The Role

The Director of IT provides strategic leadership, management, and technical direction for the entire IT function, focusing on security, stability, and service excellence.

Your key responsibilities include:

Strategic Leadership & Governance

• Strategy Development: Develop and deliver an IT strategy aligned with the educational philosophy, academic, and operational needs of both schools.
• Vision & Innovation: Monitor developments in technology and advise senior management on deploying new technologies to support College endeavours.
• Security Culture: Lead the development of a "secure by design" environment and establish a culture that prioritises information security among staff.
• Planning & Budget: Take the lead in the annual planning and budgeting process (revenue and capital), reporting monthly to the Bursar.
• Governance: Define and refine the governance process for IT direction, support, and management.

Management & Service Delivery

• Team Leadership: Provide outstanding leadership to the extended IT team, ensuring effective operation, training, and objective achievement.
• System Stability: Ensure the successful operation, stability, security, and reliability of all IT systems and networks.
• Compliance: Ensure compliance with safeguarding, data protection (GDPR), and health and safety policies, working with Legal Counsel on Data Protection arrangements.
• Process Improvement: Implement and update IT management processes (e.g., support, project management, disaster recovery) to deliver a programme of continuous improvement.
• Supplier & Asset Management: Manage external suppliers, procurement, contracts, and internal assets, including the audio-visual, mobile, and fixed telephone systems.
• Reporting: Produce a monthly Service Management Report documenting key metrics, outages, and performance.

About You

We are seeking a resilient, influential, and highly capable IT professional who can communicate effectively and execute strategic change.

Essential Professional Experience

• Senior Management: Experience operating at a Senior Manager level in an IT function, leading a team of professionals, ideally within the education sector.
• Technical Excellence: Qualified to degree level or equivalent.
• Change Management: Strong transformational and change management experience across education and enterprise IT.
• Compliance & Resilience: Experience in disaster recovery planning, ensuring high system availability, and implementing cyber resilience strategies.
• IT Service: Experience working within or implementing an ITIL environment (ITIL Expert or Master desirable).
• Project Methodologies: Experience with Agile, Prince 2, or other relevant project qualifications.

Personal Attributes

• Communication: A great communicator able to develop strong relationships with senior managers and users.
• Drive & Resilience: Highly resilient with the determination to successfully execute initiatives.
• Professionalism: Proactive, positive, and possessing a calm and credible professional presence.
• Flexibility: Comfortable switching from strategic to operational tasks. Flexible and prepared to work outside core hours when necessary.
• Focus: Possessing outstanding attention to detail and driven to achieve the highest levels of customer service.

What We Offer

• Start Date: April 2026 (sooner if available).
• Hours of Work: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week, plus necessary hours to meet demands.
• Salary: Up to circa £80,000 per annum, commensurate with qualifications and experience.

HOW TO APPLY

Only applications completed on the school website will be accepted. Please attach a full CV with your application.

Please note that applications will be dealt with as they arrive. Winchester College reserves the right to appoint before the deadline passes.

Closing date for applications: Midnight Thursday 27th November

For the full job description and to apply please see here

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the recruitment process, please email recruitment@wincoll.ac.uk.