Head of Infrastructure

Head of Infrastructure
Grade and salary: Grade 9 £61,759 – £75,917
Working hours: Full time 35 hours per week/FTE
Tenure: Permanent
Location: Hybrid working, Liverpool campus
Faculty: IT Services
  
The Role 

Role overview and University context: 
The primary purpose of the Head of IT Infrastructure Operations role, is to be fully accountable for ensuring all systems across the Data Centres, Platforms and Network & Telephony environments remain highly available, stable, monitored and maintained, in line with the strategic and operational objectives of IT Services.  
 
It is your responsibility to ensure that technical platforms and services are operational and maintained according to agreed levels of operations.  Also, within agreed budgetary and headcount context, the required technical resources and services must be available to enable the delivery of projects and services, according to well defined, understood and agreed plans and requirements.

As the Head of IT Infrastructure, you will act as the line manager for a number of technical managers, who will themselves and their staff, work in a matrix environment, also reporting operationally to project managers.

Resource management involves: managing the performance of teams and team managers; keeping the department informed; providing reward and recognition appropriately and handling conflict. Additionally, the role involves: recruiting and selecting new team managers and members; ensuring induction of new team members; managing learning and development needs and also managing succession planning processes.  The Head of Infrastructure is also required to: manage absence; exercise discipline; maintain a healthy and safe workplace; manage processes in relation to leavers and comply with university procedures, policies and legal requirements.

As a member of the IT Service Operational Management Team, you will work with other senior managers to ensure that required changes in technical platforms, capacity, capability and techniques are well understood, defined and planned.   You will act as the conduit for communicating and incorporating infrastructure resources requirements into IT Services, strategic and operational plans.

You will interact with IT Services staff at all levels to ensure appropriate levels of service in the production environments. You will keep regular contacts with relevant suppliers and vendors, including establishment and follow-up of Service Level Agreements (SLA) where appropriate.
  
  
Key responsibilities and duties: 

