IT Manager / Network Lead

IT Manager – Network Services - Leading our Network and Technical Support function

Salary: Up to £45,000 per year, depending on experience

Location: Elland / Huddersfield area, with client site visits

Department: IT Services

Reports to: Director

Line manager to: IT Support & Network Team

ABOUT THE ROLE

We're looking for an IT Manager to take ownership of our network and technical support function. You'll be accountable for the team's performance, the standard of service our clients receive, and the technical direction we take setting the strategy, not just following it.

This is a genuine leadership appointment. You'll manage people, own client relationships, and be trusted to make decisions on network design, security and service delivery, with a strong network engineering background giving you the credibility to lead from the front.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership & team management:

• Own the performance of the IT support and network team, setting direction, targets, tone and pace, and holding the team to a high standard.
• Set and manage team KPIs, reviewing quality, productivity and delivery against SLAs, and taking corrective action where needed.
• Lead recruitment, training and ongoing development of the team, including regular one-to-ones and performance reviews.
• Build a culture of accountability and continuous improvement, championing best practice across the department.
• Act as the final point of technical and service escalation for the business.
• Strategic & technical ownership:
• Set the technical direction for network design, security and infrastructure, ensuring solutions are scalable and fit for a growing client base.
• Own network security strategy and audit programmes across the client estate, identifying and driving through improvements.
• Make the final call on network architecture for medium and large-scale deployments, and represent the business at senior client and supplier meetings.
• Take ultimate responsibility for the network-monitoring, backup, antivirus and security tooling used to protect client environments.

Client & business impact:

• Own key client relationships, acting as the senior contact for account management, service reviews and escalations.
• Work closely with Directors to shape service offerings, support business growth, and contribute to pricing and proposals.
• Report on team and service performance to the Director, with clear visibility of risk, resourcing and delivery.
• Represent the business professionally with clients, suppliers, regulators and third parties.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Essential:

• Proven track record leading a technical support or network team, you set the standard, others follow it.
• At least 6 years' experience in a 1st–3rd line Managed Service Provider (MSP) environment, with strong network engineering credibility (switches, routers, Wi-Fi, firewalls, VLANs).
• Strategic thinker, able to identify and drive actions that are advantageous for the business, with buy-in from senior stakeholders.
• Experience setting KPIs, managing team performance, and being accountable for service delivery against SLAs.
• Strong grasp of network security strategy and best practice.
• Confident owning client relationships and comfortable operating at a senior, business-facing level.
• Excellent organisational skills, able to prioritise and reprioritise resource across competing demands.
• A full UK driving licence.

Desirable:

• Experience with Active Directory / Azure AD, Windows Server, Hyper-V/VMware, Office 365 and backup platforms such as Veeam or Datto.
• Relevant certifications, e.g. CompTIA, or Microsoft MCSA or higher.
• GCSE (or equivalent) Maths and English

What’s on offer:

• Salary up to £45,000, depending on experience.
• A genuine management role with real ownership of a team, a service, and client relationships.
• The autonomy to set direction and be judged on the results.
• A clear path for further career progression as the business grows.
• Support and investment in your ongoing development.

Interested? We'd love to hear from you, apply today