Head of IT (AI technology)

Who We Are:

At VML, we are a beacon of innovation and growth in an ever-evolving world. Our heritage is built upon a century of combined expertise, where creativity meets technology, and diverse perspectives ignite inspiration. With the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, we have forged a new path as a growth partner that is part creative agency, part consultancy, and part technology powerhouse. 

Our global family now encompasses over 30,000 employees across 150+ offices in 64 markets, each contributing to a culture that values connection, belonging, and the power of differences.  Our expertise spans the entire customer journey, offering deep insights in communications, commerce, consultancy, CRM, CX, data, production, and technology. We deliver end-to-end solutions that result in revolutionary work. 

Head of IT wanted to join our team at Satalia 

Satalia, a VML Enterprise Solutions Company, is a community of individuals devoted to working on diverse and challenging projects, allowing you to flex your technical skills whilst working with a tight knit team of high performing colleagues. As an organisation, we push the boundaries of data science, optimisation and artificial intelligence to solve the most complex problems in industry.   

The opportunity:

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced IT Director to lead and manage all aspects of our IT infrastructure, security, and operations. As a key member of our leadership team, you will play a critical role in ensuring the smooth and secure operation of our technology systems, enabling our team to deliver cutting-edge AI solutions to our clients. 

As we grow and scale, this key role will help facilitate and put in place the needed processes and plans to enable that scale to continue and ensure we are compliant and meet our clients needs. 

Our “Base” team consists of a small team of IT professionals looking after our day to day IT operations and security needs. The team also works closely with other group internal IT teams to provide wider day to day support to our people 

What you’ll be doing:

Governance 

• Develop a strategic roadmap that aligns with the business strategy and objectives. 
• Scope to cover information security, privacy and information technology. 
• Devise and establish policies and systems to support the implementation of strategies set by the leadership team 
• Implement and Manage an effective Staff Training and Awareness program to promote best practices. 
• Adopt a continuous improvement approach to the management of Information Technology, Information Security and Privacy. 
• Ensure that main stakeholders are informed and consulted via an effective Management Review process 

Risk 

• Identify information security threats and manage an effective Vulnerability Management Process. 
• Maintain an effective, proactive Risk Management Framework. 
• Manage and maintain the Satalia Risk Register. 
• Ensure an effective Incident Management procedure and Business Continuity Plan are maintained. 

Compliance 

• Manage an effective Audit Programme to check compliance against key control requirements. 
• Ensure an appropriate level of support for annual external audits required to support certification. 
• Ensure data security and compliance with relevant legal, regulatory, contractual and policy requirements. 
• Ensure process and requirements are met to support GDPR compliance and protection of personal data 
• Maintain and improve level of compliance with ISO 27001:2022 and Cyber Essentials Plus requirements. 
• Work in partnership with development staff to embed best practices in the development processes throughout the software development lifecycle. 
• Devise and embed an effective Vendor Management programme to ensure the service provided by critical suppliers meet organisational requirements. 

Operational 

• Oversee all technology operations and evaluate them according to established goals. 
• Oversea the management and improvements of our inhouse digital twin “hubble” 
• Manage and deliver IT projects on time and within budget. 
• Supervise the use of technological equipment and software to ensure functionality and efficiency. 
• Monitor technology developments to identify the need for upgrades, configurations or new systems, and report to upper management. 
• Work with the parent company IT operations teams to ensure practices are aligned and fit for purpose for a modern AI organisation 
• Analyse the costs, value, and risks of information technology to advise management and suggest actions. 
• Support multiple groups of users with differing requirements, e.g. Business IT users, Cloud Developers, Data Scientists 
• Support the sales teams by providing content to RFP and RFI processes. 

What we want from you:

• Extensive experience in IT / IS management, with experience in a leadership role. 
• Proven experience in managing IT infrastructure for an AI, data science, or technology-driven organisation. 

