.
• Champion and communicate the vision and strategy for technology and innovation across the FT.
• Ensure that infrastructure, platforms and technology functions meet business needs.
• Find opportunities and gaps and set clear, well-governed strategies for change.
• Embed best practices in product development and operations.
• Ensure lean-agile principles are applied effectively at scale, balancing speed and quality.
• Bring strong experience of SaaS platforms and exercise sound judgement on build-versus-buy decisions to deliver value, resilience and scalability.
• Stay ahead of external market and technology trends.
• Continually evaluate emerging practices and tools driving innovation and improvements across FT Technology.
• Lead engineering teams through your senior managers.
• Ensure they deliver high-quality software and services that underpin the FT's products and platforms with a balance of innovation, new development and operational excellence.
• Build and maintain strong strategic vendor partnerships.
• Negotiate value for money, influence vendor roadmaps and ensure the FT uses technology investments effectively.
• Build, develop and retain a large, globally distributed team of high-performing technical staff and leaders.
• Provide clear direction, skilled delegation and support for professional growth.
• Ensure products and services are resilient, performant and secure.
• Drive a culture of accountability and continuous improvement in service management, compliance and operational standards.
• Oversee multi-million-pound technology budgets and ensure compliance.
• Set long-term forecasts, plan capital investment initiatives and maintain adherence to data protection, cybersecurity and regulatory standards.
• Play a leading role in shaping the FT's digital future.
• Ensure technology is a driver of innovation, efficiency and competitive advantage across the organisation.
• Model and reinforce the FT's values.
• Build a culture of trust, integrity, ambition, inclusion, curiosity and subscriber focus and strengthen FT Technology's brand internally and externally.

Additionally, as a senior leader within the organisation you will:

• Be a leading voice for technology across the FT.
• As a member of FT’s senior leadership, champion the opportunities product and technology bring to the business ensuring they are central to enterprise strategy and decision-making.
• Collaborate effectively with peers. As a member of the Product & Tech senior leadership team, you will help guide the P&T functions' strategic direction offering oversight, insight and challenge in support of its mission and goals.
• You will take an active part in P&T leadership discussions, work collaboratively with the Chief Product Officer, Chief Data Officer and your peers across FT Group to align technology capabilities, deliver shared outcomes and embed agile and lean practices across the organisation.
• Bring technology expertise to enterprise strategy, balancing commercial, editorial and operational priorities.

This role will be right for you if:

• You have a track record of building sustainable, scalable products and platforms in complex global organisations across different business models and industries.
• You can demonstrate excellent leadership across multiple technology domains and have grown large, diverse, high-performing teams across geographies.
• You combine strong current technical knowledge with the ability to think strategically and act decisively at the right level (strategic, tactical or operational).
• You are a compelling communicator who can set a clear vision, influence at board level and build collaborative relationships across business and technology.
• You are active in the broader technology community with awareness of leading trends and the ability to translate them into business advantage.
• You demonstrate resilience, curiosity and the energy to drive change, inspiring teams and stakeholders to deliver results.
• You are commercially astute with proven experience managing major vendor relationships and ensuring value for money.
• You are committed to building inclusive cultures and diverse teams and are recognised as an inspirational people leader.

What's in it for you

Our benefits vary by location but we are committed to providing best-in-class perks across all our offices. These include generous annual leave, medical cover, inclusive parental leave packages, subsidised gym memberships and opportunities to give back to the community. Full details of our benefits are available here.

We’ve embraced a 50% hybrid working model (averaging two to three days onsite) that fosters trust and remote adaptability while encouraging in-person camaraderie and peer learning. Additionally, we are open to accommodating specific flexible working pattern requests for all roles where feasible.

Accessibility

We are a disability confident employer and Valuable 500 signatory. Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments/personalisation as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements or have any questions, email and a member of our team will be happy to help.

Further information

At the FT, we embrace innovation and the use of technology and appreciate that individuals may leverage AI tools as part of their job application process. Whilst we are happy for you to use AI to assist with your application, it is essential that all information provided is authentic and accurately represents your skills, experience and qualifications. Candidates should be aware that the use of AI throughout the application process may be monitored to ensure a fair and transparent hiring process for all.

Key Skills: Active Directory, Customer Service, Information Technology, Database, Information Security, Infrastructure, Project Management, Sharepoint, Troubleshoot, Desktop, Computer System, Ensure Compliance, Procedures, hardware, Technical Support.

Employment Type: Full Time

Experience: years

Vacancy: 1