Head of IT and Cybersecurity

Working hours: 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Permanent
Newcastle (hybrid working of 2 days working from home per week available upon successful completion of probation)
Lycetts Insurance Brokers , who are proudly part of  Benefact Group , are looking for a Director of IT & Change  to join our Newcastle  office.
This is an exciting opportunity to join Lycetts as the Director of IT & Change , where you’ll lead the IT and Change teams, covering IT infrastructure & service delivery, cybersecurity, business change portfolio delivery. 
In this role, you will develop and implement strategies and roadmaps for technology, target architecture, and business transformation, ensuring modern solutions are fully leveraged. You’ll establish clear frameworks for delivery and align IT and change initiatives with organisational objectives to maximise value. A key part of the role is driving cultural change to build digital literacy and readiness across the workforce, while directing the successful delivery of the change portfolio and IT services. You will provide strong leadership for both IT and Change teams, ensuring high standards of governance, service delivery, and innovation.
Join a collaborative and inclusive culture that’s committed to making a difference and building a more sustainable future. Ranked amongst the UK's 15 Best Big Companies to Work For in 2025, we offer fantastic career and development opportunities within a rapidly growing, innovative Group — where all profits go to charity and good causes.
Develop strategies and roadmaps for Technology, Target Architecture and Transformation, ensuring we exploit modern technology
Lead the IT and Change teams, representing technology and change across the business while promoting a culture of innovation and digital literacy.
Build modern, market-leading IT and Change capabilities to meet business needs and strategic objectives.
Manage third-party technical relationships and monitor emerging IT trends impacting insurance and financial services.
Ensure compliance with governance standards, manage budgets, enforce IT policies, and maintain high-quality IT support and project delivery.
Advise senior leadership on long-term IT strategy, support acquisitions and integration, and align change programs with organizational goals.
strong commercial acumen and delivery focus.
Skilled in defining AI strategies, implementing AI solutions, and driving innovation through modern technology and API development.
Significant experience in delivering and managing robust cyber security solutions and ensuring compliance with IT governance standards.
Proven track record in change portfolio management, project delivery (waterfall, agile, hybrid), enterprise architecture, and business analysis techniques.
hands-on approach, coaching mindset, and expertise in MS technologies (365, Copilot, Azure, Fabric, Power BI).
Experience of Insurance and / or Financial Services regulated industries.
A competitive salary - let's discuss it
~ Hybrid working available upon successful completion of probation
~ Employer pension contribution of 5% rising to 10% after 5 years membership of the pension scheme
~ Annual Bonus scheme (Discretionary based on individual and company performance)
~ Life Assurance cover up to 4 x salary
~25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (rising to 26 and 27 for 5 and 10 years’ service respectively)
~ Career development opportunities with funded support and financial incentives for all professional qualifications.
~ An Employee Assistance Programme with a wide range of benefits helping employees to stay healthy and feel supported.

The Lycetts Group has over 60 years’ experience of providing a comprehensive range of insurance, risk management and financial advice to a broad cross section of commercial and private clients. Benefact Group is a unique international financial services Group made up of over 30 businesses. We believe it’s essential to attract, empower, grow and reward talented people, offering fantastic opportunities for career and personal development. Our giving ethos, 135-year history and the diversity of what we do, has enabled us to build a culture of kindness, great ambition, and of passionate people driven to do better and be better.
At Benefact Group, we are committed to creating an inclusive culture and building an environment where each and every one of us feels valued and respected. We are a community made up of people with a range of different backgrounds, abilities, perspectives, beliefs and interests and we value the strength this brings to us as a Group.