Head of IT Job Description
A focused template for advertising a senior IT leader who will set technology direction, ensure reliable infrastructure and lead the IT function. Use this to create a clear, role-specific vacancy for a UK employer.
What does a Head of IT professional do?
Senior IT leader responsible for IT strategy, operations, security, supplier relationships and people leadership across the organisation.
Head of IT job description template
Use this employer-ready example as a starting point, then replace the placeholders and adjust the content so it accurately reflects your vacancy.
Head of IT
About the role
[Company Name] is recruiting a Head of IT to lead our technology function from [Location]. You will define and deliver the IT strategy, manage infrastructure and cloud services, ensure cyber security and business continuity, and lead a team of IT professionals. This is a senior, permanent role with responsibility for vendors, budgets and cross‑functional stakeholder engagement. Salary: [£X–£Y] (or competitive).
Key responsibilities
- Develop and own the IT strategy and roadmap aligned to business objectives and growth plans.
- Lead, coach and grow the IT team; define structure, roles and performance metrics.
- Ensure resilient and secure IT operations across on‑premises and cloud environments, including networking, servers, endpoints and platform services.
- Define and maintain IT policies, standards and controls for security, data protection and regulatory compliance.
- Own vendor and supplier relationships, negotiate contracts and manage third‑party performance and SLAs.
- Manage IT budget planning, cost control and capital expenditure requests.
- Lead major IT projects and change initiatives (system upgrades, migrations, platform rollouts), coordinating with business stakeholders.
- Maintain and test business continuity and disaster recovery plans; manage incident response and post‑incident reviews.
Essential skills and experience
- Proven experience leading an IT function or large IT team, with responsibility for strategy, operations and budgets.
- Strong technical understanding of infrastructure, networking, cloud services and endpoint management at scale.
- Practical experience of information security, data protection and business continuity planning.
- Experience managing vendor relationships and commercial contracts for IT goods and services.
- Track record of delivering multi‑disciplinary projects and infrastructure programmes.
- Ability to communicate technical topics to senior non‑technical stakeholders and influence at board level.
- Experience of building, developing and retaining technical teams.
Desirable
- Relevant professional certifications (e.g. ITIL, CISSP, CISM, cloud certifications) where available.
- Experience with specific public cloud platforms and hybrid cloud architectures.
- Background in regulated sectors or specific compliance frameworks (e.g. GDPR, PCI-DSS) depending on the employer.
- Experience of programme management for large digital transformation initiatives.
- Familiarity with modern DevOps practices and platform engineering concepts.
What we offer
- Competitive base salary (placeholder)
- Pension scheme (employer contribution)
- Performance bonus or discretionary incentive
- Flexible and hybrid working options
- Generous annual leave allowance
- Training and certification budget
How to apply
Apply with your CV and any additional information requested. Make the interview process, closing date and any assessment stages clear where known.
Use this as a starting point rather than a final advert. The strongest version will reflect the real role, salary, location, systems, responsibilities, benefits and working arrangements.
What is a Head of IT role?
A Head of IT is the senior leader responsible for defining and delivering an organisation’s technology strategy and ensuring reliable, secure IT services. The role covers infrastructure and platform management, cyber security, vendor oversight, budgeting and leading the IT team. Heads of IT translate business priorities into technology programmes and report progress and risk to the executive team and board.
People leadership
Build and mentor the IT team, set structures, career paths and performance expectations.
Strategy & planning
Translate business goals into a multi‑year IT roadmap and investment priorities.
Security & resilience
Own cyber security, data protection and disaster recovery arrangements.
Operations & delivery
Ensure day‑to‑day service reliability, supplier performance and project delivery.
Typical Head of IT responsibilities
Responsibilities should reflect the real scope of the vacancy rather than every task someone in this profession might ever complete.
Develop
Develop and own the IT strategy and roadmap aligned to business objectives and growth plans.
Lead, coach
Lead, coach and grow the IT team; define structure, roles and performance metrics.
Ensure resilient
Ensure resilient and secure IT operations across on‑premises and cloud environments, including networking, servers, endpoints and platform services.
Define
Define and maintain IT policies, standards and controls for security, data protection and regulatory compliance.
Own vendor
Own vendor and supplier relationships, negotiate contracts and manage third‑party performance and SLAs.
Manage IT budget planning
Manage IT budget planning, cost control and capital expenditure requests.
Lead major IT projects
Lead major IT projects and change initiatives (system upgrades, migrations, platform rollouts), coordinating with business stakeholders.
Maintain
Maintain and test business continuity and disaster recovery plans; manage incident response and post‑incident reviews.
