Softwire
Head of Infrastructure, Security & Service Desk Overview
| Company Name | Softwire |
| Job Role | Head of Infrastructure, Security & Service Desk |
| Qualifications | Not Specified |
| Category | General Jobs |
| Job Type | Full Time |
| Location | London |
This role sits within Softwireâs support function and carries overall accountability for infrastructure, security, and the service desk. You will be backed by a Senior Internal Infrastructure Engineer as well as a team of Service Desk and Infrastructure Engineers, and you will be responsible for leading the function across both people management and technical delivery.
What the role involves
You will lead a technical team in a way that encourages collaboration, trust, and accountability. A key part of the job is making sure work is prioritised sensibly, assigned according to urgency and complexity, and balanced against each personâs development needs. You will also be expected to coach and develop team members through regular one-to-ones, feedback, and clear objectives, while acting as the senior escalation point when difficult issues arise.
In addition to people leadership, you will own resourcing and capacity planning, manage the split between project work and business-as-usual support, and make sure the team has clear documentation, standards, and working practices that allow it to operate consistently and efficiently. You will also represent the team across the wider organisation and communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Service desk and end-user support
You will run the first-line support service desk, ensuring requests and incidents are logged, triaged, prioritised, and resolved in line with agreed service levels. The role includes improving the quality of end-user support over time, as well as owning the technical onboarding of new starters so that accounts, devices, and access are ready from day one.
You will also manage leaver offboarding, making sure access is removed promptly, devices are recovered and securely wiped, and accounts are decommissioned in coordination with HR and identity/access processes. Maintaining clear user documentation, self-service guidance, and a knowledge base is also part of the role, with the aim of reducing repeat issues and helping the team resolve problems efficiently.
Security, infrastructure, and operational ownership
The position covers a broad range of infrastructure and security responsibilities. You will oversee endpoint security across all corporate devices, including antivirus, EDR, encryption, and mobile device management, and you will be responsible for responding to endpoint threats quickly and consistently.
You will own identity and access management for internal systems, including joiner-mover-leaver processes, role-based access control, privileged access management, and periodic access reviews. You will also design, implement, and maintain network security controls such as firewalls, segmentation, VPN, and intrusion detection and prevention systems.
Patch management and vulnerability remediation are also central to the role. You will manage patching across systems, infrastructure, and devices, ensure vulnerabilities are addressed within risk-based timeframes, and track issues through scanning, prioritisation, and remediation. In parallel, you will ensure servers, cloud infrastructure, and network devices are configured securely and hardened to recognised standards such as CIS Benchmarks.
For hosted applications, you will make sure they remain protected through up-to-date patching, least-privilege access, and controls that help detect and respond to malicious activity. You will also manage backups for internal systems, confirm that they are tested and recoverable, and keep retention aligned with business and regulatory requirements. Disaster recovery documentation and runbooks must be maintained and tested so that recovery objectives are understood and achievable.
Monitoring and incident response are also part of the remit. You will implement and manage logging and monitoring across internal systems so that security events are captured, alerted on, and investigated promptly. When a security incident occurs, you will lead the technical response through containment, eradication, recovery, root-cause analysis, and corrective action.
Finally, you will ensure internal infrastructure and systems comply with organisational security policies, standards, and relevant regulatory requirements. You will report on the status of controls, vulnerabilities, and incidents to the CISO, escalate material risks when needed, support external audits such as ISO 27001 and client audits, and own the Cyber Essentials Plus certification process, including the annual self-assessment and external verification audit.
Experience and skills needed
Softwire is looking for someone with proven experience leading or managing a technical team, including workload allocation, mentoring, and performance development. You should also have experience running a service desk or first-line support function, with responsibility for SLA management, ticket triage, and user onboarding and offboarding.
A strong hands-on background in IT infrastructure and security is essential, covering endpoints, IAM, networking, patching, hardening, backup and disaster recovery, monitoring, and incident response. You should also have practical experience securing and managing both cloud infrastructure and on-premises systems.
The role requires working knowledge of recognised security frameworks and standards such as ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus, plus experience leading or coordinating security incident response end to end. Strong communication skills are important, particularly the ability to explain technical risk clearly to both technical teams and senior stakeholders. You will also need sound judgement when prioritising risk and deciding how to remediate issues in a business context.
Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, or cloud/security platform qualifications are desirable, and familiarity with scripting or automation to improve operational efficiency would also be an advantage.
Pay and benefits
The salary range for the role is £92,100 to £120,600, with pay based on experience. In addition, Softwire operates a profit share scheme, and the average annual amount is stated as being between £15,000 and £25,250 depending on experience and company performance. The company also provides an extra 5% pension contribution.
Other benefits include 25 days of annual leave, with the option to buy 10 more days or sell 5, plus 3.5 additional days off for company-wide morale activities. The package also includes AIG income protection, a travel card loan scheme, a zero-emission car scheme, cycle to work support, enhanced maternity and paternity pay, paid time for charitable activities, the option to request a sabbatical, payroll charity donations, Headspace Plus, a free annual eye test, and long-service awards.
Working pattern
The role offers flexible working arrangements and is suitable for someone who wants to work four days per week. It is also described as hybrid, with the expectation that you can work from home at least two days each week.
About the company
Softwire is a UK technology and strategy consultancy that works with organisations in sectors including enterprise and government, helping them deliver strategic change at scale. Its work spans AI transformation, data platforms, systems engineering, and customer experience design. The company places strong emphasis on being a great place for talented technologists to work, with a culture built around doing work properly, making work fulfilling as well as enjoyable, and treating people with kindness and trust.
The company says it has been recognised as the number one company to work for in the UK and highlights the breadth of career paths its people go on to pursue after working there, including roles in major technology companies, startups, trading, and AI research.
How to apply
Applications are made through the online application process via the Apply Now link on the job page.
Degree Requirement: Not Specified
Visa Sponsorship Promising
To apply for this job please visit www.softwire.com.
