IT Manager

Job summary

We’re looking for an IT manager who brings a calm, thoughtful approach to managing risk, shaping secure systems, and supporting the organisation through meaningful digital change. You’ll combine strong technical insight with a collaborative style, helping colleagues navigate complex issues with clarity and confidence. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys improving systems, strengthening resilience, and building productive relationships across teams and partners.

Job description

You will be responsible for ensuring Estyn’s compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements in relation to information security, business continuity, disaster recovery, and technology assurance. They will also oversee change projects, including migration of systems and services to cloud-based platforms, ensuring best practice in cyber security and alignment with government standards such as Cyber Essentials.

Key tasks include:

• Lead the development, implementation, and monitoring of Estyn’s IT compliance framework, ensuring alignment with government policies, NCSC guidance, and relevant legislation.

• Work closely with the Inspection Operations and Quality Assurance Manager to ensure the smooth running of our critical IT systems.

• Oversee the organisation’s business continuity and disaster recovery planning, ensuring plans are up to date, tested regularly, and effectively communicated to staff.

• Act as Estyn’s lead for Cyber Essentials compliance, coordinating assessments, remediation activities, and certification.

• Manage and deliver change projects involving migration of services into the cloud, ensuring security, cost-effectiveness, and minimal disruption to business operations.

• Lead IT procurement exercises, including specification development, tendering, supplier evaluation, and contract award.

• Manage Estyn’s IT service desk to ensure the delivery of a high-quality, customer-focused service that supports the organisation’s operational and strategic needs.

• Ensure robust contract and supplier management, providing challenge to proposed solutions, monitoring delivery against agreed KPIs, managing risk, and achieving value for money.

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders, Welsh Government Digital colleagues, and external suppliers, ensuring shared understanding of risk, compliance obligations, and delivery expectations.

• Provide assurance and regular reporting to senior leadership and the Audit and Risk Committee on IT risk, compliance, procurement activity, and resilience.

• Champion a culture of continuous improvement, knowledge sharing, and staff awareness in cyber security, IT resilience, and procurement practice.

• Line management of the Knowledge & Information Systems Officer

Person specification

It is essential that you have:

• A proven experience in IT risk management, compliance, or assurance roles within the public or regulated sector.

• Demonstrable understanding of cyber security standards, including Cyber Essentials and NCSC guidance.

• Strong experience in business continuity and disaster recovery planning, including testing and evaluation.

• Track record of delivering IT change projects, including migration to cloud services (e.g., Microsoft 365 and Azure).

• Strong contract management experience, including supplier performance monitoring, risk management, and ensuring value for money.

• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to communicate technical and commercial issues clearly to non-technical audiences.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with the capacity to prioritise and manage complex workloads.

• Understanding of data protection, GDPR, and information governance best practice.

It is desirable that you have:

• Professional qualifications relating to IT service management (e.g. ITIL), project management and delivery (e.g. Agile), Cybersecurity and compliance.

• Ability to work through the medium of Welsh.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £45,974, ESTYN contributes £13,318 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Competitive salary and incremental points meaning that you will normally reach the maximum of the pay scale within two/three years of joining us.

• Generous holiday entitlement – 41 days away from work each year (made up of 31 days of annual leave, plus 10 public/privilege holidays (pro-rated for those who work part-time).

• Flexible working - We operate a flexi-time system, giving you the freedom to shape your working day in a way that suits you and meets business needs.

• Support for your wellbeing – We provide an hour of wellbeing time per week (pro-rated) for staff. We also provide an employee assistance programme, free annual health checks, seasonal flu jabs, a free eye care scheme and access to Health Insurance Plans through Civil Service Healthcare.

• Support for your family life – generous family friendly policies including maternity, paternity, adoption leave.

• Tax-free savings – Access to a cycle to work scheme.

• Special offers and discounts – Access to a range of discounts and exclusive offers through the Civil Service Social Club – Sports and Leisure, the Civil Service Motoring Association, the Civil Service Insurance Society and the Charity for Civil Servants.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Ability and Experience.

The selection process includes:

• A sift of applications: The panel will consider all complete applications. The information you give us in your application is important in deciding whether we will invite you to the next selection stage. Candidates will be assessed at sift on all essential criteria as per the person specification. Desirable criteria will be assessed at sift where there is a strong field of candidates as a second stage after essential criteria have been considered.

• Assessment and Interview: Candidates invited to assessment and interview will again be assessed on their skills, experience and behaviours in relation to the person specification. The assessment will include a facilitated discussion with non-technical colleagues which is designed to assess how well candidates can communicate technical information to non-technical audience. Candidates will also be expected to deliver a presentation at the beginning of the panel interview. Full details will be shared when candidates are invited to interview. Assessments and interviews will take place on 16 Januaryat Estyn’s office in Cardiff.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Rhidian Dafydd
• Email : rhidian.dafydd@estyn.gov.wales
• Telephone : 02920 446336

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@estyn.gov.wales

Further information

https://www.estyn.gov.wales/working-us/current-vacancies

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