Head of IT and AI

Job Title: Head of IT and AI

Location: St Albans

Hours: Full-time, Monday to Friday

Salary: £80,000–£90,000 dependent on experience, plus benefits

Bolt Technical are recruiting exclusively for an exciting opportunity for an experienced Head of IT & AI to join an established SME, multi-site business of 200 headcount and an annual turnover of c£30million

Working closely with the Operations Director and Senior leadership team, you will lead an IT function of 3 people and drive the use of AI, automation and technology to improve efficiency and support business growth.

This is a hands-on leadership role, combining AI development, business systems management, technical problem-solving and IT governance.

Duties of a Head of IT & AI

• Lead and develop a team of 2 people; Infrastructure Manager and IT Support Desk Analyst.
• Define and deliver the IT and AI strategy, aligned with business objectives and growth plans.
• Build and deploy AI agents, automations and tailored interfaces to streamline processes and reduce manual work.
• Connect AI tools securely to core business systems using APIs and integrations.
• Work with the Operations Director and departmental teams to identify improvement opportunities and measure business benefits.
• Support colleagues using AI coding tools, reviewing solutions and ensuring applications are secure, reliable and fit for production.
• Establish standards for documentation, access controls, monitoring, backups, recovery and business continuity.
• Manage the development and support of core systems, including NetSuite, warehouse management and the company website.
• Manage external software providers and technology partners, ensuring delivery meets agreed quality, cost and timescale requirements.
• Take overall responsibility for cybersecurity, PCI DSS compliance and UK GDPR, including data protection policies and risk assessments.

What you need to apply

• Proven experience building and deploying AI-driven automations or agents in a business environment, with confident use of AI coding tools.
• Strong technical understanding of web applications, APIs, databases, SQL and hosting, with the ability to diagnose issues and review AI-generated code.
• A strong security and resilience mindset, including backups, recovery, access controls and risk management.
• Experience working with ERP or other core business systems and managing external software suppliers.
• Experience leading people and communicating effectively with operational teams and senior leadership.
• A genuine interest in business processes and using technology to improve efficiency.
• Working knowledge of cybersecurity, UK GDPR and PCI DSS.

Desirable: Hands-on NetSuite experience, knowledge of warehouse management or e-commerce platforms, Power BI experience, and relevant data protection or security qualifications.

The opportunity

This is an opportunity to shape how an established business uses AI and technology to work smarter and grow. You will have the autonomy to develop practical solutions, improve business processes and lead the safe adoption of AI across the organisation.

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This vacancy is advertised by Bolt Technical, who are acting as an employment agency/business. Your application will be considered in competition with others, and we aim to contact successful applicants within 5 working days.