Head of IT Operations

Application Deadline: 31 May 2026

Department: Internal Operations

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: London

Compensation: £105,000 / year

Description

Salary: c. £105,000
Bonus: Discretionary
Location: Kings Cross, London (Tuesdays-Thursdays - 3 days in our office, Monday + Friday - anywhere)
Employment Type: Permanent, full time

About ARIA

ARIA is a new kind of R&D funding agency. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible. From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world-class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these head on.

We are growing our team to develop bold new approaches that can scale – from programmes to systems, processes and everything in between. If that sounds fun, come and build ARIA with us.

Learn more about how we work here.

Role Summary
ARIA is seeking a senior technology operations leader to own our enterprise IT operations and operational technology services.

As the Head of IT Operations, you are accountable for ensuring ARIA’s enterprise IT foundation environment is secure, resilient, reliable and operationally effective. You will lead the oversight and evolution of ARIA’s enterprise operational technology landscape - spanning  cyber security, infrastructure operations, service provider management, SaaS application landscape governance, and end-user IT experience.

While our on-site Managed Service Provider (MSP) delivers day-to-day operational support, you retain accountability for the performance, security, governance and continuous improvement of our IT ecosystem. You will lead internal IT staff and our external managed service provider to ensure IT services remain trusted, secure and effective for the organisation. 

This is not a coordination role. It requires an experienced operator who can confidently own the service, drive performance, proactively identify risk and improvement opportunities, and ensure technology effectively enables ARIA’s mission.

What you’ll do

Enterprise IT Operations & Service Leadership

• Lead ARIA’s IT Operations function and continuously evolve the organisation’s operational technology maturity, resilience and effectiveness.
• Own accountability for ARIA’s enterprise IT operations and operational service environment, ensuring services are stable, secure, reliable and aligned to organisational needs.
• Act as the senior accountable lead for ARIA’s MSP and operational technology partners, holding providers to account against SLAs, contractual obligations and continuous improvement objectives.
• Drive a culture of operational excellence, proactive service improvement and enablement-first IT operations.

Cyber Security, Risk & Operational Governance

• Maintain accountability for ARIA’s enterprise operational cyber security posture, operational technology risks, resilience planning and compliance obligations.
• Lead governance frameworks, operational standards, policies and controls across enterprise IT domains to ensure proportionate and effective risk management.
• Oversee incident response readiness, disaster recovery planning, operational resilience and security assurance activities.
• Partner with leadership teams to translate operational technology risks into clear organisational decisions and priorities.
• Ensure ARIA’s enterprise IT controls, security foundations and support models evolve to safely enable AI-native ways of working, including increased use of AI tools, automation, data platforms and bespoke technical solutions.

Enterprise Infrastructure & Operational Technology Stewardship

• Oversee ARIA’s enterprise operational infrastructure, cloud environments, identity and access management, SaaS estate, devices and core operational systems.
• Maintain visibility and governance across ARIA’s enterprise operational technology assets, ensuring systems remain secure, supportable and operationally sustainable.
• Lead the management and oversight of enterprise application lifecycle management, rationalisation, operational supportability and cost optimisation.
• Ensure enterprise IT services effectively support organisational productivity, operational continuity and secure collaboration.

Leadership, Strategy & Organisational Partnership

• Lead and develop a high-performing IT Operations function, including internal team members, contractors and managed service providers.
• Build strong relationships across ARIA to ensure enterprise technology services effectively support organisational effectiveness and user experience.
• Partner closely with the Head of Engineering & Platforms to ensure operational resilience, enterprise compliance and security considerations are effectively embedded across organisational technology initiatives.
• Contribute to organisation-wide technology governance, standards and roadmap discussions across operational and enablement domains.
• Provide clear reporting, insight and assurance to senior leadership on operational performance, security, resilience and enterprise technology risks.
• Collaborate closely with the wider ARIA team and Programme Directors to deliver a seamless IT environment that empowers, rather than restricts, ambitious R&D initiatives.

Who you are

• An experienced technology operations leader with significant experience leading IT operations within MSP-supported or outsourced environments.
• Technically credible across enterprise infrastructure, cyber security, cloud platforms and operational resilience.
• Strong governance and risk management capability, with experience building operational standards, controls and assurance mechanisms.
• Experienced working across cyber security and regulatory frameworks such as GDPR, NCSC CAF, ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus.
• Commercially astute and comfortable managing vendors, contracts, procurement and service performance.
• An excellent communicator and relationship builder who can influence across technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experienced leading blended capability models comprising internal teams, contractors, MSPs and specialist partners.
• Comfortable balancing strategic control, enablement, operational reliability and organisational needs in a fast-moving environment.
• A pragmatic and trusted leader with strong judgement and an enablement-first mindset.

Desirable
We are a Google-native organisation. If you’ve worked in this environment before, that’s great - if not, don’t let it stop you from applying; we’re more interested in your expertise than your current toolkit.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days
• Hybrid working arrangements; 60% in office / 40% at home
• Supportive environment for learning and development opportunities
• Enhanced family leave arrangements
• A free and confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme
• Life Assurance
• 2 days of paid volunteer days
• 5% defined contribution pension scheme with Smart Pension
• Cycle to Work scheme
• An excellent office location in Kings X, London

How to apply

Please submit your current CV and a cover letter detailing your suitability. We pride ourselves on reviewing every application personally. Note: A cover letter is required to be considered.  
Not sure you meet 100% of our criteria? Don’t worry! If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We want to attract the broadest array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you’re new to the field, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interests and what you hope to bring to this role.

If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you. Disclosing any requests are intended to provide ARIA with the best opportunity to support candidates and will have no negative impact on your recruitment process.

ARIA adopts a highly considered approach to ethical and social responsibility. You can read our policy here. Our research and development activity will abide by the 3Rs principle. You can read about those here.