Head of IT skills and experience to look for
Keep the essential list focused on what the person really needs to perform the role. Move useful-but-trainable experience into desirable criteria.
Usually worth prioritising
- Proven experience leading an IT function or large IT team, with responsibility for strategy, operations and budgets.
- Strong technical understanding of infrastructure, networking, cloud services and endpoint management at scale.
- Practical experience of information security, data protection and business continuity planning.
- Experience managing vendor relationships and commercial contracts for IT goods and services.
- Track record of delivering multi‑disciplinary projects and infrastructure programmes.
- Ability to communicate technical topics to senior non‑technical stakeholders and influence at board level.
- Experience of building, developing and retaining technical teams.
Useful where relevant
- Relevant professional certifications (e.g. ITIL, CISSP, CISM, cloud certifications) where available.
- Experience with specific public cloud platforms and hybrid cloud architectures.
- Background in regulated sectors or specific compliance frameworks (e.g. GDPR, PCI-DSS) depending on the employer.
- Experience of programme management for large digital transformation initiatives.
- Familiarity with modern DevOps practices and platform engineering concepts.
See our guide to what to include in a job advert before publishing.
How to write a Head of IT job advert
Small role-specific details can make the advert much easier for suitable candidates to assess.
Lead with scope and impact
State the size of the team, reporting line, budget responsibility and whether the role covers cloud, on‑premise or hybrid environments so candidates understand seniority.
Be specific about technology and scale
Mention the core platforms, cloud providers or infrastructure types (e.g. public cloud, virtualised datacentres) and the approximate scale (users, sites) where possible.
Clarify decision‑making authority
Explain whether the role sets strategy, approves supplier contracts, or requires board sign‑off for major investments.
Describe leadership expectations
Include people management responsibilities such as hiring, restructuring, mentoring and performance management to attract experienced leaders.
Head of IT salary considerations
There is no single market salary for this role; pay depends on the organisation’s size, sector, technical scope and the candidate’s seniority. Consider these factors when setting a range and be prepared to benchmark against similar senior IT roles.
depending on experience
- Use a genuine range
- Separate variable pay
- Avoid “competitive” alone
- Match salary to seniority
What Head of IT candidates will want to know
Practical details can influence whether a suitable candidate applies, even when the title and salary are attractive.
Who will the role report to and who are the direct reports?
Candidates need to know the reporting line (CEO/CFO/COO/CTO) and the expected team structure to assess seniority.
What is the current technology estate and key platforms?
Experienced hires will want to know which cloud providers, core applications and infrastructure they will inherit.
Are there on‑call or out‑of‑hours responsibilities?
Clarify rota expectations, overtime pay or on‑call arrangements for critical incidents.
What level of budget and commercial authority does the role have?
State whether the Head of IT approves supplier contracts and CAPEX or needs executive sign‑off.
What is the working pattern and remote/hybrid policy?
Senior candidates will want clarity on home working, office attendance and flexible arrangements.
Is training and certification support provided?
Many candidates expect a development budget for technical and leadership certifications.
Where to post a Head of IT job
This senior role benefits from a mix of channels: use broad UK job boards and LinkedIn for reach, specialist IT and CIO forums for relevant candidates, and executive search or professional networks for passive or very senior hires. For best results, combine a public advert with targeted approaches to candidates who already lead IT teams in similar sectors, and highlight whether the role allows hybrid or remote working to widen the pool.
Head of IT job description FAQs
How long does it usually take to recruit a Head of IT?
Recruiting a senior IT leader typically takes longer than mid‑level roles — often 8–12 weeks from advert to offer depending on candidate availability, interview rounds and any security vetting.
Do I need to require specific certifications in the advert?
Only list certifications as essential if they are legally or operationally required. Otherwise mark them as desirable; experienced leaders often hold varied certifications or equivalent practical experience.
Should I advertise the exact salary?
Including a clear salary range improves response rates and applicant quality, but if you cannot publish a range, describe the compensation package and say that it is competitive and commensurate with experience.
What interview stages are appropriate for this level?
Typical stages include an initial screening, one or two technical and leadership interviews with stakeholders, and a final meeting with an executive sponsor or CEO. A practical presentation or case discussion is common.
How do I assess cultural fit for a senior IT hire?
Use structured behavioural interviews, scenario‑based questions and reference checks focused on leadership, change management and stakeholder engagement rather than only technical skills.
Ready to publish your Head of IT vacancy?
Use this template to create a concise advert, tailor the requirements and responsibilities to your organisation, then post to the channels that best match the seniority and technical scope of the role.
