Director of Technology

We are currently working with Nesta, the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), and the wider Nesta Group, who are looking for an outstanding Director of Technology to lead their Technology team, providing both the strategic leadership and operational management to ensure digital technologies are best aligned to support our missions and goals.

The Director of Technology will lead on the development and delivery of a centralised technology strategy, unifying systems, services, and support for Nesta Group.

The ideal candidate will be competent and confident in providing core IT services to a dynamic organisation. They will take the unexpected in stride and thrive on the opportunity to significantly mature Nesta Group's use of technology, while working to streamline all underlying policies and procedures.

The Role

Provide strategic leadership on all technology matters across Nesta, BIT, and other Group subsidiaries as required.
Develop and implement an updated IT and technology strategy, focusing on a unified approach to technology across Nesta Group.
Lead and direct Technology operations, ensuring Nesta Group receives the highest standard of IT service and support.
Provide oversight of all Cyber Security matters, ensuring robust systems and procedures are in place to appropriately mitigate IT security risks, reporting annually to Nesta's Board of Trustees Audit and Risk Committee.
Support collaboration between the DevOps and Data Science teams to provide resilient cloud platforms and hosting environments for systems and websites.
Provide control and oversight of the Technology budgets, regularly reviewing departmental spend while maximising value for money and efficiency where possible.
Lead on or support other Group-wide projects as required, contributing to the leadership and management of the organisation.
Stay abreast of developments in relevant fields of technology and advise Nesta and BIT's leadership teams on technical trends and system recommendations.
The Person

A proven track record of leading technology teams, developing IT strategies, and delivering unparalleled service and support.
Dynamic and engaging team leader with experience in staff development and stakeholder management
A collaborator, working well with other teams and seeking advice from external suppliers and consultants when necessary.
Experienced in leading high performing in-house IT teams while out-sourcing key skills and services when appropriate.
Strong commercial skills, experienced at negotiating with and managing suppliers.
A competent budget manager, able to develop, present, and interrogate business cases.
Result focused, experienced in seeking out and understanding specific pain-points in an organisation and developing appropriate solutions.
Excellent communication skills, able to present IT and digital issues to a wide group of audiences
The Skills
● An ideal candidate will have extensive experience in the following areas:
o Google Workspace Enterprise (Gmail, Drive, Meet, etc.)
o Slack and integrated Slack Apps
o Zoom (Conferencing, rooms, phone)
o Identity Management (Okta, Jumpcloud, Microsoft 365)
o ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus Certification
o Networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, DNS, etc)