Job Description

Outra is a UK-based data science firm specializing in household-level data, leveraging over 30 million UK households and thousands of data points to deliver predictive analytics and actionable insights. We combine advanced AI and machine learning to support business in all industries to optimize marketing efficiency, enhance customer understanding, and predict behaviours.
We are looking for a Group IT & Security Manager to join the business and run the IT team. The successful candidate will assist in day-to-day IT issues for our personnel and our clients, as well as help maintain an efficient, effective and resilient IT network system and infrastructure that supports the business and its clients.
Reporting to the CEO and COO, the ideal candidate will have previous experience as an IT Manager with a good working knowledge of IT hardware, software, networking and cloud systems, combined with a proactive approach, the ability to work on their own, as well as part of a team. The successful candidate will be able to plan and lead the delivery of IT projects as required across the business. Excellent written and oral communication skills and great organizational skills are a must.
Strategic Planning and Alignment
Identification of technology needs
o Collaborating across Outra, Heylo, Asset Trust and Upstix on IT needs
o Understand the specific requirements of each business area
Technology roadmapping
o Creating a technology roadmap that outlines the strategic direction for IT initiatives
o Both technology roll out but also policy and standards adoption
o Aligning short-term and long-term technology investments to organization's growth plans
Team Leadership and Development
Team leadership
oBe the senior point of contact for day-to-day IT issues and manage team's response
oAssigning tasks, setting priorities and overseeing daily operations
oEnsuring team of three members have tools and resources needed to perform effectively
Professional development
oInvesting in the professional growth of their team members by identifying training opportunities, certifications and skill-building activities
oEnsuring team members to stay up to date with industry trends
Budgeting and Resource Management
Budget allocation
o Managing the IT budget and allocating resource to meet projects and operational needs
o Balancing fund allocation to support current operations and ongoing maintenance
Cost optimization
o Evaluating costs and seeking opportunities to optimize spending
o Renegotiating vendor contracts, identifying areas for cost savings
Project Management
Planning and Prioritization
o Defining scope and prioritization of project plans
o Ensuring alignment with the organization's goals and available resources.
Oversight
o Managing the full project lifecycle: allocating resources, monitoring progress and spend
o Communication with project stakeholders
IT Operations and Support
Setting and monitoring Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for IT
o Ensuring timely response, issue resolution and maintaining high service availability
User support and helpdesk management
o Ensuring timely response and issue resolution for a UK distributed organization of c.150
o Implementing self-service options
Security and Risk Management
Implementing and managing security measures to protect the organization's IT systems and data
o Establishing security policies and standards in accordance with ISO27001 and NIST
o Ensuring compliance with policies and standards, managing internal & external audits
o Ensure the security, integrity and confidentiality of customer data
o Embedding Cybersecurity across all roles and managing security operations
o Responding to security incidents
Performing regular risk assessments
o Assess risks of potential disruptions to existing systems and cyber related outages
o Implementing disaster recovery plans, ensuring regular testing
Vendor and Stakeholder Management
Vendor Relationship Management
o Evaluating vendors, considering alignment with business goals
o Evaluating hardware and software options, considering cost, compatibility and support
o Negotiating contracts, reviewing performance, recommending vendor selection/changes
Stakeholder Management
o Making recommendations to senior management based on performance and risk
o Collaborating with senior management and gathering feedback
Technical Skills:
Exceptional technical proficiency
Infrastructure and systems management
A strong grasp of cybersecurity principles and best practices
Knowledge of software development practices and application lifecycle management
Familiarity with cloud platforms (particularly AWS and Azure)
Understanding of data management and analytics
Experience with networking concepts, protocols and technologies(TCP/IP, LAN, WAN, Firewalls)
Understanding of IT service management frameworks (eg. ITIL, ISO27001)
Knowledge of virtualization technologies and containerization platforms
Strong knowledge of various operating systems (Windows, Windows Server and Mac OS)
Familiarity with MS Suite of applications (office 365), including Office, Windows, MS Teams
Proficiency in managing hardware components and end-user devices
At least basic scripting skills
The position requires being onsite for three days a week (including core days of Tues & Thurs) in our London office with occasional travel to our Leeds office, typically at least 4 times a year.
is currently entering an exciting period of growth and expansion, as we continue to develop our unique, data science led propositions.
Primarily focused on prospect generation and data enrichment, our market leading solutions use highly targeted UK household and property attributes data to support audience engagement and development, through predictive modelling.

Skills Required