Lead IT Infrastructure Design Engineer

At IRIS, our technology powers schools, businesses, and organisations that keep the UK running - and we're growing fast. That's why we're on the lookout for a Lead IT Infrastructure Design Engineer who's ready to design, deliver, and future-proof infrastructure solutions that support our bold ambitions. This isn't a support role. It's your chance to set the standards, drive delivery, and bring smart, scalable ideas to life. You'll work at the heart of our Enterprise Services team, shaping the technology that underpins everything we do. ð§ What Will You Be Doing? This is a hands-on, high-impact role where your ideas, leadership, and technical know-how will shape how our infrastructure evolves. You'll:

• Lead the design and rollout of infrastructure solutions across compute, identity, messaging, storage, cloud and beyond
• Translate business challenges into smart, secure, scalable solutions
• Influence and shape our infrastructure roadmap - and the direction of our platforms
• Define technical standards, drive improvements, and ensure delivery excellence
• Act as a senior escalation point for complex issues (think root cause, not firefighting)
• Mentor team members and help level up our technical capability
• Discover and introduce new tools, platforms or approaches to keep us ahead
• Create clean, clear documentation that keeps everyone on the same page.
ð¡ Who Are We Looking For? We're after someone who brings both technical depth and a sharp sense of how to align infrastructure to business goals., This role is all about shaping the internal systems and infrastructure that support how our business operates. From platform stability to service delivery, your work will have a lasting impact on how our teams and technologies perform - giving you real influence where it matters most. This position offers: The opportunity to lead on key infrastructure initiatives that support business growth A strategic role with plenty of scope to innovate and improve Flexibility in how you approach and deliver your work A collaborative, knowledgeable team that values technical leadership A great range of employee benefits and opportunities for career development., We believe in creating a culture of engagement and reward to develop your potential and offer long-term career success. We do this by: Supporting our managers to be great leaders, providing inspirational management resources and offering dedicated management development training. Rewarding individual excellence through dedicated initiatives and Employee Awards for demonstrating our values. Offering regular training and development programmes tailored to each employee's development needs and providing a commitment to a 'learning culture' which shares knowledge, best practice and our long-standing expertise between employees. We're committed to a culture of continuous improvement and listen to our employees via regular feedback sessions and employee engagement surveys. Our employees love the colleagues they work with. We promote a positive environment where our people feel comfortable, make friends and support each other.


• Strong experience in infrastructure roles with growing responsibility
• Proven ability to lead and deliver large-scale infrastructure projects
• Hands-on knowledge of Windows Server, Active Directory, Azure (IaaS & PaaS), and Entra ID
• Familiarity with Hyper-V, Veeam, PowerShell, and Microsoft Exchange (on-prem & online)
• A solid grasp of networking and security principles
• Experience shaping technical standards and driving service improvements
• A collaborative mindset with the confidence to lead conversations and influence decisions
• Clear communication skills - written, verbal, and everything in between
• Bonus points if you've got certifications (Microsoft, Azure, VMware, etc.)
  
  As one of the UK's largest privately held software companies, IRIS Software Group exists to simplify the lives of businesses, schools and organisations.
IRIS provides software solutions and services that substantially enhance operational compliance, efficiency and accuracy, empowering the users of our technology to look forward with certainty and confidence. Over 4 million parents use our software to connect with their child's school, 18% of UK employees are paid via an IRIS payroll solution, 50,000 SMEs use IRIS cloud bookkeeping and 21,000 firms rely on us for legislative compliance. Our operational software is the invisible but essential beating heart of our customers' businesses, supporting them in a range of objectives, from maintaining legislative compliance to boosting engagement with stakeholders and enhancing productivity. It's vital these mission-critical functions work first time, every time. That's why IRIS helps businesses run the tough stuff, stay compliant and get operational tasks done right first time, every time - so they can focus on productivity and growth. IRIS is a company built on hiring the best people; our people are our greatest assets. They enable us to be the innovative, market-leading, and high-performing company that we are today. We're delighted to be certified as a Great Place to Work and one of the UK's Best Workplaces for Women. These accolades confirm that our employees have a consistently positive experience at IRIS, with the certifications considering employee wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, trust in management, effective communication and recognition/reward. IRIS is committed to engaging, rewarding and empowering our employees, and this is central to what we do. This is why we work to create an environment where employees feel like they are part of a team.

Submit your CV and a few details about yourself. No long forms-just what we need to get started and understand your background. 2️⃣ Initial Interview (plus Online Assessments) A friendly chat with our Talent team and two short assessments (CCAT + EPP).
• The CCAT is a quick 15-minute timed test-best completed somewhere quiet with a pen and paper.
• The EPP is untimed, giving you space to work through it comfortably.
3️⃣ Hiring Manager Interview A deeper discussion about your experience and how you'd approach the role. 4️⃣ Panel Interview Meet a few key colleagues, share your thinking, and explore how we'd work together. ð Ready to lead and design the infrastructure that powers real change?