IT Operations Manager

Sir John Soane’s Museum is one of the country’s 15 national museums. It is an exceptional work of art and education, a unique visionary accomplishment by the great Regency architect Sir John Soane (1753 – 1837). The Museum displays his collection of antiquities, furniture, models and paintings in a curatorial arrangement he established.

This new role reflects the growth in both digital and IT ambitions at Sir John Soane’s Museum. As the Museum’s sole IT specialist, the role has responsibility for the Museum’s IT estate including third party systems and software, procurement, and management of assets. This role is critical to ensuring Sir John Soane’s Museum uses information resources effectively to maximise efficiencies, generate income and ensure the long-term sustainability of the Museum.

Key Responsibilities
Managing Information Strategy
• Create, agree, and implement a technology, systems and information strategy that aligns with the Museum’s strategy, goals, and objectives, ensuring that these are sustainable, secure, and scalable. This includes identifying new technologies and/or processes to improve departmental operations and developing plans for implementing them.
• Collaborate with senior stakeholders, to understand their needs and ambitions and to identify opportunities for leveraging appropriate technology options to achieve functional and Museum objectives.

Information Management
• Be accountable to the Senior Management Team for the continued delivery of a reliable, effective, and secure suite of information services and associated processes.
• Conduct audits and assessments to identify areas of improvement and ensure adherence to industry best practices and DCMS, National Cyber Security Centre and statutory requirements.

Managing Information Security
• Develop and implement robust information security policies, procedures, and interventions to protect the Museum’s sensitive data and systems from internal and external threats, unauthorised access, theft, or accidental incidents.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulations and standards.
• Maintain appropriate systems and procedures to support and test effective business continuity in response to appropriate scenarios, including disaster recovery.

Service Delivery and budget management
• Be accountable for the delivery of the overall IT-related service (including MSP relationship management, software development, systems integration, infrastructure, third party and other systems and platforms, and business analysis) to all Museum departments.
• Have responsibility for managing the IT budget, including forecasting costs, identifying efficiencies, and ensuring that IT spending aligns with the Museum’s overall financial goals and constraints.
• Maintenance of software and implementation of staff training.
• Work within the Museum’s financial management policies to deliver best value solutions to meet strategic and operational objectives.
• Oversee the management of third-party technology providers, ensuring services are delivered to agreed standards and quality measures, and understanding their product roadmaps and how these align with Sir John Soane’s Museum.

Person Specification
• Experience of managing IT projects (e.g. transformations) on a limited budget.
• Demonstrable experience of working in, (or preferably managing and directing) information systems and services in a multi-department organisation.
• Foundational proficiency in IT governance, information security, IT and cyber risk management, and compliance with a demonstrable hunger to learn and appetite to build on knowledge and experience to swiftly (within 3 months) become the Museum’s trusted expert.
• Genuine interest in and understanding of current opportunities and trends in information technology and digital products and services relevant to the Museum (this could include productivity tools, GenAI, enterprise systems).
• Aptitude, and preferably experience, in overseeing the management of complex and transformational digital and IT projects, including ability to balance competing priorities and drive ROI and effective performance external contractors.
• Understanding of information security challenges, tools and ways of working to proactively manage and mitigate associated risks.
• Experience in managing information and asset management.
• We are a small and busy team, so are looking for someone with a clear communication style, friendly interpersonal skills and desire to be part of a common mission.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Sound business acumen and understanding of how technology can add value.
• An appreciation/understanding of the heritage sector.

The Museum is an Equal Opportunities Employer, committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to a work environment free from discrimination.

To apply please send a full CV and a supporting letter, together with the names and addresses of two referees by email to [email protected]

The closing date is Thursday 8 May 2025. Interviews will be held in the Museum on Friday 16 May 2025.

Museum Website: https://www.soane.org/about/work-with-us