INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY Head of ICT Operations

***Internal Applicants Only*** Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest Salary: PO12 £79,119 - £85,677 Contract Type: Full-time fixed-term 6 months Working hours per week: 36 Application Deadline: 4th January 2026 Proposed Interview Date(s): w/c 12th January 2026 Reference: 1975 About Us: Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work. We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents. London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment. About the role: Technology Service Our service designs, delivers and enables the technology that enables services and staff to deliver the Council’s missions. The pillars of our service are Architect systems, software and equipment to meet current and future needs Cyber Security and resilience to protect people, data and systems everywhere Operational technology and service that just works and continuously improves Innovation that enables new opportunities and ways of working Performance and customer-focused culture balancing quality and cost Our small team of people thrive on creating solutions and unlocking potential in all areas. We have transformed the IT experience of customers and staff during the eras of cloud and covid. The present and future is exciting; AI and automation, cybersecurity and the move to a new cloud networking and security platform that enables everything, everywhere, all at once. As the Head of ICT Operations your team delivers the Council’s core technologies and the services that keep the Council and its staff working for our community. Reporting to the Assistant Director Technology Services the scope of the role includes: Core technology infrastructure and services in the cloud and office Networks, connectivity, communications and home working Devops services supporting applications, AI and automation Service Desk including end user experience, incidents and service requests Supplier management, performance and procurement Technical solution delivery, problem and change management Operational security, resilience and performance Manage operational spend and assist in budget planning Stakeholder engagement and collaboration About you Can you demonstrate technology, innovation and operational excellence? Do you combine vision, technical skills and business sense? Are you an authentic, inclusive leader who inspires and challenges teams. Then this is an opportunity to lead successful teams, make a real impact and deliver technology and services that enable the Council to meet our challenges and serve our residents. >> Click here to download the Role Profile << Key Responsibilities: Please refer to the role profile Qualifications and Requirements: Please refer to role profile Terms and conditions: The below terms and conditions apply to this role: Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks; Satisfactory declaration of interest; As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English. How to Apply: Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the ‘Apply’ button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. Equal Opportunity Employer: Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value. To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy. We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview. For more information on the benefits of working for the Council, please visit https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/jobs-and-training/find-jobs-and-other-opportunities/working-us. Contact Information: If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Simon Copsey, Assistant Director Technology Services If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Recruitment Team via email at recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk. The Council’s preference is for online application. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk so we can arrange an alternative application method. Click here for further information on the Human Resources recruitment privacy notice.