Head of Applications
Location: Plymouth/Hybrid – with travel across Devon (up to 2 days/week)
Salary: £60,000 per annum (based on experience) plus performance bonus
Contract: Full-time, Permanent (37 hours per week)
About the Role
We’re looking for a confident and experienced IT leader to take on the pivotal role of Head of Applications at Delt. This is a senior operational post responsible for the development, performance and strategic direction of our entire application estate.
You’ll lead a talented team of application specialists, analysts and engineers, overseeing the delivery and continuous improvement of our business-critical systems. These are the applications that power frontline services across the NHS, local government, and public sector organisations in the South West – so the impact is real, and the stakes are high.
This role demands someone who is not only operationally strong, but also a people-focused leader, capable of aligning service delivery with business strategy, customer needs, and future technology trends.
What You’ll Be Doing
* Providing strategic oversight of all application services, ensuring high availability, security and performance across the portfolio.
* Leading, mentoring and developing a skilled applications team, creating a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
* Acting as a key point of contact for customers, partners and internal stakeholders – building trust and delivering solutions that meet operational and strategic objectives.
* Owning the lifecycle of applications from deployment to retirement, including upgrades, integrations and support.
* Managing relationships with software vendors and third-party providers, ensuring contracts, SLAs and support arrangements meet our expectations and deliver value.
* Driving innovation by evaluating emerging technologies and identifying opportunities to improve system capability and service efficiency.
* Monitoring budgets, licensing and financial performance of the applications estate – always looking for cost-effective solutions that deliver results.
* Championing technical governance, compliance and security standards across all application services.
What We’re Looking For
We’re open to candidates from a range of IT management backgrounds – you don’t have to have held the title of "Applications Manager" or "Head of Applications" before. What matters is your ability to lead people, drive performance, and take ownership of application service delivery in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.
You’ll likely have:
* Proven leadership experience in an IT applications or service delivery setting.
* Strong technical understanding of application ecosystems, including cloud and on-prem models.
* A track record of managing teams, vendors, and service performance in a live operational environment.
* Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
* Experience with public sector or regulated environments (desirable).
* Understanding of application security, data protection and integration best practices.
* A full UK driving licence and ability to travel to sites across Devon.
Why Delt?
At Delt, we do work that matters. We’re owned by the public sector, but we think like a business. We deliver critical technology and business support services to people and organisations that make a difference – and we’re growing fast.
You’ll be joining a supportive, values-driven organisation where autonomy, trust and development are part of the deal. If you want to lead a team that truly enables public services through smart, efficient application management – this could be your next big move.
Benefits include:
* Generous holiday allowance of 25 days plus bank holidays
* Up to 12 flex leave days a year
* Matched contribution pension scheme up to 10% of salary
* Life assurance scheme
* Opportunities to buy and sell leave
* Employee shopping savings portal
* Opportunities for training to be funded by Delt
* EV salary sacrifice
* Performance Related Pay
* Employee assistance programme supporting mental and physical wellbeing
If you want to know about the total package we offer, please see our future employee page here https://deltservices.com/careers/
Deadline for applications: Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, so please apply early. We reserve the right to withdraw this vacancy as suitable candidates are identified.
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