Interim Head of Infrastructure in Nottingham

Interim Head of Infrastructure and IT Operations

3 months Outside IR35 with view to being extended or going permanent

Nottingham (1 day per week in the office)

The Interim Lead Senior Infrastructure Engineer / Head of Infrastructure and Operations combines two things in one person: the technical escalation point the 2nd Line Infrastructure Analyst(s) and Security Engineer can rely on, and the operational leader who keeps infrastructure, security and application-related IT running reliably, securely and within budget. You will lead and develop a small, capable team, own the reliability and security of our IT estate, and manage the associated budget, working closely with the CTO throughout.

Key responsibilities

Hands-on technical leadership

• Act as the escalation point for Windows Server, Active Directory and hybrid DNS issues the team cannot resolve alone.
• Administer and oversee Microsoft 365 / Entra ID across the organisation.
• Work confidently across both Windows and Linux environments.
• Apply genuine hands‑on Azure and/or AWS experience to live infrastructure and support work, not just certification knowledge.
• Own ambiguous, high-pressure problems in a 3rd-line capacity, seeing them through to resolution.

Operational leadership

• Ensure infrastructure and security systems remain robust, scalable and aligned with business needs.
• Oversee the reliability and performance of IT and application infrastructure, identifying opportunities for optimisation.
• Lead and develop the infrastructure and security team, ensuring they are equipped and supported.
• Collaborate with the Head of Support to ensure infrastructure and support functions integrate smoothly.
• Track delivery of outsourced/vendor‑run projects (e.g. the VMware to Hyper‑V migration) against agreed timelines and quality, escalating slippage or risk to the CTO.

Security and compliance oversight

• Apply a solid grounding in security fundamentals - patching, vulnerability management concepts and identity security - to guide and sanity‑check the Security Engineer's work, without needing to be a security specialist yourself.
• Help ensure systems remain compliant with relevant regulations and standards (e.g. GDPR, Cyber Essentials) - including seeing the current Cyber Essentials certification through to completion.
• Escalate and respond to security risks appropriately, keeping the CTO informed.

Budget and stakeholder management

• Maintain oversight of the IT operations budget, including procurement and application costs, with CTO support.
• Monitor SaaS application costs and usage, and manage vendor relationships already in place.
• Communicate clearly with non‑technical stakeholders, translating technical issues and decisions into terms the business can act on.

Essential (this is what lets you lead the team from day one)

• Strong Windows Server, AD and hybrid DNS troubleshooting - enough to be the escalation point, not just a participant.
• Comfortable working across both Windows and Linux.
• Genuine hands‑on Azure and/or AWS experience - real project or support work, not certifications alone.
• Experience operating in a 3rd‑line / escalation capacity, owning ambiguous, high‑pressure problems.
• A solid understanding of security fundamentals - patching, vulnerability management concepts, identity security - even without being a dedicated security specialist.
• Exposure to WAN/network rollouts across multi‑site estates, monitoring platforms (e.g. Nagios or equivalent) and email security gateways (e.g. Mimecast) - useful given the current project slate, though not essential to pick these up quickly.