Head of IT Service in Luton

ABOUT THE COMPANY: OAG is the essential intelligence partner transforming global travel. For nearly a century, we've been the foundation the travel industry builds on, trusted, proven, essential. Today, we're going beyond. We combine unmatched data quality, quantity and access with breakthrough technology and deep industry expertise to deliver what the industry truly needs: not just more data, but better answers. From real-time operational intelligence to strategic decision-making, we power the entire travel ecosystem, from airlines and airports to technology companies and financial institutions. We are actively embedding AI throughout our intelligence layer, combining nearly a century of proprietary data with the latest technology to deliver answers that were simply not possible before. We exist because travel moves the world, and we move travel. By transforming complexity into clarity and questions into answers, we give our partners the intelligence they need to thrive in an evolving world.

ABOUT THE ROLE: This is a rare opportunity to build something! As Head of IT Service at OAG, you’ll own the full quality of IT services delivered to our colleagues and the systems that underpin our customer experience. Reporting to the VP of Technology, you’ll lead a team of up to 15 and transform a reactive service desk into a modern, data driven IT service capability. You’ll also design and launch a graduate and academy programme that becomes a lasting source of engineering talent for OAG. Success in this role means colleagues get a faster, smarter, more reliable IT experience and the function becomes a competitive advantage, not a cost centre.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING:

• Own the end-to-end operational performance of IT Service, set and publish SLAs and experience level agreements, report monthly to the CTO, and drive a culture of measurement over activity.
• Lead incident management end to end, including major incident command, stakeholder communications, post-incident reviews, and remediation tracking.
• Own HaloITSM as the system of record, configure workflows, manage integrations with Jira, GitHub, Datadog, Slack, Confluence and Microsoft 365, and lead the CMDB and asset management discipline.
• Own Vanta as the compliance automation platform and maintain the controls, integrations, and monitoring underpinning OAG’s ISO 27001 certification.
• Chair the Change Advisory Board, set change policy and risk tiers, and ensure ISO 27001 evidence is produced by design, not retrospectively.
• Partner with Engineering, Data, Security and Finance leadership; own service related supplier relationships and contribute to IT budget planning.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

• Proven track record of building or substantially maturing an IT Service function, defining service catalogues, tiered support models, and measurable SLAs.
• Demonstrable hands on experience with HaloITSM, including workflow configuration, integrations, asset and CMDB modules, and reporting.
• ITIL v4 qualified, with practical experience running ITIL-aligned incident, problem, change, and asset management at scale.
• Experience building and leading high performing teams, including designing and running a graduate or academy programme, with evidence of internal progression and retention.
• Experience operating in or contributing to an ISO 27001 certification or recertification, including comfort with compliance automation tools such as Vanta.

IF YOU HAVE THE FOLLOWING THAT WOULD BE GREAT:

• Some experience in a B2B data, SaaS, or aviation business — helpful context for understanding the pace and complexity of OAG’s environment.
• Familiarity with the broader integration landscape — Jira, GitHub, Datadog, Slack, Confluence, and Microsoft 365.
• Experience contributing to IT budget planning or owning a cost-centre budget directly.

If you don’t meet every requirement but feel excited about this role, we’d still love to hear from you.

WE WILL OFFER YOU:

• A progressive, non-hierarchical culture where innovation drives everything we build.
• Flexible working arrangements that allow remote work or office attendance.
• An attractive compensation and benefits package, including access to a Simplyhealth cash plan to support your everyday health and wellbeing, a company bonus scheme, Octopus EV salary sacrifice scheme and enhanced pension scheme.
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays, volunteering days and additional day off during your birthday month.
• Inclusive family benefits designed to support you through parenthood and fertility journeys.
• Work remotely anywhere in the world for up to 1 month per year.
• Annual learning and development budget.

OAG is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and able to perform at their best. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences. If you require reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know — we’re happy to have an open conversation about how we can support you.