Head of Cloud Infrastructure – DevOps, IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS - EMEA
* Reading, Berkshire / Hybrid
* Salary: £100K - £120K + package
Our client a global technology organisation is seeking an experienced Head of Cloud Infrastructure to lead its EMEA infrastructure strategy, operations, and engineering teams. This is a senior leadership role focused on delivering a resilient, secure, and scalable technology environment, enabling both day-to-day operations and long-term digital transformation.
You will be responsible for shaping and executing the infrastructure vision across EMEA, covering cloud, data centres, networking, and platform services. Leading a distributed team across multiple locations, you will drive modernisation, improve service reliability, and ensure alignment with broader business and technology strategies.
Role & Responsibilities
Strategy & Architecture
* Define and deliver the EMEA infrastructure strategy aligned to business and application roadmaps
* Establish hybrid cloud direction across IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS environments
* Set standards across networking, identity & access management, security, and observability
* Drive technical debt reduction and continuous improvement initiatives
* Collaborate with application teams on target architecture and reusable design patterns
Operations & Service Delivery
* Own infrastructure availability, performance, capacity, and disaster recovery
* Lead ITSM processes (incident, problem, change, configuration) to ensure operational excellence
* Drive automation through Infrastructure as Code and CI/CD pipelines for infrastructure changes
* Implement robust monitoring, alerting, and observability practices
* Define and manage SLAs in partnership with application teams
Cloud & Modernisation
* Lead cloud strategy across Azure and/or AWS, including governance, security, and cost optimisation
* Define migration and modernisation roadmaps across hybrid environments
* Build internal cloud capability through upskilling and best practice frameworks
* Ensure compliance with security standards and EMEA regulatory requirements
Leadership & Collaboration
* Lead and develop a high-performing infrastructure team across NetOps, SysOps, and Data Centre Operations
* Create a cohesive team structure with clear ownership, KPIs, and ways of working
* Partner closely with Service Desk, Application, and Cybersecurity teams
* Act as a key stakeholder in architecture forums, project delivery, and investment planning
Vendor & Financial Management
* Own infrastructure budget, focusing on cost optimisation and value delivery
* Manage third-party vendors and service providers, ensuring performance against SLAs
* Evaluate and introduce new technologies and partners to support innovation
Skills & Experience
Leadership & Strategy
* Proven experience leading multi-location infrastructure teams within complex environments
* Track record of transforming teams into collaborative, high-performing units
* Strong ability to translate business strategy into infrastructure and platform roadmaps
* Experience operating within global organisations, ideally across EMEA
Technical Expertise
* Strong knowledge of enterprise infrastructure including:
* Cloud platforms (Azure and/or AWS) and hybrid architectures
* Networking, virtualisation, and data centre operations
* Identity & access management, backup, and disaster recovery
* Experience with DevOps practices, including CI/CD and Infrastructure as Code
* Familiarity with monitoring, logging, and observability tooling
* Solid understanding of security frameworks and compliance requirements
Operational Excellence
* Experience working with ITIL/ITSM frameworks within infrastructure environments
* Ability to drive service improvement, reliability, and performance at scale
Qualifications
* Degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience
* Certifications such as Azure, AWS, ITIL, networking, or security are advantageous