Head of IT Services

This is a Temporary Promotion Opportunity for 6 months.

Reporting to the director of Strategy Delivery and Digital Transformation this is an exciting interim role that consolidates the management of technical teams and presents opportunities to deliver tangible business benefits.

The Head of IT Services will lead the delivery performance and continual improvement of IT services across the National Records of Scotland (NRS) ensuring services are secure reliable resilient and user focused. Providing leadership across IT Service Management Database Applications and Infrastructure services you will drive operational excellence service performance and continuous improvement across the organisation.

You will provide leadership and direction for major IT initiatives that support business operations and service resilience including technology refresh platform upgrades and infrastructure modernisation activities. Working closely with cyber security digital and business colleagues you will ensure successful delivery effective risk management and value for money while maintaining high-performing services that support organisational priorities.

A permanent Head of IT Services will be recruited in January 2027.

• Lead the day-to-day deliveryperformanceand continuous improvement of IT services across Service Management DataApplicationsand Infrastructure.

• Ensure IT services meet agreed service levels operational standards userneedsand organisational priorities.

• Set the strategy and operating model for IT Service Management ensuring clear ownership of incidents problems changes releases requests assetsconfigurationand service transition processes

• Lead shape and develop multidisciplinary teams building capability accountability and a culture of continuous improvement while fostering strong operational performance.

• Provide innovative ways of working to achieve desired outcomes build stakeholder consensus around proposed approaches and champion operational management across the wider community.

• Act as a recognised expert and advocate for proposed approaches continuously reflecting on team performance constructively challenging ways of working and cascading industry best practice to improve processes and delivery.

• Demonstrate advanced understanding of design technology and data principles applying these within your service area while identifying and implementing solutions for assisted digital services and the DDaT roles required to support them.

• Contribute to business cases service improvement plans and technology roadmaps ensuring investment decisions are informed by operational needs user requirements affordability and organisational priorities while developing benefits across the portfolio.

• Apply experience across multiple stages of the product lifecycle understanding the financial cost and value delivered per sprint working closely with Agile delivery operations and recognising when to progress pause or stop activity based on deliverables and stakeholder needs.

• Build effective relationships with operational delivery leaders planning and engaging appropriate stakeholders at each project stage anticipating risks managing escalations for major operational issues and making operations more efficient.

• Develop a long-term vision and objectives understand how individual problems fit within the wider organisational context articulate complex challenges clearly build problem-solving capability in others and maintain a disciplined focus on what is most important and relevant.

Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on.

Technical / Professional Skills:

This role is aligned to the Service Owner job role within the Product and Delivery job family within the Digital Data and Technology Profession.

• Adapting to delivery methodologies - Expert
• Applying user-centred insights - Expert
• Financial ownership - Expert
• Governance and assurance - Expert
• Leading performance and benefits - Expert
• Life cycle management Practitioner
• Operational management - Expert
• Stakeholder relationship management - Expert
• Strategic ownership - Expert

You can find out more about the skills required here:Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework

Experience

The successful candidate will be able todemonstrate:

1. Senior IT operations and service management leadership
   Significant experience leading complex IT operations and service management functions including incident problem change release asset configuration servicetransitionand service reporting practices.

2. Leadership across multidisciplinary technology teams
   Proven ability to lead and develop teams across Service Management DataApplicationsand/or Infrastructure creating clear accountabilities improvingcapabilityand embedding a culture of service ownership and continual improvement.

3. Operational resilience cyberalignmentand technical understanding
   Strong technical understanding across modern IT environments with experience managing service performance operational risk major incidents resiliencesuppliersand close working relationships with Cyber Security Operations.

4. Stakeholder commercial and improvement focus
   Strong ability to influence senior stakeholders manage suppliers and budgets translate technical issues into business impact and use service data userinsightand performance reporting to drive measurable service improvements.

Behaviours:

• Managing a Quality Service Level 4

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here:Behaviour levels - Success profiles: candidate guide -

This role is a Temporary Promotion Opportunity for 6 months.

Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role including Flexi-leave.

Location

This post is based in Edinburgh althoughas with most areas across the organisation hybrid working is the current arrangement.

Given the operational nature of this role you will be expected to work on-site at least 40% of the time.

Please apply online providing a CV and supporting statement (of no more than 750 words) providing evidence of how you demonstrate the Success Profiles noted above.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application but all statements and examples provided must be truthful factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others or generated by artificial intelligence and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Please see ourcandidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.

Please note that the post is only open to individuals who have satisfactorily completed their probationary period. Applicants must discuss their intention to apply with their current line manager to help ensure early release and balance with current duties.

The selection process will be short and light touch. Candidates who are considered to have the skills and experience will be invited to an in-person interview with the recruiting manager and another panel member. They will recommend the candidate considered most suitable for the opportunity.

Sponsorship

Skilled Worker sponsorship is not available for this role. As a result we are unable to appoint candidates who require Skilled Worker sponsorship now or in the future. Applicants must have an existing and ongoing right to work in the UK.

Further Information

About us

National Records of Scotland (NRS) is Scotlands record keeper. Our purpose is to collect preserve and produce information about Scotlands people and history and make it available to inform current and future generations. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.

NRS is a Non-Ministerial Department of theScottish Government & and our staff are part of theUK Civil Service working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more aboutwhat we offer.

As part of the UK Civil Service we uphold theCivil Service Nationality Rules.

Find out more about our commitment todiversity and how we offer and supportrecruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.