Head of IT

Location: Cardiff (Hybrid working is available)

Hours: 35 hours per week (full time)

Starting salary: £50,627 per annum

Travel: Occasional travel throughout Wales as required

Job details:

As part of our 2025-2030 strategy, St John Ambulance Cymru is undertaking a significant programme of digital and systems transformation to modernise how we support our people, volunteers, and services across Wales.

The Head of IT will act as the organisation’s system and IT lead, ensuring that technology supports frontline delivery, volunteering, governance and organisational efficiency.

Working with an outsourced IT provider and internal stakeholders, the Head of IT will provide clear strategic direction, strong supplier management and oversight of systems and digital change.

While the role has no paid direct reports, the post holder will collaborate with our St John people, and may harness volunteer expertise to support delivery where appropriate.

Key duties and responsibilities:

IT and Systems Leadership

• Act as the organisation’s internal lead for IT and systems, supporting the Director of Finance & Resources in delivering the digital and systems strategy.
• Translate organisational needs into clear system requirements and priorities.
• Develop, own and maintain the organisation’s IT and systems roadmap, aligning priorities with organisational objectives, capacity and risk.
• Provide expert advice and challenge to senior leaders on IT, digital, and data-related decisions.
• Ensure appropriate standards for system resilience, cyber security, business continuity, and information assurance are in place.

Supplier & Service Management

• Manage relationships with outsourced IT providers and other system suppliers, acting as the primary escalation point for significant issues.
• Monitor service performance and responsiveness against agreed service levels, user experience and value for money, driving continuous improvement.
• Support procurement and contract management of IT systems, software, and hardware.
• Work with Finance colleagues to manage IT budgets, cost control, and forecasting.

Systems and Digital Development

• Lead the implementation and optimisation and lifecycle management of core business systems (e.g. CRM, volunteer management, HR, finance interfaces).
• Translate organisational and operational needs into clear system requirements and priorities.
• Ensure that appropriate internal, supplier, or volunteer resource is used for configuration, build, and testing.
• Work with stakeholders to identify opportunities where technology can streamline processes, improve controls and enhance user experience.

Operational & Volunteering Systems

• Act as the systems lead for platforms supporting volunteering, training, and operational delivery.
• Ensure systems effectively support volunteer recruitment, onboarding, compliance, rostering and ongoing engagement.
• Work closely with operational and volunteering teams to continuously improve user usability, accessibility, and inclusion for staff and volunteers.

User Support & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure effective triage and resolution of IT issues through agreed support arrangements with external providers.
• Identify recurring issues or systemic weaknesses and implement sustainable solutions rather than reactive fixes.
• Promote good digital practice across the organisation and support staff and volunteers to use systems confidently and consistently.

Data, Reporting & Insight

• Support the development of high quality reporting and dashboards (e.g. Power BI) to improve organisational insight and decision making.
• Champion data quality, consistency and appropriate use across systems, working with system owners to address issues.
• Ensure data structures and access arrangements support operational, strategic, and statutory reporting needs.

Project Delivery

• Lead or support digital and systems projects from scoping through to implementation.
• Represent IT and systems in cross-organisational project groups.
• Ensure appropriate change management, communications, training, and documentation are in place to support successful adoption of new systems.

General Responsibilities

• Embody and exemplify the charity’s values at all times and hold others to account for the same.
• Comply with the principles of GDPR, promoting and reinforcing these amongst staff and volunteers.
• Comply with the Safeguarding Commitments, prompting and promoting compliance amongst our St John people.
• Comply with all SJAC policies and procedures.
• Maintain own continuous professional development, keeping up to date with relevant changes to HR best practice or employment law.
• Demonstrate a commitment to inclusion and welcoming diversity, championing equality of treatment and opportunity.
• Perform any other duties commensurate with these responsibilities, the band of the post and skills and qualifications of the post-holder.

This job description is intended as an outline indicator of general areas of activity and will be amended in light of the changing needs of St John Ambulance Cymru. It is expected that the post holder will be as positive and flexible as possible in this regard.