Technical Skills: 

• Strong understanding of cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and their security implications. 
• Experience with running and managing heterogenous hardware (Apple, Intel), OS (OSX, Linux, Windows) and software environments 
• In-depth knowledge of cybersecurity principles, best practices, and relevant technologies. Professionally qualified e.g. CISSP, CISM or CISA 
• Experience with IT service management (ITSM) frameworks, such as ITIL. 

Other Skills & Abilities: 

• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills. 
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities. 
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced environment. 
• Have run small teams 
• Excellent organisational and time management skills. 

If you know some of this, even better:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field 
• Experience running both Microsoft O365 and Google Workspace solutions 
• Understanding of AI solutions 
• Interest in modern organisational design and how technology can drive change and improvement within an organisation 

What we can offer you:

Alongside the opportunity to work with some of the most exciting brands around the world, we’ll also prioritise your career development and help you grow your skills. We’ll empower you to make a difference, allow you to be yourself, and respect who you are. 

Permanent only: 

• Benefits - enhanced pension, life assurance, income protection, private healthcare 
• Remote working - café, bedroom, beach - wherever works 
• Truly flexible working hours - school pick up, volunteering, gym - no problem 
• Generous leave - 27 days’ holiday plus bank holidays and enhanced family leave 
• Annual bonus - when Satalia does well, we all do well 
• Impactful projects - focus on bringing meaningful social and environmental change 
• People oriented culture - wellbeing is a priority, as is being a nice person 
• Development - annual development budget to upskill yourself 
• Transparent and open culture - you will be listened to and heard 

Our brilliant, talented people are what makes Satalia and VML Enterprise Solutions what we are. That’s why we look for people who go beyond and always push our thinking to be better than yesterday. 

Satalia:

Led by our founder (who is also WPP’s Chief AI Officer), Satalia’s ambition is to become a decentralised organisation of the future. Today this involves developing tools and processes to liberate and automate manual repetitive tasks, with a focus on freedom, transparency and trust. At the core of our thinking is an approach to wellbeing and inclusivity. We unpack human behaviour and unpick prejudice to ensure a safe and inviting environment. We offer true flexible working and allow our employees to find the working practice that makes them most productive. At Satalia, your opinion matters and your achievements are celebrated.    

We’re using technology, and concepts like organisational swarms and decentralisation to redesign how organisations operate. Using ourselves as a testbed, we’re building the foundations for a new, more effective organisational structure that anyone can use.   

We are investing massively in developing next generation generative AI tools, including workstreams covering text, image, video, audio, and research. We are building large scale, enterprise grade solutions and serving these innovations to our clients and WPP agency partners.   

AT VML Enterprise Solutions

Our Enterprise Solutions division houses strategic consultants, creative and technical architects and skilled developers and operators that together help some of the world’s leading organisations to deliver outstanding digital experiences across all major routes to market worldwide: marketplaces, online retailers, D2C, B2B and social platforms. With over 4,200 experts in 55 operational centres across 34 countries, our capabilities span the entire buying journey from customer acquisition, through engagement, to conversion and loyalty, driving multi-channel growth for world-leading brands.

We work with some of the most exciting brands such as The Coca-Cola Company, EY, Bosch, Unilever, Ford, DFS, Mercedes-Benz, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé, Sainsbury’s, Selfridges, Shell and Tiffany & Co. We’ve built over 500 platforms for brands and retailers and generate in excess of $29bn annually for our clients and work with over 50 strategic partners including Adobe, SAP, Salesforce, HCL, Shopify, Sitecore, BigCommerce, commerce tools and Acquia. Our reputation is based on our people, and we believe we have some of the best in the business.

As our business grows internationally, we’re looking for new people to join us on our journey to inspire and take a key role in shaping some of the best commerce solutions, services, and websites in the world. Working as a team, no problem is insurmountable; we share in our client’s successes and believe that anyone can show creative bravery no matter what their role is in the team.

#LI-EMEA #LI-JS1

WPP (VML Enterprise Solutions) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers. 

VML is a WPP Agency. For more information, please visit our website, and follow VML on our social channels via Instagram, LinkedIn, and X. 

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