Job Title: Head of IT
Salary range: £76,946 – £79,269
Grade: Assembly Grade 3
Directorate: Parliamentary Services
Business Area: Information Systems Office
Accountable to: Director of Parliamentary Services
Accountable for: Information Systems Office / 2 direct reports
As a key element of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, the Northern Ireland Assembly (‘the Assembly’) exercises executive and legislative authority on devolved matters. Comprising 90 Members, the Assembly has three main functions – making legislation, scrutinising the Executive and representing constituents.
The staff, services and facilities which are needed to support the work of the Assembly are provided by the Assembly Commission, a corporate body comprising the Speaker and five Members of the Assembly.
The Assembly operates in a dynamic and fast moving political, executive and legislative environment – the IS Office plays a critical role in ensuring that the services required by the Assembly and the Assembly Commission are modern, effective and leading edge.
The Head of IT is a key senior position, with responsibility for providing strategic leadership on the effective, efficient and secure delivery and use of information technology to support the business of the Assembly and of the Assembly Commission.
As Head of IT you will be responsible for the delivery of a wide range of IT services to approximately 1,000 users. You will have the opportunity to shape and deliver modern technology solutions to support users through the provision of secure, resilient and fit for purpose technology. You will lead the IT function and will work with the Senior Management Team to align technology-related decisions with the Corporate Strategy, ensuring that systems are secure, stable and robust.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a leading and high profile organisation and apply your dynamic leadership skills and professional knowledge to a challenging and rewarding position.
We are seeking an experienced, highly motivated, impactful leader who will lead a customer-focussed function that will contribute positively to the delivery of high-quality services. You will need to have a well-developed knowledge of technology solutions, a strong customer ethos and a proven ability to work both at a strategic and operational level.
You will hold or have held significant, high-level accountability for mission critical IT systems in a large and complex organisation.
The main duties and responsibilities of the post are:
You may also be required to carry out other duties that the Assembly Commission reasonably requires of you.
You will have had high-level accountability for mission critical IT systems in a large and complex organisation and have demonstrable experience of delivering improvements in service, efficiency, and the security of mission-critical IT systems.
An enthusing people leader, you will have the proven ability to inspire IT teams and to build a high-performance, service-focused culture. You should demonstrate clear experience in helping teams embrace contemporary IT industry disciplines and new ways of working.
At the closing date for applications, applicants must have:
EITHER
1. At least a degree in a computing or information management related discipline. (Applications will be considered from applicants with formal qualifications of an equivalent or higher standard to those stated).
AND
Experience in each of the following areas:
a) At least 5 years’ experience as a senior leader* in IT service delivery or IT operations in a significant and complex organisation**.
b) Demonstrable experience of successfully delivering a significant customer centric IT project or programme*** within the last 3 years.
c) Demonstrable experience of successfully managing substantial**** IT operational contracts.
d) Demonstrable experience of developing, implementing and managing and frameworks for managing organisation-wide IT security and cyber risks.
OR
2. Experience in each of the following areas:
a) At least 8 years’ experience as a senior leader* in IT service delivery or IT operations in a significant and complex organisation**.
b) Demonstrable experience of successfully delivering a significant customer centric IT project or programme*** within the last 3 years.
c) Demonstrable experience of successfully managing substantial**** IT
operational contracts.
d) Demonstrable experience of developing, implementing and managing frameworks for managing organisation-wide IT security and cyber risks.
The following clarification is provided:
* Senior leader means a level at which you were responsible for providing
strategic advice or taking decisions on strategic issues concerning the organisation with which you worked either as a member of staff or advisor.
** A significant and complex organisation is defined as having in excess of 500
users and a range of diverse business functions.
*** Significant IT project or programme means a project or programme
provided to at least 500 users.
**** A substantial contract means a contract that supports the delivery of an IT
project or service with an overall value in excess of £0.5 million.
Should shortlisting be required, the following shortlisting criteria will be applied:
Experience of delivering IT projects that could be subject to high levels of external scrutiny (eg. press, audit, shareholders etc).
The following Assembly Skills and Behaviours will be assessed during the selection process:
…is creating and maintaining positive, professional and respectful internal and external working relationships through effective and appropriate communications.
…is about providing a high-quality and efficient service to our customers. It is thinking ahead, managing resources effectively and delivering work on time and to a high standard. It is also using professional or technical expertise to enhance service delivery.
…is looking for and being open to new and innovative ideas and improvements to the service provided. It is being flexible and adapting positively and professionally to sustain performance when the situation changes, workloads increase or priorities change. It is about forming sound, evidence-based decisions and being accountable for results.
… is setting high standards for ourselves. It is about guiding, motivating and developing others to achieve high performance. It is about engaging others in delivering a corporate vision of excellence, expertise and innovation in support of the Assembly as a legislature.