Chief Information Officer in Westminster

We are seeking an experienced and commercially minded Chief Information Officer (CIO) for our World Services division, to lead and govern a lean, high‐performing global IT function that delivers secure, reliable and business‐enabling technology services.

About the role

This is a senior leadership role accountable for overall IT strategy, operating model design, governance and performance. The CIO provides clear direction and oversight across Service Operations, Technical Operations, and Cybersecurity and Productivity Solutions Operations, ensuring technology services are aligned with business priorities, risk appetite and compliance obligations.

Operating within a security‐first, cloud‐centric environment, the CIO ensures that IT delivers predictable, transparent and measurable outcomes, balancing operational stability with continuous improvement and transformation. The role acts as a trusted partner to senior business leadership, translating business strategy into a coherent technology roadmap while maintaining strong control, accountability and financial discipline.

The CIO leads a small, highly skilled internal team augmented by managed service partners, ensuring that internal capability is focused on leadership, governance, architecture and assurance rather than commodity delivery. This role reports directly to the World Services Chief Operating Officer (COO) with a functional report through to the M+C Saatchi Group CIO.

What you’ll do

• IT leadership and strategy
  • Define and own the World Services IT strategy aligned to business objectives, growth plans and risk appetite.
  • Establish clear priorities, outcomes and success measures across all IT domains.
  • Act as the senior information technology advisor to World Services leadership, providing clear, pragmatic guidance on technology decisions and trade‐offs.
  • Work closely with peers and ensure strategic alignment.
• Operating model ownership
  • Own and evolve the IT operating model, ensuring clear accountability across Service Operations, Technical Operations, and Cybersecurity and Productivity Solutions Operations.
  • Chair and lead the IT Leadership Group, ensuring effective cross‐domain coordination, decision‐making and escalation.
  • Ensure the operating model remains lean, scalable and fit for purpose as business needs evolve.
• Governance, risk and compliance
  • Provide executive oversight of IT governance, risk management and compliance activities.
  • Ensure alignment with recognised frameworks including ITIL, ISO27001, NIST 800‐53, NIST 800‐171, Essential 8 and Cyber Essentials Plus.
  • Maintain executive visibility of risk, control effectiveness, audit readiness and remediation activities.
• Security and resilience
  • Set clear expectations for a 'security by default' culture across all IT services and delivery activities.
  • Ensure appropriate investment and prioritisation of cyber security, resilience, disaster recovery and business continuity capabilities.
  • Act as the senior escalation point for major incidents and security events, ensuring effective communication and decision making.
• Service performance and accountability
  • Hold domain leads accountable for service quality, availability, performance and user experience.
  • Ensure clear metrics, reporting and transparency of IT performance to business stakeholders.
  • Drive a culture of continuous improvement, automation and operational maturity.
• Technology roadmap and investment
  • Own the end to‐end technology roadmap, ensuring alignment with business strategy and architectural principles.
  • Approve major initiatives, investments and changes, balancing cost, risk, value and long term sustainability.
  • Ensure technology spend is well governed, transparent and delivers measurable business value.
• Project and change oversight
  • Provide executive sponsorship and oversight for IT projects and change programmes.
  • Ensure project managers within IT are empowered to coordinate across World Services business units.
  • Maintain visibility of delivery progress, risks and dependencies, intervening where required.
• Vendor and partner management
  • Set strategy and governance for managed service providers and information technology partners.
  • Ensure strong commercial management, performance oversight and accountability.
  • Ensure internal teams remain focused on leadership, governance and value adding activities.

Outcomes

• A secure, stable and predictable IT environment supporting global operations.
• Clear accountability and visibility across all IT domains.
• Strong alignment between information technology delivery, business priorities and information risk management.
• Consistent compliance with security and governance frameworks.
• A trusted, transparent IT function recognised as a business partner.
• A scalable operating model capable of supporting future growth and change.

About you

You are a senior information technology leader with experience operating at executive level within complex, securitised and highly regulated environments. You bring a strong balance of strategic vision, governance discipline and operational pragmatism. You are comfortable leading small, high impact teams, working with managed service partners and influencing senior stakeholders. You understand that effective IT leadership is about clarity, accountability and outcomes rather than scale.

You’ll bring with you experience and capabilities including:

• Proven experience as a CIO, IT Director or equivalent senior information technology leadership role.
• Strong understanding of IT operating models, service management and governance.
• Experience operating within fast paced regulated or security‐focused environments.
• Demonstrable knowledge of frameworks such as ITIL, ISO27001 and NIST 800-53 and 800-171.
• Experience overseeing cyber security, information security risk and compliance at executive level.
• Strong commercial acumen and experience governing technology spend and vendors.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

You’re good at:

• Setting clear direction and expectations.
• Balancing risk, cost, security and business enablement.
• Holding leaders accountable while empowering them to deliver.
• Translating business strategy into actionable technology outcomes.
• Creating clarity, structure and focus in complex environments.

What you’ll get

A competitive salary and benefits package that includes 27 days holiday per year, pension contributions, private healthcare, discounted dental insurance, enhanced maternity/parental leave, plus a whole host of others including:

• Cultural stimulation allowance - £250 per person per year
• Half days off before bank holidays
• Emergency care days for dependants
• Up to 5 days volunteering leave per year to work for a registered charity
• Up to 10 days special emergency leave per year
• Season Ticket loan
• Payroll Giving Scheme
• Thursday drinks to unwind and socialise
• An annual Summer and Christmas party

Our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion sees us offer inclusive bank holidays. We also offer learning opportunities around D&I, targeted mentoring programmes and the opportunity to participate in several active Employee Led Networks and associated events. Finally, this role will be supported with all the necessary personal development required to set someone up for success.

About M&C Saatchi Group

M&C Saatchi Group is a creative company that connects specialist expertise, fuelled by data, technology, and culture, to help clients navigate, create, and lead meaningful change. The Group operates across five core divisions: Connected Creativity; Passion Marketing; Global & Social Issues; Brand, Experience & Innovation; and Performance Media. Headquartered in London, operations span 23 countries with major hubs in the UK, Europe, US, Middle East & Africa, Asia and Australia. M&C Saatchi Group's two principles, Diversity of Thought and Brutal Simplicity of Thought, guide how they build teams and solve problems.

M&C Saatchi Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer which does not discriminate, celebrates diversity and bases all hiring and promotion decisions solely on talent and capability, without regard for any personal characteristics. All employee information is kept confidential according to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).