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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Head of IT - **Company:** DMA Group - **Location:** Portsmouth, UK - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** £80,000.0 - £100,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Business Systems, Cyber Security, Data Migration, Disaster Recovery, Network Security, Data Streaming, Systems Architecture, Systems Integration, Software Vulnerability Management - **Published:** August 23, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.cv-library.co.uk/job/225525010/head-of-it ## About the Role * Proven experience running IT inside an operational service business, where technology supports the operation rather than being the product * Demonstrable delivery of a CRM or equivalent core system replacement at genuine scale, including data migration and legacy decommissioning. You know what goes wrong, because it has gone wrong for you * Still hands on. Real depth across a hybrid Microsoft estate, identity and endpoint management, public cloud and network security * Experience building and owning an IT budget covering both capital and recurring spend, and negotiating with suppliers * Experience leading a small technical team and deciding what is done in house and what is outsourced * Commercially minded, able to explain technical risk and investment to people who are not technical * Comfortable in front of customers, prospects and suppliers as well as colleagues * Certifications such as ITIL 4, CISSP, CISM or BCS membership are welcome, our client is open on route as long as the capability is there * Creative. Our client was emphatic on this point. They want somebody who will look at the business and say what could be done differently, rather than wait to be asked ## Description Our client is a well established service business operating across the UK. They deliver a hands on, operational service to their customers every day, and technology is what holds that operation together. A well run, commercially minded group with a strong position in its market. This is the number one technology role in the business and a seat on the senior leadership team. You will own the strategy, the budget, the systems and the team. It is a hands on role. The function is lean and you will be doing the work as well as directing it. Why The Role Exists The business is investing in a major programme of work across its core business systems, including a full CRM replacement. This is not a refresh. It covers system selection, data migration, integration across the wider estate, cutover and the decommissioning of what is in place today. It will shape how the business sells, serves its customers and grows for the next decade. They want someone to own that programme, not administer it. What You'll Be Doing Systems, architecture and delivery * Owning the portfolio of business systems across their full lifecycle, from selection and build through to replacement and decommissioning * Leading the core systems and CRM programme end to end, including data migration, parallel running, cutover and decommissioning of the legacy platform * Defining and maintaining the systems architecture, integrations, data flows and interface management * Making and justifying build versus buy decisions * Directing third party development partners against agreed technical standards and delivery commitments * Identifying and prioritising opportunities to automate and simplify how the business works Strategy and commercial * Defining an IT strategy that supports the commercial strategy of the business * Owning the financial planning and reporting for all IT spend, capital and operational, including cloud consumption, licensing and support contracts * Preparing budgets, seeking approval and delivering projects within them * Negotiating and managing supplier agreements, and making the case for investment in terms of cost, risk and value * Keeping the leadership team informed on relevant technical advances and where they could take the business Infrastructure and security * Accountable for the IT and telecommunications estate, hardware and software * Implementing and maintaining an effective information security framework, including threat assessment and periodic external evaluation * Owning security operations end to end, covering vulnerability management, patching, incident containment and post incident review * Directing the managed security provider * Monitoring, reporting and capacity management across key platforms Team, suppliers and stakeholders * Line managing the IT team, setting objectives and supporting development * Balancing in house capability against outsourced delivery * Managing relationships with external systems providers and service level agreements * Supporting sales and account management colleagues with key customers and new prospects * Reporting on system performance to key customers Risk, data and continuity * Acting as Data Protection Officer for the business * Owning data protection, privacy, security and retention policies * Defining and testing backup, recovery and disaster recovery processes * Owning the IT aspects of the risk register, This is a role for a Head of IT, or an IT Manager ready to step up, who wants to own the whole picture rather than one slice of it. If you want to lead a systems programme that genuinely changes how a business operates, and you would rather be in the detail than above it, this is worth a conversation. ## Related Videos - [Migrating half a million users to a new payment service provider](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/730-migrating-half-a-million-users-to-a-new-payment-service-provider) - [Thinking Differently - How to Make Money from Cyber Attacks & Cheats](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/745-thinking-differently-how-to-make-money-from-cyber-attacks-cheats) - [Swapping a Data Warehouse at Runtime: Zero-Downtime Migration Without Changing a Single Client](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100311-swapping-a-data-warehouse-at-runtime-zero-downtime-migration-without-changing-a-single-client) - [Python-Based Data Streaming Pipelines Within Minutes](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1233-python-based-data-streaming-pipelines-within-minutes) - [What makes Cybersecurity different for critical infrastructure?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/571-what-makes-cybersecurity-different-for-critical-infrastructure) - [The user in the eye of the Cargo1492 storm](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/96-the-user-in-the-eye-of-the-cargo1492-storm) ## Related Articles - [How We Built a Worry-Free System That Runs for 10+ Years – And What We’d Do Again](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/751-how-we-built-a-worry-free-system-that-runs-for-10-years-and-what-we-d-do-again) - [IT Salaries in UK](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/288-it-salaries-in-uk) - [What Are The Top Skills Required For Azure Developers?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/77-what-are-the-top-skills-required-for-azure-developers) - [The Most Popular IT Jobs on the Market](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/376-the-most-popular-it-jobs-on-the-market) - [Should Tech Managers Be Developers First? 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