IT Technical Operations Manager

We have partnered exclusively with a growing financial services company in Cardiff is looking for an IT Technical Operations Manager to take ownership of day-to-day technology operations and supplier management across the business.

The company is still comparatively small, around 50 people, so this isn't a role where someone sits at a distance from the work. They need someone technical who can lead a small team, work closely with external suppliers, and step in wherever needed to keep systems running smoothly.

Most of the infrastructure and security capability is delivered through third-party providers. The key part of the role is making sure those partners are delivering what they should, holding them to account, and acting as the technical bridge between the business and its suppliers.

You'll also work closely with the Head of IT, supporting the wider technology function and ensuring the organisation maintains the standards expected within a regulated financial services environment.

The Role

You'll be responsible for the operational performance, security posture and reliability of the company's technology environment. This includes overseeing outsourced infrastructure, cloud services, security providers and core business platforms.

A large part of the role involves coordinating suppliers, reviewing service delivery, and ensuring the organisation's cloud and productivity platforms are running effectively.

Alongside this, you'll lead a small internal team and act as the technical escalation point across the business.

Because of the size of the organisation, the role suits someone comfortable working in a hands-on environment where priorities can shift quickly and everyone contributes to solving problems.

Key Responsibilities

Oversee the day-to-day operation of the company's IT infrastructure and cloud services

Act as the primary technical point of contact for external managed service providers and vendors

Monitor and manage supplier performance against SLAs and contractual commitments

Provide technical leadership to a small internal IT support team

Ensure the reliability, security and availability of core systems and services

Oversee the organisation's Microsoft 365 environment including identity, collaboration and productivity tools

Maintain oversight of the Azure cloud environment delivered through third-party providers

Work with security partners to maintain a strong security posture across systems and data

Support regulatory and compliance requirements within a financial services environment

Coordinate and support internal and external technology audits

Maintain documentation, policies and operational procedures

Act as a technical escalation point for complex issues

Work closely with the Head of IT to support technology planning and improvement initiatives

Identify opportunities to improve processes, reliability and operational efficiency

Strong technical background across Microsoft 365 and Azure environments

Experience managing third-party IT providers or managed service partners

Good understanding of cloud infrastructure, identity management and security best practices

Experience operating within a regulated or compliance-driven environment (financial services highly desirable)

Ability to lead and support a small team

Comfortable operating in a hands-on technical role where priorities can shift

Strong communication skills with the ability to translate technical issues for non-technical stakeholders

Experience supporting audits, compliance checks or security reviews

Good understanding of IT operations, service delivery and incident management

Personal Profile

A hands-on problem solver who enjoys working in smaller organisations

Comfortable working across both technical and operational responsibilities

Strong communicator who can build relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders

Someone who takes ownership and follows issues through to resolution

Adaptable and willing to get involved wherever needed