IT Business Operations Lead
Hours; Full time (37 hours each week, all year round)
Duration; Permanent
Salary; £32,515 a year + benefits
Location; Rotherham College, Rotherham (with occasional travel to other campuses within RNN Group)
About the Role
Are you a technical leader who can balance high-level strategy with hands-on service delivery? At RNN Group, we are looking for an IT Business Operations Lead to act as the engine room of our IT function.
This isn't just a support role; it’s a vital partnership. You will serve as a key deputy to the Director of IT & Digital, bridging the gap between daily frontline workflows and the high-impact projects that drive our strategic roadmap. From managing complex vendor contracts to mentoring our 1st-line support team, you will be the glue that ensures our digital infrastructure is resilient, user-focused, and future-ready.
Why This Role?
Operational Influence: Take the lead on the Group’s service delivery, ensuring we don’t just meet SLAs—we exceed them.
Strategic Impact: Play a pivotal role in the execution of key IT projects, ensuring new technologies are tested and transitioned seamlessly into the business.
Commercial Leadership: Own the IT contract portfolio, using your commercial acumen to manage vendor relationships and ensure maximum value for the Group.
What You’ll Achieve
We need a versatile leader who can pivot from technical troubleshooting to commercial negotiation without missing a beat.
In this role, you will:
Lead with Excellence: Oversee the day-to-day IT Support function, driving a culture where every service request is handled with professionalism and speed.
Empower Users: Move beyond "quick fixes" by promoting self-help guidance and using data analysis to resolve underlying IT trends before they become problems.
Manage Major Incidents: Act as the calm voice in a crisis, managing real-time communications across the Group Staff Portal during service outages.
Partner and Deputy: Support the Director in departmental oversight, translating high-level goals into actionable plans for your team.
Build Relationships: Act as a credible ambassador for IT, building strong links with students, staff, and external partners across all Group sites.
Is This You?
This role requires a unique "dual-focus" mindset. You’ll need to be as comfortable reviewing a service level agreement (SLA) as you are leading a team through a technical outage.
You are the right fit if you can:
Manage Conflicting Demands: You can juggle the high-frequency pressure of a busy helpdesk with the focused, long-term discipline required for contract management.
Lead Under Pressure: You remain professional and positive when things go wrong, ensuring tasks are prioritized and escalated correctly.
Pivot Seamlessly: You have the "operational versatility" to move from hands-on technical support to the administrative rigor needed for procurement and renewals.
Communicate with Clarity: Whether it's a high-quality service report or a crisis update during a system impact, your communication is always professional and timely.
You will…
You are an experienced IT professional with a proven track record of supervising high-performing helpdesk teams. You lead by example, ensuring your team delivers a "white-glove" service experience that is both professional and user-centric.
Your Experience & Skills:
Technical Leadership: Extensive experience in IT helpdesk environments, offering expert guidance on first-line queries and complex technical issues.
Project & Vendor Management: A strong background in supporting IT infrastructure or software projects, alongside the commercial ability to manage vendor relationships and contracts.
Effective Communication: The ability to translate complex technical information into clear, actionable advice for a diverse range of stakeholders.
Qualifications:
A Level 3 qualification in Business Administration, Customer Service, or an equivalent field.
Level 2 (or equivalent) in English and Maths (or a willingness to achieve these).
Advantageous: Professional certifications in IT (e.g., ITIL) or Management/Leadership are highly desirable and will be supported as part of your ongoing professional development.
We understand that no candidate will perfectly match every qualification or criterion listed. If your experience differs from what we've outlined but you believe you can contribute to this role, we encourage you to apply!
Department Info
You will be primarily based at our Rotherham Campus, but as a leader within the Group, you’ll be mobile—visiting our sites at Worksop, Dearne Valley, and other subsidiaries to stay connected with our users.
You will report directly to the Director of IT & Digital, who will provide the overarching vision while giving you the autonomy to make decisions and lead your team. You will have direct supervisory responsibility for our 1st-line support personnel, serving as their mentor and technical lead.
Join us and help build a "Centre of Excellence" for IT service delivery.
Our excellent benefits and rewards package:
Access to local government pensions scheme (with employer contributions from 15.6% to 23.68%)
Up to 44 days annual leave per year including closure during Christmas period
Access to our gyms, restaurants and salons
Staff health & wellbeing and benefits schemes including in-house Occupational Health service
Extensive wellbeing support through a digital Wellbeing Hub that offers a broad range of support for physical, mental, and financial wellbeing.
Full, part time and flexible working hours available in many roles
Free Parking available at all of our sites
Fantastic career development opportunities including funding for teacher training, apprenticeships and various other industry recognised qualifications
New FE teachers can also apply for grants of up to £6,000 in STEM subjects (conditions apply) through the teacher retention initiative
Recruitment Referral Scheme for all employees, worth £200 per referral made
What is the RNN Group?
RNN Group’s main goal is to be an ‘outstanding’ education and training provider and this is at the heart of everything that we do. To help us achieve this we are looking to recruit highly motivated, innovative and dynamic individuals to join our existing teams. To be a part of the team at RNN Group we will expect you to be committed to our values too;
We are Inclusive,
We have Integrity,
We Deliver,
We are One Team.
We are OFSTED ‘Good’ (November 2022)
We celebrate diversity and are proud to have been recognised as Investors in Diversity for our commitment to the FREDIE (Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement) Model. This means that you’d be working in a supportive environment that encourages, recognises and celebrates effort, achievement and cooperative attitudes. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, faith or disability. We are also proud to be part of the Disability Confidence Scheme and offer reasonable adjustments to all applicants throughout the recruitment process.
The RNN Group is proud to be part of the South Yorkshire Institute of Technology (SYIoT).
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, vulnerable adults and young people. All new employees will be required undertake a DBS check and other associated checks in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education Guidance.
The Group’s core operating hours are 8.30am-5.00pm (9pm on a Tuesday and Thursday during term time). You may be expected to work at any time during these hours to ensure business needs are met.
All candidates must have the legal right to work in the UK.