Head of Infrastructure (Financial Trading Firm)

Job Title: Head of IT & Infrastructure Location: London (Hybrid) Salary: Up to £180,000 Total Compensation About the role A global digital asset trading firm is looking for a technically strong Head of IT & Infrastructure to lead its corporate IT environment and support the continued growth of the business. Combining approximately 50% hands-on engineering, 25% team management and 25% strategy, this role suits an experienced technical leader who enjoys building and improving systems while developing a team and shaping the technology roadmap. You will take ownership of the platforms employees rely on, working closely with security and business stakeholders to deliver secure, reliable and scalable IT services. Key responsibilities Hands-on engineering and delivery – 50% - Lead the implementation, configuration and improvement of identity, endpoint management and SaaS platforms, including Okta, Jamf, Google Workspace and Cloudflare. - Own technical projects from requirements gathering and solution design through deployment, documentation and operational handover. - Improve device provisioning, access management, onboarding and offboarding through automation and standardisation. - Act as a senior technical escalation point, resolving complex issues and addressing recurring problems. - Partner with security specialists to strengthen endpoint protection, access controls and configuration standards. - Maintain clear technical documentation, operational procedures and recovery processes. Team leadership and management – 25% - Lead and develop the IT team through regular feedback, coaching and clear objectives. - Set priorities and allocate resources across operational support, engineering improvements and project delivery. - Establish clear ownership, escalation routes and standards for service delivery. - Support recruitment and identify opportunities to strengthen the team’s capabilities. - Build effective working relationships with security, engineering and business teams. - Improve incident, problem and change management practices, using service metrics to track progress. Strategy and planning – 25% - Develop and maintain an IT roadmap aligned with business growth, security requirements and operational needs. - Assess the existing environment and prioritise improvements in reliability, scalability and user experience. - Lead technology evaluations and make recommendations on tooling, architecture and investment. - Manage vendor relationships, procurement and contract renewals, balancing service quality with cost. - Develop budget proposals and resource plans, communicating priorities and trade-offs to senior stakeholders. - Identify operational risks and reduce reliance on manual processes and individual knowledge. What we’re looking for - A strong background in IT engineering, systems administration or corporate infrastructure, with recent hands-on technical experience. - Experience leading engineers or an IT function, including setting priorities and developing team members. - Strong knowledge of cloud-first IT environments, covering identity, endpoint management, collaboration tools and SaaS administration. - Practical experience with platforms such as Okta, Jamf, Google Workspace and Cloudflare Zero Trust, or comparable technologies. - Experience delivering technical projects while maintaining reliable day-to-day services. - An understanding of security principles, including least privilege, device compliance and secure access. - Experience automating administrative tasks and operational workflows through scripting, APIs or platform integrations. - Confidence managing suppliers, evaluating technology and presenting recommendations to senior stakeholders. - The ability to balance immediate operational demands with longer-term improvements. Desirable experience - Financial services, trading, fintech or digital asset environments. - Supporting an international business across multiple offices and time zones. - Working within regulated environments and supporting audit requirements. - IT service management and change tooling, such as Jira Service Management. - Growing an IT function within a fast-moving business. The person You will be comfortable moving between technical troubleshooting, team leadership and strategic planning. You take ownership, communicate clearly and make practical decisions that improve security, service quality and the employee experience.