Job Description

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust has an exciting opportunity to join a great digital team as the Head of Digital Datacentre Services. This role will manage a dedicated team tasked with delivering dependable and proficient datacentre services, in addition to managing the comprehensive technical responsibilities necessary for supporting the Trust's system and service operations. The role demands close collaboration with senior leaders within Group Informatics, throughout the Trust, as well as with external stakeholders, to ensure that digital services are provided and delivered in a unified manner.



The successful candidate must possess strong technical knowledge and practical expertise in the administration of multiple datacentres, which includes expertise in computing, networks, and storage infrastructures. The role will be responsible for the advancement and operational maintenance of server, storage, and datacentre infrastructure for the Trust, embracing cutting-edge technologies, and serving as the design authority on matters such as physical datacentre management alongside private and public cloud utilisation.



The Head of Digital Datacentre Services is responsible for establishing a comprehensive approach to planning, organising, and delivering efficient Datacentre technologies and support services at an enterprise scale, while supporting the broader Trust digital strategy. Other key responsibilities include:

Performance and Maintenance Accountability :

Being accountable for the datacentre performance and maintenance to industry standards, ensuring the implementation of security and compliance standards.

Technical Support and Expertise:

Provide subject matter expertise and technical hands-on support to establish highly performant Datacentre services, and provide training, mentorship, and coaching to members of the digital services.

Architectural Strategy :

Develop and deliver the Datacentre architectural strategy, to support both on-premise and cloud approaches, ensuring adherence to architectural server principles essential for embedding industry best standards.

Long-term Sustainability and Adaptation :

Being responsible for the long-term sustainability of datacentre technologies and associated support services, adapting and evolving the strategy as technology trends and the Trust's digital strategy evolve.

Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration - engage with clinical and managerial stakeholders to develop, agree, maintain, and implement roll-out plans, reporting key milestones, and escalating slippages on the delivery of technical solutions.



MFT is one of the largest NHS Trust In England with a turnover of over 3bn & is on a different scale than most other NHS Trusts. We're creating an exceptional integrated health & social care system for the 1 million patients who rely on our services every year.



Bringing together 10 hospitals & community services from across Manchester, Trafford & beyond, we champion collaborative working & transformation, encouraging our 30,000 workforce to pursue their most ambitious goals. We set standards that other Trusts seek to emulate so you'll benefit from a scale of opportunity that is nothing short of extraordinary.



We've also created a digitally enabled organisation to improve clinical quality, patient & staff experience, operational effectiveness & driving research, and innovation through the introduction of Hive; our Electronic Patient Record system which launched in September 2022.



We're proud to be a major academic Research Centre & Education provider, providing you with a robust infrastructure to encourage and facilitate high-quality research programmes. What's more, we're excited to be embarking on our Green Plan which sets out how MFT continues to play its part in making healthcare more sustainable.



At MFT, we create and foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, provide equal opportunities for career development that are fair, open, and transparent, protecting your health and wellbeing and shaping the future of our organisation together.



To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience you'll need, take a look at the & Person Specification attachments under the 'Supporting Documents' heading. So that you're even more equipped to make an informed decision to apply to us, you'll need to take time to read the 'Candidate Essentials Guide' that sits with the and Person Specification. This document provides you with details about the Trust, our benefits and outlines how 'we care for you as you care for others'. Most importantly, it also contains critical information you'll need to be aware of before you submit an application form.



Diversity Matters



MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating, and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, email our team at resourcing@mft.nhs.uk .



We're looking forward to hearing from you!