About this role
Department:IT
Reports to:CFOO
Location: Central London; role dependent hybrid working, with a minimum of three days in the office
Contract: Full-time; permanent
Salary: Commensurate with experience
Closing date: 3 September 2026
About Thames & Hudson
Thames & Hudson is an independent, family-owned illustrated book publisher based in London, with an international reputation for producing high-quality books across art, design, architecture, photography, fashion, history, archaeology and popular culture.
Behind every book is a wide range of specialist, operational and support teams who help the company work effectively, collaboratively and to a high standard. Our IT department provides secure technology, protects systems and data, improves publishing platforms and integrations, and supports the well-governed use of new tools across our London headquarters and international subsidiaries.
The Group Head of IT leads Thames & Hudson's IT function, ensuring that our technology, systems and data are secure, reliable, cost-effective and aligned with the needs of the business. The role combines operational leadership with responsibility for IT strategy, AI leadership, governance, policy, budgets and business-critical technology projects.
Based in London, the role leads the UK IT team and works closely with colleagues across the business. It also acts as a senior technology adviser and project partner to our subsidiary and sister companies in Melbourne, Hong Kong, Paris & New York. The role provides international coordination and project support rather than day-to-day operational ownership, outside of the UK.
What you'll be doing
In this role, you will:
Lead a robust, reliable and responsive IT service, setting clear priorities and developing a calm, helpful and solutions-focused UK IT teamDevelop and deliver a practical IT strategy and prioritised technology roadmap, translating business needs into proportionate solutions, investment priorities and implementation plansOwn IT governance, policies and standards, including information security, access, data management, software licensing and responsible AI useLead the company's operational approach to cybersecurity, disaster recovery, business continuity, backups and technology risk, and act as the company's Data OfficerOwn the technology roadmap for core publishing systems and data flows, improving workflows, integrations and data quality across publishing, finance, ecommerce, inventory, distribution and reportingProvide senior technical leadership for our local Shopify websites and digital roadmap, prioritising improvements to security, reliability, customer experience, operational efficiency and online revenueLead our practical and responsible adoption of AI-enabled tools, assessing proposed tools and use cases and supporting proportionate trials, training and implementationOversee the IT project portfolio and personally lead business-critical projects, with clear plans, governance, responsibilities, testing, adoption and success measuresOwn the annual IT budget, forecasts, business cases, contracts, licences and supplier relationships, securing reliable performance, value for money and controlled riskAdvise and support colleagues in Melbourne, Hong Kong, Paris & New York on agreed technology projects, encouraging shared solutions where beneficial without unnecessary centralisation. Who you'll work with
You'll work closely with:
The CFOO, senior leadership team and Heads of DepartmentColleagues across publishing, sales, marketing, publicity, finance, operations and support functions, including ecommerce, digital and AI groupsThe IT team and other internal system ownersOur international colleaguesTechnology vendors, developers, managed-service providers and other specialist advisers. What you'll bring
We are looking for someone with:
Substantial experience leading an IT function or operating as a senior IT manager in an organisation of comparable scale and complexityStrong experience of IT operations, infrastructure, cloud services, networks, user support and supplier management, alongside developing strategy, policies, roadmaps and budgetsSound knowledge of cybersecurity, data protection, business continuity, disaster recovery, access control and technology risk managementA successful record of leading cross-functional systems, integration or transformation projects from definition through to implementation and adoptionExperience assessing business requirements and improving internal systems, workflows and data qualityCommercial judgement, including business cases, contract negotiation, cost control and management of third-party providers, together with strong people-management skillsExcellent communication skills, including the ability to explain technical issues to non-technical colleagues and write clear, practical policies and guidanceSound judgement, calm incident leadership and the ability to balance strategic priorities with hands-on operational demandsLead our practical and responsible adoption of AI-enabled tools, assessing proposed tools and use cases, supporting proportionate trials and implementation, and helping to coordinate appropriate trainingA commitment to valuing diversity and contributing positively to an inclusive workforce. You may also have:
Experience in publishing, media, ecommerce or another creative businessAn understanding of publishing metadata, title-management systems, ONIX and integrations with ecommerce, inventory or distribution platformsExperience with some of our current environment: Microsoft 365, Azure file storage, Sophos MDR, FileMaker, Shopify, Power BI, Adobe and relevant integration or development technologiesExperience supporting international colleagues or delivering technology projects across different locations and time zonesRelevant professional qualifications in IT service management, project management, cybersecurity, data protection or a related discipline. Please do not be put off applying if you do not meet every desirable requirement. We are interested in hearing from candidates who can bring the right skills, judgement and potential to the role.
How our values show up in this role
They shape how we work with each other, our authors, our partners and our readers. This role is aligned with the Manager/Specialist level of our competency framework:
Creativity: Devel