Head of Technology

Role: Head of Technology

Location: United Kingdom

Hours: Full-time (37.5hrs)

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £65,000p.a.

About Avado 

At Avado, we believe all transformation starts with people. As a Platinum provider of CIPD training, we empower HR and L&D professionals to build the skills, mindsets, and capabilities needed for the future of work. In a world reshaped by AI and rapid change, we’re committed to developing future-ready people professionals through high-impact, accredited learning experiences. Our programmes combine practical application, collaborative learning, and award-winning design to ensure our learners – and their organisations – can thrive and grow.

Our connected learning approach blends deep expertise, innovative technology, and a strong community of support. From early-career learners to experienced practitioners, we deliver real, measurable change that supports individual growth and business transformation.

Avado is part of the Blenheim Chalcot portfolio – the UK’s leading digital venture builder – giving us access to a powerful network of innovation, investment, and expertise.

About the role

We’re looking for a hands-on, product-minded technology leader to shape the future of Avado’s digital learning ecosystem. This is a key leadership role within Avado’s Business Technology function, where you will support the strategic direction set by Avado’s leadership and ensure that technology operations, platform delivery, and support run efficiently and effectively.

As Head of Technology, you will play a central role in shaping and executing the Business Technology roadmap. You’ll coordinate teams, improve processes, and ensure our technical solutions, particularly across our learning technology platforms and HubSpot CRM, meet the needs of learners, clients, and internal teams.

This is a role for a builder. You will drive the evolution of Avado’s digital platforms, lead AI-powered innovation, and ensure our systems remain secure, scalable, and fit for the future. Working closely with senior leadership, you’ll help deliver high-quality, commercially impactful solutions that support Avado’s strategic and operational goals.

You will also lead and support a small, high-impact technology team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

What you’ll do

Platform & Learning Technology Leadership

• Contribute to and own elements of the Business Technology roadmap, ensuring alignment with Avado’s strategic goals.
• Lead the evolution of Avado’s learning technology ecosystem, ensuring platforms are secure, scalable, and continually improving.
• Partner with product, learning design, and programme teams to deliver enhancements that elevate learner experience and operational efficiency.
• Lead Avado’s AI innovation strategy, identifying, evaluating, and implementing AI-driven solutions that drive commercial performance and learning impact.
• Identify opportunities to improve performance, security, and user experience across all digital learning systems.

CRM, Data & Automation (HubSpot Ownership)

• Act as Avado’s HubSpot technical owner, overseeing data architecture, workflows, automation, and integrations with internal systems and learning platforms.
• Ensure HubSpot serves as an accurate, unified source of truth across marketing, sales, operations, and learner delivery.
• Build and maintain scalable automations that support the entire learner lifecycle and internal operational processes.

Technology Delivery & Operational Reliability

• Lead the hands-on delivery of technical solutions across cloud, SaaS platforms, integrations, and data flows.
• Support senior leadership in coordinating key initiatives and ensuring effective delivery across infrastructure, applications, platforms, and support functions.
• Drive operational reliability by ensuring robust IT operations, support processes, and effective issue resolution.
• Translate strategic guidance into practical, secure, scalable technical solutions and operational plans.

Team Leadership

• Lead and mentor a small, multidisciplinary team across infrastructure, support, and platform engineering.
• Support ongoing team development, capability-building, and performance management aligned with evolving business needs.
• Foster a high-performing, service-focused culture built on accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Security, Compliance & Standards

• Ensure strong security practices across all systems, platforms, and processes.
• Contribute to ISO 27001 compliance activities, including audits, documentation, risk assessments, and ongoing controls.
• Promote ITIL-aligned approaches to incident, change, and problem management.
• Support the implementation of Avado’s cybersecurity policies and governance standards.

Cloud, Infrastructure & Resilience

• Oversee cloud environments (AWS preferred), ensuring scalability, resilience, and cost-effectiveness.
• Ensure infrastructure and platforms operate reliably and efficiently, aligned with business needs.
• Maintain and improve Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery procedures.
• Identify opportunities to modernise, streamline, and optimise infrastructure and platform services.

Stakeholder, Governance & Resource Support

• Work closely with stakeholders across the business to clarify requirements, communicate progress, and ensure alignment.
• Support project governance, ensuring risks, dependencies, and milestones are appropriately managed.
• Contribute to technology budget planning and cost management to ensure responsible use of resources.
• Participate in Avado’s ISMS committee, supporting the maintenance of our externally accredited quality management system.

Who we’re looking for

Experience

• Proven experience coordinating or delivering technical and platform-based projects, ideally in a digital-product or learning-technology environment.
• Hands-on experience administering or owning HubSpot (workflows, automation, data architecture, integrations).
• Strong understanding of cloud technologies (AWS preferred), infrastructure, SaaS platforms, and modern integration patterns.
• Experience working with or evolving a learning technology platform, LMS, or similar digital learning ecosystem.
• Experience managing or developing small, multidisciplinary technical teams (infrastructure, support, platform engineering).
• Ability to engage confidently with senior leaders, translating business requirements into clear technical solutions.
• Experience with security, governance, or compliance frameworks, such as ISO 27001, is desirable.
• Experience supporting technology operations across multiple regions or business units is advantageous.

Desirable Certifications

• ITIL 4
• AWS Certification
• ISO 27001 training or experience
• Prince2 / APM Practitioner
• Microsoft 365 Certified
• HubSpot certifications (Admin, Ops Hub, RevOps, or CMS)

Behaviours / Skills

• Excellent communicator able to translate complex technical topics into clear business language.
• Customer-centric mindset with a strong focus on innovation, continuous improvement, and learning impact.
• Able to manage multiple priorities and thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and adapting to evolving business and technology needs.
• Positive, solutions-focused approach with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Collaborative team player who builds strong relationships across functions.
• Motivational leader who brings out the best in others and fosters a culture of ownership and excellence.
• A builder mindset, hands-on, curious, proactive, and excited by rapid change, especially in AI-driven technologies.

What you’ll get:

Lots of benefits including: 

• Holidays – 25 days plus bank public holidays, increasing by 1 day after 2 years and a further day after 4 years. 
• A day off on or around your birthday. 
• Cycle2Work scheme 
• Statutory pension and life assurance. 
• Employee Assistance Program & other lifestyle discounts
• Various opportunities to gain an immersive experience into a range of Avado products and proposition. 
• On-demand access to our Avado Connect community 
• Curated personal development and learning tools – SEEDL platform 

 And… just for being here, we offer you a culture that’s created and nurtured by super smart people and underpinned by our Values which guide our thinking, decisions and actions, creating a truly unique place to work. You will also get to be at the forefront of helping a very diverse range of professionals enhance their careers, whether at the early stages or later down the line. You'll enjoy an environment with an enviable workspace to use in West London, serious personal development opportunities (well, we are a learning organisation after all), and some rather nice job-related and lifestyle perks. Oh, and one more thing - we're a Great Place to Work™ certified company, something we are rightly very proud of! 

And we’re highly inclusive….

Avado is one of those rare places where anyone from anywhere with any background or experience is free to come and do their very best work. We believe in the diversity of thought, as that’s what helps us help our clients and learners – whether investing in their own development, or having their employer invest for them. Equality, diversity and inclusion are values that underpin our success; come and see for yourself!