Senior IT Transformation Manager

Senior IT Transformation Manager | Circa £66,000 negotiable + up to 13% bonus, car + excellent benefits | Permanent | Hybrid

We’re hiring!

We are seeking a strategic Senior IT Transformation Manager who will be responsible for shaping and driving the IT function. Your mission is to ensure the delivery of efficient and effective technologies and systems that enable and power Thatcham’s Automotive Risk Intelligence strategy. This pivotal role focuses on influencing and empowering colleagues and customers through innovative IT solutions, ensuring seamless delivery of high-value, high-impact services.

About you

You are a visionary leader with a passion for driving IT transformation and delivering high-impact solutions. With a strategic mindset, you excel in providing forward-thinking direction to improve IT technologies and systems, ensuring efficiency and quality. Your ability to engage and collaborate with senior leaders and cross-functional teams allows you to translate business needs into effective technology solutions, keeping stakeholders informed and aligned. As a team leader, you mentor and manage your team to achieve excellence, fostering a collaborative and productive work environment.

Your mission

• Strategic Leadership – Provide forward thinking direction to drive meaningful value improvements in IT technologies & systems, ensuring overall efficiency and quality assured solutions to enable business operations and bring alignment to the immediate and long-term business goals.
• Stakeholder Engagement - Collaborating with senior leaders and cross-functional teams to understand business needs and translate them into effective and quality technology solutions. Keeping senior stakeholders and Thatcham leadership informed about key system developments.
• Long-term planning – Maintain a strategic technologies & systems roadmap to ensure systems are scalable, adaptable and aligned with the immediate and long-term goals. Clear visibility and communication of the roadmap to senior stakeholders.
• Cloud Management – Provide strategic direction for cloud services to ensure high-value, scalable, and resilient solutions that support Thatcham’s Automotive Risk Intelligence programmes. This includes cost-effective cloud management, comprehensive team support, and robust data accuracy, enhancing overall operational efficiency and business performance.
• Team Management – Lead and mentor the team to ensure effective implementation and management and quality of business systems. Managing performance, supporting professional development and creating a collaborative and productive work environment.
• Budget Management – Accountable for the IT budget and financial planning, ensuring cost effective solutions that delivery against an agreed ROI
• Vendor Management - Owning supplier relationships and contracts, including negotiation and performance management, to ensure their practices align with our business values and deliver solutions in line with long-term goals and objectives.
• Risk Management & Compliance – Collaborate with the wider governance, risk, and compliance teams to develop strategies and processes that not only mitigate risks associated with technologies and business systems but also embrace calculated risks to drive business growth. Ensure the quality of systems, robust security measures, regulatory compliance, and effective governance while fostering innovation and exploring new opportunities.
• Innovation and Technology – Staying up to date with emerging technology trends and innovations, ensuring that technologies & business systems remain future proof, quality assured, scalable and aligned as much as practical with industry practices.

Essential skills and experience we think you’ll need to be successful

• Strategic leadership: Skilled in providing forward thinking direction, aligning business systems with long-term business objectives
• Cloud Management: Proven experience in managing cloud services, resource planning, cost management
• Team Management: Experience in leading teams, enhancing performance and nurturing professional development
• Communication and Collaboration: Excellent communication and collaboration skills, capable of working with senior leaders and cross-functional teams and ability to influence others
• IT Process: Demonstrated experience in IT process improvement, quality assurance and implementing best practices
• Adaptability: Capacity to adjust to new technologies and changing business environments
• Problem solving: Effective problem-solving skills to address challenges and implement solutions
• Analytical thinking: Strong analytical skills to assess system and process and identify areas for improvement
• Technical skills: Comprehensive understanding of enterprise IT systems (e.g., Cyber, Infrastructure, Support)

Did you know

Research tells us that men are more likely to apply to jobs if they meet only 60% of the criteria, whereas women often hesitate or don't apply unless they meet all of the criteria. This difference in application behaviour can contribute to the gender gap in career advancement and opportunities.

We know the perfect candidate doesn't exist! If you think you have what it takes but don't tick every box, we'd still encourage you to apply - it could be a perfect fit!

Perks & Benefits

Salary - Circa £66,000 negotiable dependent on skills & experience.

Up to 13% bonus

Car Allowance £600 per month or Company Car - you choose!

10% non-contributory pension

29 days holiday (inclusive of Christmas closedown) + public holidays

Private Health care for you and your immediate family

Permanent Health Insurance (after 6 months of service)

Group Life Assurance (4x salary)

/ Salary Sacrifice schemes (cycle to work, home & tech scheme)

Money Health Financial Wellbeing Platform

Health Cash Plan (cash back on eligible medical treatments)

Free car parking with EV charging

Discounted gym membership

Sports & Social club

Payroll charitable giving

When we work

Our standard working hours are 8:30 - 16:30 Monday - Thursday, early finish on Friday - 8:30 - 15:45

(Talk to us about flexible working if this doesn’t quite suit you – we take work-life balance seriously!)

How we work /

We understand the benefits of remote and in-person collaboration, and therefore have a hybrid working model – you’ll be expected to work from our office in Thatcham at least two days per week.

What we do

At the cutting edge of automotive research in the UK, Thatcham Research has a unique role in shaping the design of new vehicles and influencing ever higher standards of safety, security and repair. With an on-site Crash Laboratory, Repair Technology Centre and Training Academy, our research expertise is driving some of the very latest automotive developments in technology, materials and standards in this fast moving and highly technical industry.

Our active safety track site is one of the leading accredited Euro NCAP testing facilities, trialling and assessing the very latest developments in vehicle safety and assistance technologies.

Our Values

As an organisation that believes a strong set of Values are key to our organisational success and a sense of belonging for all colleagues, we ask that you understand, represent and apply our Values of Fearless, Inquisitive, Resourceful, Supportive and Trusted and demonstrate these Values throughout the recruitment process.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace which values diversity and embraces each individual's authentic self. We are proud to champion a culture where colleagues freely share their diverse perspectives, recognising that these contribute to our innovative spirit. Our journey of growth and understanding is continuous as we actively invest in diversity training, workshops, and partnerships to ensure positive change.

Beyond our membership in the Automotive 30% Club, we collaborate with various organisations to advance equity not only in gender but also across ethnicity, age, disability, social mobility, LGBTQ+ identities, experiences, and thinking. Our aspiration is to create an environment where everyone thrives, achieves, and experiences a genuine sense of belonging.

Recruitment process

We’re proud to manage our recruitment in-house and believe this direct approach enables us to give you the best possible Employee Experience we can – which starts right here, your application! We’re continuously striving to improve the candidate journey, and transparency (or communication) is a key area of focus – yes, even with salary & benefits.

What can you expect from our recruitment process?

• Regular updates on the progress / outcome of your application
• An initial telephone screening call with our Recruitment Business Partner
• First interview with the hiring manager, usually via Teams
• Second/Final interview, in-person at our office (we may give you a role specific task to present on!)
• Personalised feedback following your interview – because everyone deserves that!
• An opportunity to give us your honest feedback in a short survey on all of the above

We’re committed to removing invisible barriers. If there are any adjustments we can make to better support you, please let us know when you apply.

All applicants must have Right to Work in the UK.