Head of IT - Defence

Head of IT - Defence

Glasgow or Aberdeen | Hybrid

Permanent role

We are exclusively supporting a high-growth international engineering business in the appointment of a Head of IT for Defence.

This is a strategically important leadership role within a specialist Defence division that is currently the organisation's fastest-growing business area, with significant expansion planned across the UK, US and APAC.

Operating at the cutting edge of maritime Defence, the division delivers highly specialised capabilities across special forces, military diving, submarine platforms, and submarine escape and rescue.

The Opportunity:

As Head of IT, you will own and shape the technology agenda for the Defence division, leading a global IT team and partnering directly with senior business and Group technology leadership.

This is a transformation and growth mandate, with significant opportunity to strengthen and modernise the IT function across:

• Cyber Security - developing a new cyber capability and embedding security into Defence bids and programmes.
• Infrastructure & Architecture - simplifying and modernising a complex legacy estate.
• Applications & ERP - driving major application and ERP transformation.
• IT Service Delivery - establishing stronger service management, KPIs and operational discipline.
• Technology Strategy - creating a roadmap aligned to ambitious international growth.
• IT/OT & IoT - ensuring secure, resilient technology across operational environments.

You will have genuine influence over how technology supports the next phase of the division's growth and will become a key technology voice within the senior leadership team.

What We're Looking For:

We are specifically seeking a senior IT leader with proven Defence-sector experience.

You will bring:

• Significant senior IT leadership experience within Defence or a closely related highly regulated environment.
• Strong understanding of Defence cyber, security and customer requirements.
• Experience operating in complex, federated or multi-division organisations.
• Broad IT leadership capability across cyber, infrastructure, applications, architecture and service delivery.
• A track record of delivering technology transformation and modernisation.
• Strong commercial and stakeholder management skills, with the credibility to influence at senior level.

Active or lapsed UK security clearance is highly desirable, and candidates must be capable of meeting the required security and eligibility criteria.