Technical Lead £45-60k Education/MSP Sector Realistic Progression into Technical Director Position Cheltenham (100% Office Based) Summary We are recruiting an experienced, hands-on technical leader to join as our most senior engineer. This is a vital in-office role, central to complex infrastructure projects, cloud migrations, and overall technical standards across our client base (primarily schools). This person will be the technical escalation point for all L3 issues and the role model for our engineering team. Long-term, this post may evolve into a Technical Director role with senior leadership responsibility and significant influence over the future direction of the business Core Responsibilities Lead and deliver infrastructure and cloud migration projects (Microsoft 365, SharePoint), typically involving transitions from on-premises servers to the cloud. Specify, quote, plan, and deliver technical solutions with rigour and excellence. Act as senior point of technical escalation and QA on infrastructure setup and delivery. Drive the design and delivery of a robust cybersecurity strategy for all customers, maintaining alignment with evolving industry standards and best practices. Design and build secure user devices (PC/laptop builds, anti-malware, mirroring, device integrity). Lead the adoption of proactive monitoring and automation tools to help transition the business from reactive support to predictive, streamlined operations. Lead on service management excellence ticket discipline, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement. Ensure all backup strategies (on-premises and cloud) are fit for purpose, with robust monitoring and management to maintain data integrity and support business continuity. Consistently represent calm professionalism to clients while inspiring high standards within the team, clearly communicating technical issues and resolutions to both technical and non-technical audiences. Must-Have Experience Proven track record in leading projects with Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Azure/cloud migrations. End-to-end project lifecycle ownership: from scoping through to rollout. Deep infrastructure expertise including device imaging, endpoint security, and network services. Strong hands-on experience with RMM platforms and proactive monitoring tools. Ticketing systems and ITIL-style service delivery know-how. Backups, disaster recovery, and continuity planning fit for SME/school environments. Proven ability to install, configure, and support print management solutions such as Papercut. Preferred Profile Familiarity with school IT environments, including the practical realities of classroom devices, smartboards, and the critical importance of consistent access. Awareness of operational norms within educational settings, such as workload prioritisation for teaching staff, decision-making dynamics in schools, and how school budgets typically operate Comfortable contributing to project pricing, proposals, and commercial sense-checking. Strong personal discipline: documents clearly, thinks ahead, and insists on quality. Outstanding listener: picks up context fast and builds trust through careful attention. Values-based: takes pride in helping schools succeed in their mission to educate children. Technical team mentor supportive, calm, focused, and respected by peers. Ideally holds a relevant technical degree or equivalent (especially if earned through work-based routes). Bonus / Could-Have Able to contribute to future service design and offer development. Capable of speaking to heads of schools in practical, relatable terms about the art of the possible. Could grow into a Technical Director interested in the business of technology and ready to balance delivery standards with commercial viability. Package Salary guide: £45,000£60,000, depending on experience and qualifications. Regular reviews and progression opportunities. Future potential for senior leadership responsibility and significant strategic input to the running of the business. Additional Note re Qualifications / Certifications This is a senior technical role. Given this, we are looking for candidates with not only proven, battle-hardened experience in key technical areas, but ideally those who also combine this with industry-recognised certifications. Examples include: Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) Demonstrates hands-on skills in managing Azure subscriptions, identities, storage, VMs, and virtual networks. Microsoft Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate (MD-102) Focuses on deploying and managing devices and client apps in an enterprise environment, often including SharePoint and Microsoft 365 integration. Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert (MS-102) For candidates who have mastered the evaluation, planning, migration, deployment, and ongoing management of Microsoft 365 services. Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate (MS-700) (optional) Valuable if collaboration and communication tools (like Teams) are a significant part of the client solution. CompTIA Cloud (vendor-neutral) Indicates a broad understanding of cloud environments and migration across platforms. Please note we are not requiring these certifications. Rather, we are highlighting that candidates with the aptitude and capability to attain such qualifications will be highly attractive to us. Its a strong signal of both current competency and future potential.