• Leading, motivating and managing the performance of the Infrastructure team, to deliver a professional, customer focused and high performing operational service that works to an agreed service scope and service level.
• Defining, implementing and promoting an IT Infrastructure Strategy for IT. Defining and maintaining a strategic roadmap for the provision of IT Infrastructure to support all IT activities and services.
• Provision of leadership, steering and direction in relation to the continual operational improvement of each phase of the IT services lifecycle and in particular in relation to the people, processes, products and partnerships required by the ITS IT Infrastructure department to fulfil its purpose.
• The day-to-day management of the IT Services, Systems Rooms and Data Centres including environment and platforms.
• Developing and maintaining relationships with senior management across lines of business and relevant third parties.
• Carrying out effective and timely performance management of the Operations Team in line with University policy.
• Ensuring appropriate continuous professional development to enhance skills and promote cross-skilling in order to meet and support the demands of IT and the business.
• Managing effective planning, monitoring and control processes to ensure the outcomes and results produced by the ITS Infrastructure function align with ITS strategies.
• Providing support, coaching and mentoring to Infrastructure Managers to ensure that all objectives and commitments are fulfilled in line with expectations, agreements and standards.
• Continually reviewing the service provided to end-users and customers to ensure it meets agreed service levels and all customers’ requirements, though, e.g. liaising with stakeholders, conducting customer satisfaction surveys and electronic monitoring. Use this information to produce reports for stakeholders, and to revise and improve the processes and service delivery within the Infrastructure team.
• Managing the effective provision of IT Infrastructure as per agreed plans and according to agreed levels of operation.
• Responsible for staff management and staff development, including performance reviews, overall staff morale and motivation, and general staff well-being.
• Responsible for IT Infrastructure budget management, including the provision of month-end financial reports for senior management; and assistance in shaping financial proposals for input to strategic bids and budget cycle.
• Responsible for defining, reviewing and communicating technical services plans and providing input to the ITS and University planning and budget cycles.
• Manage the effective provision of Infrastructure Team technical resources to all aspects of IT Services (e.g. ITS Projects, ITS Business Apps and ITS Service Desk).
• Maintain the IT Infrastructure technical toolset. (Including Documentation of procedures, Services implementation, Operations Standard Platform Environment).
• Maintain and develop a capacity forecast including a 2-year rolling Capacity Plan with clear identification of shortages and over-capacity projections constraints.
• Manage alerts and incidents in the production environment, and coordinate responses and solutions with IT Services.
• Manage and validate the technical input to the RFC process.
• Manage contracts with external suppliers including SLA’s where appropriate. Ensure regular follow-up meetings with external suppliers in order to ensure optimal service levels.
• For each of the accountabilities outlined in this profile, provide regular financial and performance reports to the Associate Director of IT Infrastructure and Operations.
• Represent and raise the profile of the University at external events, presenting where appropriate.
• Maintain and develop rigorous reporting systems.
• Ensure and monitor that processes are in place to pro-actively protect consistent service quality through rigorous management of change control and acceptance into service within the role responsibilities.
• Meet with internal and external IT Services stakeholders and managers regularly on both a one to one and group meeting basis to review, agree and plan improvements to the cohesiveness and cost-effectiveness of IT services provided to the university.
• Represent IT Services and the University externally to academia and industry, other external bodies and agencies, and strategic partnership suppliers in the UK and internationally when required, ensuring the strategic interests and requirements of IT Services and the University are represented and safeguarded appropriately. 
• Identify, maintain and forecast resource requirements within the role responsibilities to meet the service requirements of the customer and develop on-going and continuous Service Improvement Plans that will enhance customers’ IT services and customer service in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
• Provide expert problem management support to difficult high-profile customer issues and ensures root-cause analysis is conducted and a corrective action plan is followed through with any learning applied for future benefit.
• Ensure appropriate continuous professional development to enhance skills and promote cross-skilling in order to meet and support the demands of IT and the business.
• Perform any other duties appropriate to the grade as may be required by the Director/Associate Director Customer Service/Senior Management Team (SMT).
• Bring to the attention of managers any matters relating to the health and safety of staff, students and visitors.
• Maintain effective communications with colleagues across ITS.
• Liaise with University staff at all levels, developing and maintaining quality working relationships with customers and colleagues in order to deliver a high-quality service.
• Work to agreed performance standards, deliver within agreed response times and seek to continually improve working practices and services.
• Ensure sound time management and organisation skills, being able to manage work in response to changing priorities, circumstances and workload.
• Undertake any other related duties which may be required in the management and delivery of IT Services and which are commensurate with the grade.
• Deputise at SMT level when required
• Undertake other duties commensurate with the grade as required.

  
Additional requirements: 
In addition to the above, all University of Liverpool staff are required to: 

• Adhere to all University policies and procedures, completing all obligatory training and induction modules, including Equality & Diversity and Health & Safety.
• Respect confidentiality: all confidential information should be kept in confidence and not released to unauthorised persons.
• Participate in the University’s Professional Development Review scheme and take a proactive approach to own professional development.
• Demonstrate customer service excellence in dealing with all stakeholders.
• Embody and uphold the University’s Vision and Values.

  
About you
  
Experience
Essential

1. Extensive experience in managing at a senior level, IT infrastructure technical resources, covering network (data & voice), telecommunications, server, storage, backup
2. Change management experience
3. Extensive experience in managing data centre environments
4. Varied and strong experience in non-people Technical Resource management
5. Excellent and proven experience in staff resources management and workforce planning, including working in a matrix environment
6. Experience in IT Continuity Management and Disaster Recovery
7. Experienced in availability and capacity management
8. Familiarity with Service Delivery standards and frameworks (e.g. ITIL or COBIT)
9. Evidence of good technical knowledge in the following areas:

• Infrastructure (networks, server, storage, backup) technologies
• Telecommunication Technologies
• Data centre
• Virtualisation

1. Cloud Services and Infrastructure
2. Proven experience in workforce development
3. Proven experience of defining and maintaining standards
4. Proven experience of supplier relationship management and contract management
5. Experience or understanding of the structure and organisation of higher education institutions and their core activities.

