Xpertise Recruitment
Interim Head of Infrastructure
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Interim Head of Infrastructure and IT Operations
3 months Outside IR35 with view to being extended or going permanent
Nottingham (1 day per week in the office)
£500 per day
Role purpose
The Interim Lead Senior Infrastructure Engineer / Head of Infrastructure and Operations combines two things in one person: the technical escalation point the 2nd Line Infrastructure Analyst(s) and Security Engineer can rely on, and the operational leader who keeps infrastructure, security and application-related IT running reliably, securely and within budget. You will lead and develop a small, capable team, own the reliability and security of our IT estate, and manage the associated budget, working closely with the CTO throughout.
Key responsibilities
Hands-on technical leadership
- Act as the escalation point for Windows Server, Active Directory and hybrid DNS issues the team cannot resolve alone.
- Administer and oversee Microsoft 365 / Entra ID across the organisation.
- Work confidently across both Windows and Linux environments.
- Apply genuine hands-on Azure and/or AWS experience to live infrastructure and support work, not just certification knowledge.
- Own ambiguous, high-pressure problems in a 3rd-line capacity, seeing them through to resolution.
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Operational leadership
- Ensure infrastructure and security systems remain robust, scalable and aligned with business needs.
- Oversee the reliability and performance of IT and application infrastructure, identifying opportunities for optimisation.
- Lead and develop the infrastructure and security team, ensuring they are equipped and supported.
- Collaborate with the Head of Support to ensure infrastructure and support functions integrate smoothly.
- Track delivery of outsourced/vendor-run projects (e.g. the VMware to Hyper-V migration) against agreed timelines and quality, escalating slippage or risk to the CTO.
Security and compliance oversight
- Apply a solid grounding in security fundamentals — patching, vulnerability management concepts and identity security — to guide and sanity-check the Security Engineer's work, without needing to be a security specialist yourself.
- Help ensure systems remain compliant with relevant regulations and standards (e.g. GDPR, Cyber Essentials) — including seeing the current Cyber Essentials certification through to completion.
- Escalate and respond to security risks appropriately, keeping the CTO informed.
Budget and stakeholder management
- Maintain oversight of the IT operations budget, including procurement and application costs, with CTO support.
- Monitor SaaS application costs and usage, and manage vendor relationships already in place.
- Communicate clearly with non-technical stakeholders, translating technical issues and decisions into terms the business can act on.
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Essential (this is what lets you lead the team from day one)
- Strong Windows Server, AD and hybrid DNS troubleshooting — enough to be the escalation point, not just a participant.
- Solid Microsoft 365 / Entra ID administration.
- Comfortable working across both Windows and Linux.
- Genuine hands-on Azure and/or AWS experience — real project or support work, not certifications alone.
- Experience operating in a 3rd-line / escalation capacity, owning ambiguous, high-pressure problems.
- A solid understanding of security fundamentals — patching, vulnerability management concepts, identity security — even without being a dedicated security specialist.
- Exposure to WAN/network rollouts across multi-site estates, monitoring platforms (e.g. Nagios or equivalent) and email security gateways (e.g. Mimecast) — useful given the current project slate, though not essential to pick these up quickly.
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