Head of Infrastructure and Applications

Job summary

The Head of Infrastructure and Applications is responsible for the delivery and continuous improvement of the core infrastructure platforms that underpin Acas’ digital and business operations, including cloud services, endpoint solutions, voice and video, identity and networks. Reporting to the Head of Technology, the role translates strategic direction into effective operational delivery, ensuring services are stable, secure, cost-effective and aligned to user and organisational needs.

The role holds responsibility for the end-to-end delivery of infrastructure and application services, ensuring availability, performance and resilience in line with agreed service levels. It drives operational excellence through strong service management practices, including incident, problem and change management, with a clear focus on continual service improvement and maintaining service quality in a fast-paced environment.

The Head of Infrastructure and Applications manages relationships with third-party suppliers and partners, ensuring services are delivered in line with contractual expectations, provide value for money and meet performance targets. The role also leads the delivery of technology change and modernisation, including cloud adoption, application lifecycle management and the transition of new and updated services into live operation.

Working closely with stakeholders across DDaT and the wider business, the role ensures all infrastructure services meet user needs and support organisational priorities.

Job description

The main accountabilities of this role are to -

Manage, lead and develop the 6 Infrastructure and Application teams, setting clear objectives, standards, principles and ways of working:

• Cloud and Server
• Network
• Voice and Video
• Endpoint Solutions
• Messaging and Identity Services
• Software Application Management

As well as to -

• Act as Senior Responsible Technical Lead for complex, high‑risk services, projects and programmes, including major incident resolution.
• Develop and deliver infrastructure and application strategies, improvements and changes, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives, Cloud First principles and Government security standards.
• Ensure high availability, performance, resilience and recoverability of critical infrastructure services through effective capacity planning, monitoring, incident response, backup, disaster recovery and continual improvement.
• Own the lifecycle management of infrastructure platforms and end user technologies, including refresh planning, technical debt reduction, standards compliance and decommissioning of legacy services.
• Provide technical leadership and assurance into business cases and procurement activities, including cost modelling, analysis and value for money assessments
• Establish and embed strong service ITIL management practices across infrastructure services, including incident, problem, change, asset, configuration, capacity, availability and supplier management.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior stakeholders, delivery partners and suppliers, acting as the point of escalation and technical authority.
• Work closely with cyber security, architecture, service management, digital delivery and business stakeholders to ensure infrastructure services support organisational change and user needs.
• Provide assurance to senior leaders on service risks, compliance, operational performance and infrastructure readiness for future demand.

Main Role Activities:

• Lead and develop operational management of Microsoft Azure server, storage and cloud services, including service availability, configuration control, performance tuning, patch compliance, backup integrity and restoration testing.
• Lead and develop operational management of endpoint solutions, including device standards, laptop and smartphone device management (including patching), operating system and application deployment, workplace technology refresh and user experience improvement.
• Lead and develop operational management of network services, including core connectivity, wireless, remote access, print and network performance monitoring.
• Lead and develop operational management of voice and video services, ensuring stable collaboration capability across telephony and contact centre technologies, service continuity, call handling performance, resilience planning, technical support arrangements and alignment with business operations.
• Lead and develop operational management of email, identity and access management products and services, including security, authentication, role-based access, privileged access control and directory service management.
• Ensure infrastructure services are managed through clear service levels, meaningful performance measures, service reporting and documented operational procedures.
• Own major incident resolution and infrastructure recovery coordination, including root cause analysis, corrective actions and lessons learned.
• Develop and test disaster recovery and business continuity arrangements for infrastructure services.
• Lead the infrastructure team’s contribution to audits, compliance reviews and assurance activity, maintaining evidence of controls, standards, risks and remediation actions.
• Provide technical oversight and feedback in supplier service and account meetings.
• Identify opportunities for automation, standardisation, simplification and cost optimisation across the infrastructure estate.
• Contribute to investment planning, business cases, prioritisation decisions and portfolio governance for infrastructure-related change.
• Build organisational capability through leadership, workforce planning, coaching, performance management and development of specialist technical teams.

Who we are

Acas exists to make working life better for everyone in Britain. We are the experts in workplace matters, we’re impartial, so we’re not on anyone’s side. That means we’re working for everyone to help prevent, manage and resolve workplace issues.

Acas helps employers and employees by providing information, advice, training, conciliation and other services that prevent, manage or resolve workplace problems.

Acas: Britain’s Workplace Experts

Acas has been recognised for its Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace from the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion awards; it has been Disability Confident Highly Commended, a Pay Gap award winner, and an Overall winner for public sector organisations. Acas is committed to providing services and developing policies which embrace diversity, promote equality of opportunity and eliminate unlawful discrimination.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

Experience:

• Demonstratable Senior Leadership experience in an infrastructure, platform or IT operations role within a complex organisation (Lead criterion).
• Demonstrable experience of leading, managing and developing a mixed discipline Infrastructure team/department and third-party suppliers (Lead criterion).
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to explain complex technical matters clearly to senior non-technical audiences.

Technical:

• Demonstratable knowledge and understanding of infrastructure technologies and the ability to provide expert technical guidance to support the team and help resolve Major Incidents (Lead criterion).