IT Manager

The Opportunity UNW are a fast growing regional chartered accountancy practice based in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne. With over 200 employees, the firm prides itself in having people with exceptional expertise, a genuine interest in going above and beyond, and a proven track record of success.  Their success is a result of having professionals committed to looking after their clients and delivering a service that far exceeds expectations.As the firm continues to expand, they are seeking an operationally focused and strategically minded IT Manager to be accountable for the day-to-day operations of the IT function. You will ensure that a secure, reliable, and scalable infrastructure is maintained, whilst also proactively identifying and implementing continual service improvements.  In this new role, you will coordinate the activities of third-party service providers, align systems with business objectives and provide strategic guidance to support future growth.In this exceptional opportunity, the IT Manager will provide energy and enthusiasm to developing an IT service that will be pivotal in supporting future growth.The Role In this stand alone role, you will conduct ongoing analysis of IT processes to identify opportunities for efficiency gains through innovation and be responsible for:

• Driving and managing the relationship with third party suppliers in accordance with SLAs
• Ensuring all IT hardware is efficient, available and updated as necessary
• Ensuring standardisation of system utilisation, identifying and implementing improvements
• Leading IT projects and managing change processes to minimise disruption and ensure clear communication with stakeholders.
• Developing and maintaining Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity plans
• Maintaining compliance to Cyber Essential plus
• Assessing and managing third party contracts 

The Person As a commercially focused and strategically minded IT Manager who is committed to service improvement, you will have a proven track record in the leading the IT operations of a business. Most importantly you will possess:

• Strong knowledge of IT infrastructure, cloud services, cybersecurity and user support.
• Be experienced in managing vendors and outsourced IT service providers; and 
• Have excellent leadership, communication and problem-solving skills.

 Experience of working within a professional services environment will be beneficial though not essential.