Head of IT

Department: IT

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Head Office - London, SE15

Reporting To: CEO

Description

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, manage and develop the IT team, including the IT Support team, through regular one-to-ones, objectives, appraisals and development plans.
• Design the shape of the IT function: define roles, responsibilities and capacity so that support, infrastructure, security and project work each have clear ownership.
• Recruit, onboard and retain IT staff, and manage performance, absence and conduct in line with DMC HR policies.
• Build a responsive, customer-focused culture of accountability and continuous improvement, consistent with our TRUST values.
• Put in place coaching, training and knowledge-sharing so the team is resilient and free of single points of failure. 

• Own and deliver the IT strategy and multi-year roadmap for DMC Healthcare and DMC Radiology Reporting, aligned to the business plan, growth and contract pipeline.
• Work with the senior leadership team to understand business needs and turn them into prioritised, costed technology plans.
• Set the IT standards, policies and principles the organisation works to.
• Act as decision-maker on technology investment, approving new systems and changes against value, risk and fit with the roadmap.
• Keep up to date with healthcare IT developments, emerging technologies and cyber threats, and advise the business on their implications.

• Be accountable for the IT service desk, ensuring incidents, requests and problems are logged, prioritised and resolved within agreed service levels.
• Set and review service management processes for incidents, problems, changes, escalations, starters and leavers, using recognised good practice such as ITIL.
• Ensure responsive support for clinicians, reporting radiologists, remote workers, office-based staff and teams across our community clinic locations.
• Act as the senior escalation point and incident lead for major IT incidents, keeping users, managers and clients informed throughout.
• Provide hands-on technical support when needed, particularly where issues affect patient-facing services, reporting workflows or contractual performance.
• Visit sites as required to assess infrastructure, equipment, connectivity and local support needs, building strong relationships with service managers and site teams.
• Use service desk data to identify trends and tackle the root causes of recurring issues.

• Ensure the effective operation of clinical platforms, radiology reporting systems (including PACS/RIS workflows), corporate applications and their supporting infrastructure.
• Ensure radiologists and reporting teams have secure, reliable remote access to the systems they need.
• Work with clinical and operational teams to understand system requirements and ensure IT supports safe and efficient workflows.
• Oversee access management, permissions and system availability for NHS and private client services, meeting each client’s security and operational requirements.

• Be accountable for the performance, security and reliability of IT infrastructure, including networks, endpoints, servers, cloud services, Microsoft 365, telephony and remote access.
• Ensure infrastructure is scalable and resilient enough to support the organisation’s growth.
• Maintain an accurate IT asset register and make sure equipment is patched, maintained, replaced and securely disposed of.
• Ensure robust backup, disaster recovery and business continuity arrangements are in place and regularly tested.
• Own the IT risk register, assessing technology risks and putting proportionate mitigations in place.

• Be accountable for the organisation’s cyber security posture, including patching, endpoint protection, access controls, vulnerability management and staff awareness.
• Maintain and rehearse a cyber incident response plan, and lead the IT response to any security or data incident.
• Ensure IT systems comply with healthcare regulation, UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and NHS requirements such as the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT).
• Lead IT’s contribution to maintaining and achieving certifications including ISO 27001, ISO 9001, Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus.
• Develop, approve and keep under review IT and IG policies, procedures and standard operating procedures.
• Lead IT’s response to audits, client assurance requests, supplier due diligence and NHS information governance requirements.
• Work closely with the Governance team, Data Protection Officer and Caldicott Guardian to ensure strong processes and controls are in place.

• Oversee the IT project portfolio, making sure projects are scoped, resourced and delivered on time and to budget.
• Lead the IT elements of new service mobilisations for NHS and private clients, including equipment, connectivity, system access, user setup, supplier coordination and go-live support.
• Oversee the IT aspects of service changes, relocations, expansions, decommissioning and contract transitions.
• Report regularly to senior management on project progress, risks and dependencies.

• Set and manage the IT budget, both operating and capital, and report on spend and forecasts.
• Manage relationships with IT suppliers, system vendors, telecoms providers, managed service providers and consultants, holding them to account against contracts and service levels.
• Review vendor contracts and licensing to secure value for money, negotiate terms and remove unnecessary cost without compromising security or service quality.
• Ensure IT procurement follows DMC’s governance and approval processes, and that supplier activity meets our information governance and cyber security requirements.

• Represent IT at senior management level and report regularly into SOG, IGSG and the Board, as required.
• Establish IT KPIs covering service performance, security, projects and spend, and use them to drive improvement.
• Act as the main link between IT and clinical, operational and corporate teams, NHS partners, commissioners and private clients.
• Work with external stakeholders, auditors and consultants to strengthen the IT operations and security of the organisation, as agreed with the Board.
• Ensure IT processes and documentation are accurate, accessible and kept up to date, so the service can scale as the organisation grows.

Person Specification

• Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• At least 5 years’ experience in IT management, including at least 3 years leading and line-managing an IT team.
• A track record of setting and delivering an IT strategy and roadmap in a multi-site organisation.
• Experience of managing an IT budget and IT suppliers, contracts and managed service providers.
• Experience of running an IT service desk to agreed service levels, with a working knowledge of ITIL or similar frameworks.
• Strong hands-on technical knowledge of networks, infrastructure, cloud services, Microsoft 365 and endpoint management, and a willingness to use it when needed.
• Experience of supporting remote users, multi-site operations and business-critical services.
• Experience of working to formal security and compliance standards such as ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus or UK GDPR.
• Experience of leading IT projects, including setting up new sites or services.
• Strong leadership, communication and influencing skills, with the ability to explain technical matters to clinicians, clients and Board-level audiences.
• Commitment to confidentiality, information governance and the secure handling of sensitive data.

• Experience in healthcare, the NHS, diagnostics or another highly regulated sector.
• Knowledge of the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) and NHS information governance requirements.
• Experience supporting radiology systems, PACS/RIS workflows or remote reporting environments.
• Knowledge of clinical systems such as electronic health records and HL7/FHIR interoperability.
• Experience with Microsoft Azure, Intune, SharePoint and Teams administration.
• Experience of working with NHS commissioners, private healthcare clients or contractual service requirements.
• ITIL 4 Foundation or higher, and a recognised leadership or management qualification (for example CMI or ILM).
• A security certification such as CISSP, CISM or ISO 27001 Lead Implementer.
• PRINCE2, MSP or Agile project management qualification.

• A confident leader who develops people and builds a strong team.
• Practical, hands-on and solutions-focused.
• Calm under pressure and decisive during service-impacting incidents.
• Professional, approachable and customer-focused.
• Able to build trust with clinical, operational, technical and external stakeholders.
• Committed to continuous improvement and safe, secure healthcare service delivery.

Employee Benefits

• 20 days' annual leave in addition to bank holidays, increasing with length of service.
• Access to NHS discount schemes.
• Career progression opportunities within a growing organisation.
• Collaborative working across clinical, operational and technical teams.