  
Desirable
Experience and awareness of issues affecting IT in the HE sector
  
Education, qualifications and training
Essential

1. A degree (or equivalent qualifications or relevant professional experience)
2. Appropriate Technical Qualifications
3. Demonstrate commitment to continuing professional development

Desirable

1. Project Management Foundation certificate – PRINCE or APM
2. ITIL 4 Advanced Qualification or ITIL V3 Expert, ITIL V2 Practitioner

  
Skills, general and specialist Knowledge
Essential

1. Ability to plan, assign, direct, manage, motivate and engage staff successfully to deliver professional, high quality information technology solutions as part of a customer focused service
2. The capacity to motivate, inspire, support collaboration, attention to detail, and lead with forward thinking perspective
3. Skilled in coaching and appraising peoples’ performance to build their capacity and confidence in advising and supporting business areas, deal with a range of information technology related issues
4. Excellent persuasive communication, advocate change and demonstrate leadership, negotiating and influencing and relationship building skills at a senior level
5. Effective leadership behaviour which creates a high performing customer focused team aligning individual capability with long term business requirements
6. A tenacity to drive excellence and quality in all aspects of their areas of responsibility, identifying and embracing/implementing best practice
7. Confidence in operating and managing in an environment of change, proactive in handling complex situations
8. Strong customer focus – demonstrating a thorough understanding of the customer needs and consistent in the delivery of service excellence and customer satisfaction
9. Strategic focus on long term aims and objectives while dealing tactically with operational issues, hands on experience of working with Operational teams

  
Personal attributes
Essential

1. Positive proactive approach, enthusiastic and highly self-motivated
2. Personable and approachable manner
3. Demonstrate initiative, sound judgement, flexibility to resolve or escalate problems and ability to work calmly and accurately under pressure
4. Ability to work independently towards agreed goals with a high degree of professional integrity and trustworthiness
5. Analytical and organised, able to prioritise work and balance competing deadlines
6. Dependable, reliable and consistently able to produce high quality/ quantity of work
7. Good interpersonal and team skills. Be able to work well within a team and to influence best practice as part of a team

  
About us
Established in 1881, we are an internationally renowned Russell Group university recognised for our high-quality teaching and research. We are consistently ranked as one of the best universities both nationally and globally, and the majority of our research is rated world leading or internationally excellent. Find out more about us.
 Why Work Here  
We recognise, appreciate and celebrate the incredible work our staff do every day. As well as generous terms and conditions, we offer a range of enviable benefits and provide support for colleague’s wellbeing and development. Discover more about working here.
 Moving from abroad  
As a global institute, we welcome applicants from all nationalities, moving from a different country can be challenging and we would like to help as much as we can, we have put together some information on eligibility to work documentation, accommodation, schools, healthcare, life in Liverpool and the UK as well as other practical information.  Discover more about moving from abroad.
 Our Staff  
Whether it be their friendly colleagues, supportive managers or our outstanding facilities, our staff can explain better than anyone what it is like to work for us and why they enjoy their role. See what our colleagues have to say.
  
How to Apply 
Please upload your CV and a cover letter here and your application will be acknowledged and someone will reach out to you to discuss this and the process further.
Closing date 22nd March 2026
If you have any questions you wish to pose in advance of a formal application please reach out to klancashire@eutopiaonline.com
  
Right to work 
We have a legal responsibility to ensure that you have the right to work in the UK before you can start working for us.  If you do not have the right to work in the UK already, any offer of employment we make to you will be conditional upon you gaining it.  The UKVI have an interactive tool allowing you to immediately see if vacancies are eligible for a Skilled Worker visa. You will need to know the SOC code for the role, view our most used SOC codes, if none of these apply to this role, there are more codes on the eligibility checker. The skilled worker eligibility checker can be found on GOV.UK.   
  
Disabilities and alternative formats  
If you have any other requirements which will help you access the application or interview process or employment opportunities at the University, or if you require copies documentation in alternative formats, please email: jobs@liverpool.ac.uk or telephone 0151 794 6771.