TechOps Lead

Who you are

• A proven track record of leading successful IT or TechOps teams, ideally through periods of growth
• At least 3 years of people management experience
• Significant experience managing performance, and professional development
• Strong service management and operational experience
• Comfort operating in highly ambiguous environments and managing competing priorities
• A very strong technical background underpinning your leadership approach
• Hands-on experience providing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd line support
• Ability to communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Strong incident management and problem-solving skills
• A people-first mindset and a conscientious approach to decision-making
• Experience working across time zones and with globally distributed teams
• Strong opinions on best practice and a desire to challenge traditional IT norms
• Experience mentoring team members with varying levels of experience
• Experience supporting macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android environments
• Experience with Identity & Access Management platforms such as Okta or Microsoft Entra
• Willingness to travel and maintain presence in regional office locations if required
• A foundational understanding of programming or software engineering
• Familiarity with security tooling such as CrowdStrike, Kolide, osquery, and Zscaler
• Experience with email gateway administration and routing
• Significant people leadership experience
• Scaling teams and services over time
• Service management, capacity planning, and operational maturity
• Managing support pipelines, projects, and assignments
• Building regional processes while balancing global standards
• Working with internal and external stakeholders and vendors
• Driving reliability, consistency, and continuous improvement
• You will bring strong technical depth across areas such as identity, MDM, networking, office infrastructure, and SaaS, with the confidence to challenge partners and vendors when needed
• You will be comfortable owning incident management, security and compliance considerations, and contract and service quality oversight
• This is a huge opportunity for the right candidate to step in and lead an amazing team that is critical to keeping Kraken moving at pace
• Don't think you check off all of the above? We love hiring passionate people with a drive to learn so get in touch and let us know which areas you don't currently have confidence and/or experience with, we'd love to hear from you!

What the job involves

• TechOps at Kraken is a modern, lean evolution of traditional enterprise IT
• We span everything from hands-on frontline support through to high-impact technical projects and long-term strategic improvements
• We are building a small, highly effective TechOps team and are looking for an ambitious, experienced TechOps Generalist to help us scale Kraken safely, securely, and with a strong focus on people
• This is a broad role with a huge amount of variety
• You’ll work across identity, devices, SaaS, networking, automation, and office infrastructure - often at the same time
• Ambiguity is a constant, and we’re looking for someone who enjoys making sense of it and turning it into action
• We operate almost entirely in the cloud, so you’ll be exposed to a wide range of modern tools and technologies across the business
• As a TechOps Team Lead, you will be responsible for the end-to-end running of the Kraken TechOps function. This is a leadership role that requires someone comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy, while remaining closely aligned with global TechOps leadership
• We strongly believe that no matter what role you have within TechOps, it’s still important to keep your ear to the ground and see first-hand the problems our people are facing, and the impact that decisions you make have on everyone at Kraken. This means you’ll spend a significant portion of your time helping out with day-to-day support alongside your leadership responsibilities
• As a Team Lead within TechOps, you will be responsible for balancing the team’s everyday workload, managing capacity, and prioritising proactive, planned project work alongside reactive support and unplanned work. The TechOps team operates in an environment with a large amount of ambiguity, and we are looking for someone who can make sense of this, identify the most impactful work, and keep the team focused, motivated and moving at pace
• This is a strategically significant role which will require close collaboration with our UK and APAC leaders. You will bring strong leadership skills, service management, and operational experience, with the ability to lead, scale, and mature this function in line with Kraken’s growth trajectory
• Define what good looks like for a small, lean, high-performing TechOps team
• Own the day-to-day delivery of TechOps services
• Support global operations with opportunities to travel to our global sites
• Liaise with TechOps leadership and architects to prioritise and deliver project work
• Balance reactive support and projects with proactive, planned improvements and projects
• Mentor and line manage TechOps team members, supporting their development and career growth
• Provide hands-on 1st, 2nd and 3rd line technical support across the business
• Collaborate closely with our Security team to balance security, productivity, and user experience
• Manage incidents, communications, and follow-ups.
• Coordinate and deliver complex technical projects involving multiple stakeholders and teams across time zones
• ---Examples of TechOps projects include:
• Rollout of, and migration to, a new identity provider
• MacOS and Windows MDM migrations
• Rollout of device trust and posture compliance solutions
• Replacing insecure factors such as SMS with phishing-resistant authentication
• Office fit-outs including networking, AV, and access control
• SaaS migrations for acquisitions (e.g. Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace)

Benefits

• Equity option scheme: Everyone who works at Kraken owns a part of the business with shares in the Octopus Energy Group. So as the company grows we all benefit
• Pension scheme: We'll pay 5%. You decide on your contribution starting from 3%
• Holidays: We don't count your holiday days. We trust everyone to work hard and take as much time off as they need
• Flexible working: We're happy for you to work in a way that's best for you. Need to pick the kids up from school or work from home? That's not a problem. It's important to us that everyone has a positive work-life balance
• Free breakfast: Our offices are always stocked with fresh fruit, breakfast, snacks, great coffee and soft drinks.

Weekly on a Friday we all get together (including virtually) for company updates and drinks

• For parents: We can arrange access to tax free childcare, as well as maternity and paternity pay
• Free eye tests: We offer eye test vouchers for all colleagues who use Visual Display Units (VDU). Long spells of VDU work can be visually demanding so we want to make sure you're OK
• Car salary sacrifice: Save money on leasing an electric vehicle through our workplace salary sacrifice scheme
• Cycle to work scheme: Spread the cost of buying a bike, including accessories and safety equipment, up to a value of £2.5K. And save money on the repayments through the cycle to work scheme
• Get the right tech: Have a certain tech requirement? We’ll do our best to sort it for you
• Money coach: Get support with financial planning through our partnership with Octopus Money Coach
• Yoga + Headspace: Twice a week we have 45 Minute live yoga class open to all Kraken staff.

Need some calm in your life? We have Headspace licences available

• Team events and activities: Participate in team events and cohesion activities to build stronger connections
• Health Insurance: We’ll provide comprehensive coverage with Alan and access to Alan Mind.
• Transportation: If you cycle to the office we’ll support you by up to €600/year, if you use public transport we'll reimburse 75% of your Navigo pass. If you use both, we'll support you by up to €900/year
• Green energy discount: Enjoy a 32% discount on green energy compared to the regulated tariff
• Year-end gift voucher: Receive a €100 gift voucher at the end of each year
• Gymlib subscription: Get a subscription to Gymlib for access to a wide variety of fitness options
• Meal vouchers: Enjoy €10 Ticket Restaurant cards for meal expenses
• NGO support days: Benefit from three additional RTT days (Reduction of Working Time) to support NGO work, every year