IT Manager

ROLE PURPOSE

This role owns the whole technology estate at Acuity Professional network, servers, cloud, identity, laptops, business applications and the security around them. It replaces two earlier roles with a single person accountable for all of it. Because we handle client financial data across India and the UK, security, data protection and keeping the business running are central to the job, not add-ons.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Infrastructure and cloud

• Run and maintain the server estate Windows Server, virtualisation, storage and backup.
• Administer Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365, including licences and cost.
• Own identity: Microsoft Entra ID, Active Directory, single sign-on, MFA and access control.
• Look after the network firewalls, VPN, Wi-Fi, DNS, DHCP and internet links at both offices.
• Keep systems available, and act on monitoring alerts before users report problems.

Security and compliance

• Run the security tools endpoint protection, email and web security, and vulnerability scanning.
• Own patching: find, prioritise and fix vulnerabilities across servers, laptops and network devices.
• Investigate and contain security incidents, and write up what happened and what changed.
• Maintain security policies, the access control list, the asset register and staff awareness training.
• Support client security questionnaires and audits, and help us meet ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials, UK GDPR and India's DPDP Act.
• Own backups and disaster recovery, including a tested restore at least once a year.

Support and service desk

• Run the service desk for users in India and the UK triage, priorities and response times.
• Handle the escalated issues the team cannot resolve, including occasional out-of-hours cover.
• Manage laptops and devices through Microsoft Intune enrolment, policies, apps and updates.
• Own IT assets end to end, from purchase and build through to secure disposal.
• Set up new joiners on day one and remove all access on the last day, with a record of both.

Applications and data

• Support the business applications used by UK and India teams, including accounting software.
• Administer the databases behind those applications, including backups and access.
• Look after file storage, document management and secure file transfer to clients.
• Assess and introduce new tools, including AI-assisted ones, with a clear view of security and cost.

Team, suppliers and improvement

• Lead and develop a small support team.
• Manage suppliers and service partners contracts, service levels and renewals.
• Own the IT budget and find sensible savings on licences and services. • Report to the Managing Director on service, security, risk and planned spend.
• Automate repetitive work using PowerShell or similar, and keep documentation current enough that someone else could follow it.

TECHNICAL SKILLS & TOOLING

What we expect you to bring. Depth in cloud, identity and security matters more than having used every product listed.

• Cloud - Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 administration, including licensing and cost management

• Identity - Microsoft Entra ID, Active Directory, Conditional Access, MFA, single sign-on, hybrid identity

• Servers - Windows Server 2019 / 2022 / 2025, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy; VMware or Hyper-V

• Devices - Microsoft Intune, compliance policies, application deployment, Windows Autopilot

• Network - Firewall administration (Fortinet, Sophos, Palo Alto, Cisco or SonicWall), VPN, VLANs, Wi-Fi

• Security - Endpoint detection and response, vulnerability and patch management, email and web security

• Data and Applications - Microsoft SQL Server, business and accounting application support, SharePoint and OneDrive

• Backup - An enterprise backup platform such as Veeam or Acronis, with a tested recovery plan

• Automation - PowerShell scripting; Terraform, Bicep or Ansible an advantage

• Service Desk - A ticketing platform such as Freshservice, Jira Service Management or ServiceNow; ITILaligned process

• Monitoring - Infrastructure and network monitoring with alerting

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• B.E. / B.Tech / BCA/ MCA or an equivalent graduate degree in Computer Science, Information Technology or Engineering.
• 5-10 years across IT infrastructure, systems administration and information security, with clear evidence of owning systems rather than only supporting them.
• Experience of leading a small team, mentoring others or managing suppliers is preferred.
• At least one current certification in cloud, security, networking or service management.
• Able to diagnose and fix problems independently this is a lean team with few places to escalate.
• Comfortable explaining technical matters to non-technical colleagues across India and the UK.
• Discreet and reliable with confidential client financial information.