Apply now for our Director of IT Services

Responsibilities

Vision and Strategy Development

• As part of the CDIO’s executive team, to develop and articulate the University’s digital goals, and ensure that IT Services teams are aligned with these.
• Drive the implementation of agreed strategy and policy across your areas of activity.
• Review the services and operating model of IT Services in light of the new delivery model and the University’s Digital Plan, and lead the implementation of appropriate changes.
• Work with the Chief Data Officer, the CISO, and the Director of Research Computing to establish effective collaboration, shared standards, and coherent service boundaries across the Digital and Information Services group.
• Ensure that your senior team and all staff working in IT Services have clarity of purpose and understand the wider context of their work and how their contribution is important, thereby promoting a culture of shared commitment to the University.
• Be an active member of the Digital Shared Leadership Group, working with our colleagues from the academic divisions and colleges to identify and make improvements, to enable positive change, and to improve cohesion in digital and IT provision across the University. 

Governance and Assurance

• Review and ensure effective service continuity and disaster recovery arrangements for the University’s digital services, covering both on-premise and SaaS platforms, including testing of those plans.
• Work closely with the CISO, Information Compliance, and other colleagues to ensure that technology solutions are secure through design and that processes are in place to minimise cyber risk.
• Work closely with the DGU and Enterprise Architect to ensure that the technology solutions adopted meet the University architectural requirements.
• Act as the primary liaison between IT Services and the Information and Digital Committee (IDC) and attend other University Committees as required.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Engage with university leadership, academic divisions and departments, colleges, IT staff, and external partners to build trust and collaboration, so that IT Services is regarded as a trusted provider and partner.
• Develop a good understanding of the wide range of user needs across the organisation, and ensure that the user voice is well understood and articulated across your teams. 
• Ensure that IT Services technology initiatives to be rolled out to the wider collegiate University are deliverable and that business change and communications are well managed.
• As agreed with the CDIO, represent the University on national and international groups.
• Maintain effective links with the wider sector and technology industry to identify trends, issues, and emerging technologies.

Operational Management

• Manage the day-to-day professional services in IT Services, ensuring high-quality support for customers, and efficient and effective service delivery.
• Lead and actively manage the team’s engagement with the new Delivery Model so that IT Services are perceived by customers as agile, enabling, and valued partners.
• Inspire your teams to maximise their contributions, monitoring and reviewing performance and progress, and ensuring that staff develop a clear understanding of customer requirements.
• Build a resilient team with expertise, and develop a steady pipeline of talent and future leaders and specialists.
• Contribute to the setting of people policy, standards, and procedures across the Digital and Information Services group, and take decisions in HR cases affecting IT Services staff.
• Lead in building the professional and personal development of your teams, promoting excellent performance and wellbeing.
• Ensure that operational and capital budgets are adequately developed, tracked, and controlled, with clear and timely reporting to key stakeholders.
• Work closely with the CDIO and others in their executive team to ensure that the combined resources across the digital and information services group are well coordinated, cost-efficient, and leveraged to best advantage.
• Discharge Head of Department responsibilities for IT Services, including accountability for health and safety compliance.

Selection Criteria

We welcome applications from people with experience of different sectors or non-linear career paths. If you meet most but not all of the criteria below, we would still encourage you to apply and to tell us how your experience is relevant to this role and the university context.

Experience and knowledge

• Significant experience of leadership and management within large and complex organisations, especially those with devolved/distributed internal models for service delivery.
• Significant experience of service delivery where strong partnership working is required.
• Extensive experience in IT service delivery, including best practice approaches and a strong understanding of modern digital platforms and infrastructure.
• Strong track record of leading successful organisational change, through projects and programmes, and by continuous improvement.
• A track record of identifying and managing risk effectively.
• Understanding of the implications of technology change for a research and teaching organisation. Direct experience of roles in the higher education sector is desirable but not essential.

Core competencies

• A strategic forward-thinker, able to articulate and pursue a clear vision of the future of digital services, combined where needed with a pragmatic approach to achieve this.
• An innovative problem-solver, able to identify and leverage new technologies and methodologies to advance the University’s digital capabilities.
• A developer of people and teams, able to build and inspire a senior team, raise performance standards, and create an inclusive culture in which staff do their best work.
• Skill in engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, including university leadership, senior peers, technical and professional specialists, service users, and external partners.

• A highly effective communicator, able to articulate and promote your vision, goals, and progress to different audiences.

• Commercial and financial acumen with experience of managing supplier partnerships, with accountability for substantial operational and capital budgets.
• A demonstrable commitment to user experience, customer service, and quality.

Salary and Benefits

Working at the University of Oxford offers several exclusive benefits, such as: 

• 38 days of annual leave (inclusive of public holidays) to support your wellbeing, with the option to purchase up to 10 extra days and additional leave after long service.
• One of the most generous family leave schemes in UK higher education, offering up to 26 weeks of full-pay maternity and adoption leave, plus 12 weeks of full-pay paternity/partner leave.
• A commitment to hybrid and flexible working to suit your lifestyle.
• Access to the excellent contributory “Universities Superannuation Scheme” Pension
• Affordable and sustainable commuting options, including a cycle loan scheme, discounted bus travel, and season ticket loans.
• Access to a vibrant community through the University’s social, cultural, and sports clubs.

Information for Internal Candidates

If you currently work at the University please note that:

• as part of the referencing process, we will contact your current department to confirm basic employment details including reason for leaving and information about your performance.
• although employees may hold multiple part-time posts, they may not hold more than the equivalent of a full time post.  If you are offered this post, and accepting it would take you over the equivalent of full-time hours, you will be expected to resign from, or reduce hours in, your other posts(s) before starting work in the new post.
• Before applying for this post, you are advised to read the Internal Mobility Principles. The principles promote good practice for moving into professional services roles, and are designed to provide clarity on expectations for managers and individuals.