Jason Whitaker

Senior IT leader with nearly 10 years at director level, leading multi-site technology functions across education and commercial services. Trusted adviser to Boards, Audit Committees and Leadership Teams, with responsibility for IT strategy, cyber security, digital transformation, data protection, service resilience, people leadership and multi-million-pound operating and capital portfolios. Proven track record of turning around underperforming IT functions, developing strong teams, integrating acquisitions and modernising complex technology estates.

Focused on making technology reliable, secure and cost-effective, while ensuring investment and transformation priorities support the wider organisation.

Group Director of IT and Data Protection Lead - Repton School

(2026-01)

Group IT Director accountable for technology strategy, investment, architecture, cyber and data protection, service performance and digital transformation across a multi-site, acquisition-led schools group. Mandate: Bring technology across the group under one strategy, strengthen governance and service standards, and create a consistent approach for integrating new schools as the group grows.

• Led a group-wide review of infrastructure, applications, contracts, cyber security and risk, creating a clear baseline and priorities for the group technology roadmap.
• Developed and began delivering the group technology strategy and multi-year roadmap, aligning infrastructure, applications and digital investment with educational, operational and growth priorities.
• Established a Group Technology Board and architecture review forum, introducing clearer standards, accountability and decision-making across the group.
• Created a repeatable approach for integrating new acquisitions, covering platform consolidation, identity, cyber controls and IT service onboarding.
• Led group digital transformation and modernisation programmes from business case through to delivery, including platform consolidation and the controlled adoption of AI.
• Directed group infrastructure, cloud services, cyber security and IT operations, with responsibility for operational and capital budgets, suppliers and key technology partners.
• Owned group technology risk, information security and business continuity, aligning controls with Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus and sector expectations.
• Built and led the central technology team, improving capability, succession planning, accountability and delivery standards across internal and partner teams.
• Led the outsourcing of Print Room functions and brought critical IT services back in-house, managing supplier handovers, knowledge transfer and service continuity.

Director of IT and Facilities - Burton and South Derbyshire College

(2024-08 - 2026-01)

Executive leadership of 21 staff across IT and Facilities, with a £4.2m combined portfolio, reporting to the Vice Principal and Senior Leadership Team in an Ofsted Outstanding-rated further education college. Mandate: Transform an underperforming IT function, modernise an ageing end-user estate and restore confidence in technology delivery.

• Repositioned IT as a strategic support function through operating-model restructure, capability uplift and clear service accountability; SLT extended the remit to include Facilities and Estates on the strength of early impact.
• Set direction for service resilience across the estate, ending sustained disruption and restoring SLT and stakeholder confidence in technology.
• Shifted enterprise endpoint strategy from a capital replacement cycle to Azure Virtual Desktop across 850 devices, deferring a full hardware refresh, releasing capital for reinvestment and extending estate life.
• Established portfolio governance across technology and estates, accountable to the Vice Principal and SLT for delivery, risk, value for money and capital programme performance.
• Reset the organisation's security control and tooling baseline in line with Cyber Essentials Plus and wider assurance expectations.
• Led the college to Cyber Essentials Plus, a college-wide cyber awareness programme and instituted cyber risk reporting to the Audit Committee; critical vulnerability remediation reduced from 160 to 14 days.
• Directed service delivery improvements - standardised processes, defined ownership and technical runbooks - reducing manual effort, service variability and key-person risk.
• Led the development of capital proposals that unlocked over £1.7m in SALIX grant funding for the college's sustainability and estates programme, covering solar generation, air source heat pumps and legacy building redevelopment.

Head of IT - MHR Global - Nottingham

(2023-07 - 2024-08)

Functional lead for 20 people across Desktop Support and Managed Services in the UK and India, supporting 900 remote and office-based staff and reporting to the Senior Leadership Team and Board. Mandate: Unify two previously separate teams, remove structural cost from a fragmented estate and restore service credibility after sustained SLA failure.

• Developed and secured approval for a business case to centralise the technology architecture, achieving a reduction of more than 30% in operating costs.
• Introduced ITIL-aligned service management and SLA reporting, improving first-time resolution and reducing a 1,100-ticket backlog to fewer than 200 active tickets within two months.
• Unified two functions into one 20-person team, establishing accountable multi-site delivery across first-, second- and third-line support, cyber resilience and managed services.
• Strengthened organisational data protection through design workshops, face-to-face training, automation and implementation of IT security policies aligned with ISO 27001, SOC 2 and Cyber Essentials Plus.

Director of IT and Project Performance - South Staffordshire College

(2018-11 - 2023-07)

Directed IT across five campuses and three outreach centres, supporting 600+ staff and 12,000 students, with a £1.4m capital and £600k operating budget. Inherited an underperforming function shaped by successive structural changes that had drifted from its core purpose. Mandate: Build a stable, secure IT function and team capable of supporting the college's growth agenda and long-term aspirations.

• Grew the technology team from 4 to 10 across desktop support, server, cloud and cyber security, coaching a new leadership tier and establishing succession within the function.
• Achieved ISO 27001 certification and successfully recertified, embedding an information security management system across five campuses.
• Led the implementation of Cyber Essentials Plus across all five campuses, aligning controls, tooling and assurance reporting to the Audit Committee.
• Delivered a server and cloud adoption programme that materially reduced the on-premises server estate while supporting 600+ staff and 12,000 students across five campuses and three outreach centres.
• Owned a £1.4m capital and £600k operating budget, managing suppliers and strategic partners and consistently delivering the annual technology plan within the envelope.
• Developed and executed the college's five-year IT strategy and roadmap, sequencing consolidation, cyber, cloud and end-user modernisation programmes.
• Restructured and realigned the department, developing a high-performing team through coaching, clear accountabilities and stretch delivery.
• Coordinated with senior leadership and stakeholders to evaluate technology investments, eliminate technical debt and support the college's growth agenda.

Head of Technical Services - Quiss Technology Plc

(2018-01 - 2018-12)

Head of Professional Services - NAK Consulting Services

(2015-01 - 2018-12)

Senior Solutions Architect, Datacentre and Cloud - Project Network LLP

(2009-01 - 2015-12)

Network and Infrastructure Manager - JLT Online

(2006-01 - 2009-12)

IT Manager - Tamworth and Lichfield College

(1999-01 - 2006-12)

Senior IT Support Lead - Tamworth College

(1996-01 - 1999-12)

Level 5 Diploma - Leadership and Operations Management

HNC - Computer Science

BTEC National Diploma - Information Technology