Manager, IT Business Operations

ABOUT IRIS

IRIS Software Group is one of the UK's largest privately held software companies, trusted by 100,000+ businesses, schools and accountancy firms to keep their operations running. Our software pays 1 in 6 UK employees, supports over 12,000 schools, and is relied on by 91 of the top 100 UK accountancy firms.

We're a Great Place to Work® certified employer, recognised for our commitment to well-being, inclusion and development - and we're growing fast.

As Manager, IT Business Operations, you'll support the Senior Director, Managed Technology & IT Business Operations in the day-to-day coordination and delivery of Global IT's PMO, supplier management and M&A activity. You'll provide the operational structure, planning, governance, analysis and follow-through needed to keep agreed initiatives progressing and stakeholders informed while ensuring governance, reporting and supplier activities run seamlessly.

This is a highly visible role at the heart of technology transformation, where you'll help deliver acquisition integrations, divestments, supplier governance and portfolio management activities that support business growth and operational excellence.

The Role

This Level 5 Manager role supports the Senior Director, Managed Technology & IT Business Operations in the day-to-day coordination and delivery of Global IT's PMO, supplier management and M&A activity.

The role provides the operational structure, planning, governance, analysis and follow-through needed to keep agreed initiatives progressing and stakeholders informed.

The role manages assigned workstreams and routine supplier and governance activity within agreed plans, policies and delegated authority.

Overall accountability for M&A and divestment strategy, transaction decisions, major commercial negotiations, investment priorities and material financial commitments remains with the Senior Director and relevant executive stakeholders.

The role is expected to identify issues early, develop options and recommendations, and escalate decisions requiring senior judgement.

Key Responsibilities

M&A Integration & Separation Delivery

• Coordinate the day-to-day delivery of assigned IT workstreams for acquisitions, integrations, divestments and separations, working to the strategy, scope, priorities and governance agreed by the Senior Director and transaction leadership.

• Support the handover from technology due diligence into Day 1, integration or separation planning by maintaining actions, assumptions, dependencies and outstanding information.

• Apply the agreed due diligence checklist, Day 1 checklist and standard workstream structure across infrastructure, applications, security and compliance, data, service management, contracts and suppliers, and organisation and people.

• Maintain integrated plans, RAID logs, decision records and status reporting, following up with workstream owners and escalating material risks, delays, costs or scope issues.

• Prepare steering updates, analysis and decision papers for review by the Senior Director and relevant governance forums.

• Coordinate technology inputs to Transition Services Agreement schedules and track delivery against agreed obligations and exit plans, without holding authority for legal, strategic or financial approval.

• Capture lessons learned and recommend practical improvements to the PMO and M&A playbooks for approval.

Vendor & Contract Administration

• Manage routine day-to-day supplier activity and lower-value renewals within agreed parameters, escalating strategic suppliers, material risks and negotiations requiring Director involvement.

• Coordinate supplier reviews, actions and service improvement activity, ensuring agreed follow-ups are recorded and progressed by the appropriate owners.

• Prepare Statements of Work, renewal information and commercial comparisons for review and approval by authorised stakeholders.

• Maintain accurate records of contract dates, spend commitments, obligations, notice periods and supplier risks.

• Support supplier onboarding, due diligence and risk assessment in partnership with Procurement, Legal, Security, Finance and service owners.

• Identify potential cost, service or contract improvement opportunities and present them for consideration; ownership of sourcing strategy and material commercial decisions remains with senior leadership.

Procurement, Governance & Financial Control

• Coordinate purchase order and approval workflows, checking that supporting information is complete and that activity follows procurement policy and corporate governance.

• Maintain agreed cost allocation, chargeback and spend-tracking information, supporting budget owners with accurate reporting and variance analysis.

• Act as the operational point of contact between Procurement, Finance and Technology teams for routine governance, reporting and compliance matters.

• Prepare financial information and options for review; budget ownership, investment decisions, transaction business cases and material financial approvals remain with the Senior Director and authorised stakeholders.

Portfolio & Reporting Support

• Maintain the Global IT portfolio tracker and support a consistent view of initiatives, milestones, risks, dependencies and reporting status.

• Produce clear dashboards and management information to support portfolio reviews, technology governance and senior IT leadership planning.

• Support tracking of approved transaction synergies, separation costs, savings and benefits, highlighting variances to the relevant budget or benefit owner.

• Promote use of agreed PMO templates and reporting disciplines, providing practical support to workstream and project owners.

Stakeholder & Team Support

• Build effective working relationships with project leads, subject matter experts and institutional knowledge holders to support coordinated delivery and continuity of information.

• Act as the day-to-day point of contact for assigned workstreams and routine supplier matters, escalating where senior stakeholder management, strategic direction or commercial judgement is required.

• Coordinate activity across matrix teams and any temporary or contract resources assigned to the work, without assuming accountability for functional teams outside the role's remit.

• Contribute evidence and practical recommendations to resource planning, governance improvements and prioritisation discussions led by the Senior Director.

About You

Experience & Knowledge

• Experience running IT programmes or projects, ideally including M&A due diligence, integration or separation work.

• Working knowledge of vendor, contract and SOW administration; exposure to supplier negotiation is an advantage.

• Understanding of procurement governance, purchase order processes and cost/chargeback models.

• Comfortable working with enterprise application portfolios (e.g. Salesforce, Global Business Systems) at an operational level.

• Experience with project/portfolio tracking tools (e.g. Asana) and building reporting or dashboards.

Skills & Attributes

• Strong organisational and programme management skills; able to run multiple workstreams concurrently.

• Good stakeholder management skills across IT, Finance, Legal and Procurement at working level.

• Sound commercial awareness and attention to detail in contract and cost administration.

• Able to handle confidential and sensitive corporate transaction information.

• Self-starting and comfortable operating with a degree of ambiguity, escalating judiciously.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE WORKING HERE

• Impact: Your work will influence millions globally.

• Growth: Continuous learning and career development opportunities.

• Belonging: A culture that celebrates diversity and empowers every individual.

READY TO APPLY?

Click Apply - we’re excited to learn about your unique perspective and experience. If you need adjustments during the process, let us know. We’re committed to making this opportunity accessible to everyone.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM OUR HIRING PROCESS

Our process is designed to be fair, transparent and straightforward. Stages vary depending on the role — more senior positions may involve additional steps, and some areas include role-specific assessments such as a technical test or case study — but typically you can expect:

• Application review — we assess your experience and potential

• Initial call — a short conversation to learn about you and share more about the role

• Skills assessment — tailored to the position, e.g. case study, coding challenge or portfolio review

• Final interview — meet the team and explore how you'll make an IMPACT at IRIS

We'll always walk you through the specific stages at the start of the process so you can prepare with confidence.

If you need any adjustments or accommodations during the process, let us know, we’re committed to making this experience accessible for everyone.