IT Director

IT Director

Location: Bootle, London, or Cheltenham, with hybrid working arrangements in place

Salary: £97,000- £116,000 + excellent benefits

ONR's mission is to protect society by securing safe nuclear operations.

Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is the UK's independent regulator for nuclear safety, security, safeguards, and conventional health and safety across 36 licensed nuclear sites. It ensures that the nuclear industry effectively controls hazards, maintains high standards, and continuously improves. ONR's work spans operating reactors, fuel cycle facilities, waste management, decommissioning, and new nuclear construction. It also regulates the transport of nuclear materials and oversees compliance with international safeguards. Transparency, accountability, and public confidence are central to ONR's regulatory approach.

Your new company

You will be joining a highly respected organisation operating within a complex and highly regulated environment, where technology plays a critical role in enabling strategic delivery. With a strong focus on governance, security, and operational excellence, the organisation is committed to ensuring its IT estate is robust, resilient, and delivers value for money. As part of a collaborative Senior Leadership Team, you will help shape the organisation's direction, working closely with senior stakeholders to drive innovation, performance, and continuous improvement across the business.

Your new role

Reporting to the Finance Director, you will lead the IT Directorate and ensure there is a strong, professional focus on information systems, technology, and governance across the organisation. You will be responsible for a team of about 25 with 3 direct reports and for setting and delivering the IT and digital strategy, ensuring services are aligned to business objectives and delivered in a coherent, efficient, and value-driven way. The role will see you leading and developing multidisciplinary teams, managing a blend of in-house capability and outsourced providers, and building strategic supplier partnerships to ensure seamless service delivery. You will also ensure the security, integrity, and resilience of systems, data, and infrastructure, while driving transformation, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement. As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will contribute to enterprise-wide leadership, support organisational change, and work closely with senior stakeholders to influence decision-making and deliver strategic outcomes.

What you'll need to succeed

To succeed in this role, you will be a seasoned IT leader with significant experience operating at a senior level, ideally within complex or regulated environments and building the capabilities of the teams you lead. You will bring a strong track record in developing and delivering IT strategy, leading large-scale transformation programmes, and managing high-performing teams through change. A broad technical background across infrastructure, systems, and the full software development lifecycle is essential, alongside proven experience in managing outsourced technology providers and building effective supplier relationships. You will be an excellent communicator with the gravitas and emotional intelligence to influence at Board and executive level, coupled with strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to build trusted partnerships. In addition, you will demonstrate sound judgement, resilience under pressure, and a clear ability to translate complex challenges into simple, effective solutions. A relevant postgraduate qualification or equivalent experience is required, along with professional membership, while exposure to both public and private sector environments and familiarity with technologies such as Azure and Microsoft 365 would be advantageous.

What you'll get in return

In return, you will have the opportunity to take on a high-profile leadership role where you can make a meaningful impact on organisational performance and direction. This is a chance to shape and deliver a forward-thinking IT and digital strategy, influence decision-making at the highest levels, and lead a capable and evolving function through transformation and growth. You will be part of an inclusive and supportive culture that values leadership, innovation, and continuous improvement, with the opportunity to build a lasting legacy in a mission-driven organisation.

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must hold or be able to secure SC clearance.

To apply

The Office for Nuclear Regulation welcomes applications for this opportunity from experienced professionals across all sectors. You will have the requisite demonstrable experience, skills and resilience as well as the relationship building and inspirational leadership capabilities to undertake this challenging strategic leadership role in the nuclear arena and deliver it successfully.

It's a very exciting time for the Office for Nuclear Regulation. If you would like to make a valuable contribution to the future of the organisation, we would like to hear from you.

To confidentially discuss the role in further detail or request a copy of the Candidate Brief, please contact Owen Quant - 07867 695217 / owen.quant@hays.com or Wendi Wang +44 333 010 5263 / wendi.wang@hays.com at Hays Executive.

#4794030 - Owen

To succeed in this role, you will be a seasoned IT leader with significant experience operating at a senior level, ideally within complex or regulated environments and building the capabilities of the teams you lead. You will bring a strong track record in developing and delivering IT strategy, leading large-scale transformation programmes, and managing high-performing teams through change. A broad technical background across infrastructure, systems, and the full software development lifecycle is essential, alongside proven experience in managing outsourced technology providers and building effective supplier relationships. You will be an excellent communicator with the gravitas and emotional intelligence to influence at Board and executive level, coupled with strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to build trusted partnerships. In addition, you will demonstrate sound judgement, resilience under pressure, and a clear ability to translate complex challenges aa IT simple, effective solutions. A relevant postgraduate qualification or equivalent experience is required, along with professional membership, while exposure to both public and private sector environments and familiarity with technologies such as Azure and Microsoft 365 would be advantageous.

What you'll get in return

In return, you will have the opportunity to take on a high-profile leadership role where you can make a meaningful impact on organisational performance and direction. This is a chance to shape and deliver a forward-thinking IT and digital strategy, influence decision-making at the highest levels, and lead a capable and evolving function through transformation and growth. You will be part of an inclusive and supportive culture that values leadership, innovation, and continuous improvement, with the opportunity to build a lasting legacy in a mission-driven organisation.

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must hold or be able to secure SC clearance.

The Office for Nuclear Regulation welcomes applications for this opportunity from experienced professionals across all sectors. You will have the requisite demonstrable experience, skills and resilience as well as the relationship building and inspirational leadership capabilities to undertake this challenging strategic leadership role in the nuclear arena and deliver it successfully. It's a very exciting time for the Office for Nuclear Regulation. If you would like to make a valuable contribution to the future of the organisation, we would like to hear from you.