School IT and Data Recruitment in London
EduExec Recruitment is a specialist agency that recruits IT Managers, Network Managers, IT Directors, Data Managers, MIS Managers and Exams Officers for schools, academies and multi-academy trusts across London and the Home Counties. Every search is run personally by Luke Johnson, who has over 20 years in recruitment, the last 12 exclusively in education.
Technology and data roles in schools are hard to fill well. Broad IT roles need someone equally comfortable at senior level and in the detail, which is a rare combination. Good data people are hard to find and easy to lose. And in both cases, schools add their own pressures: safeguarding and filtering obligations, statutory returns, devices for hundreds of pupils, tight budgets and the expectation that everything works at 8.30 every morning.
The roles I recruit
- IT: Senior IT Technicians, Network Managers, IT Managers, and Heads of IT and IT Directors in trusts
- Data and MIS: Data Managers, MIS Managers and Administrators, and assessment and data leads
- Exams: Exams Officers and Exams Managers
- Trust-wide roles covering IT, data or both across several schools
How technology and data are changing in schools
AI is the biggest change right now. Staff and pupils are already using AI tools, and someone has to decide which ones are safe, which are worth paying for and how they fit with safeguarding and data protection. That decision increasingly sits with the IT or data lead.
Schools are also migrating MIS more than in recent years, driven by a growing recognition that data isn't just for reporting. It should produce meaningful information that senior leaders can act on, from pupil data and catchment areas to teaching, assessment and reporting, all aimed at getting the most out of every child's development.
For the right candidate, that makes this a good time to work in a school. There is plenty of low-hanging fruit: ageing systems to replace, services that AI may now make unnecessary, and tools that genuinely save teachers time.
What's different about working in a school
Someone moving in from a commercial setting will find two things different. The first is budget. Schools rarely have the money for the best possible solution, and the right answer is often the best solution the budget allows, not the best on the market.
The second is the range of people being served. Pupils, teaching staff, support staff and senior leaders all have different needs, different levels of confidence and different risks attached to them. A strong school IT or data lead understands that, and can explain technology clearly to each of them.
The market for data and IT people
With the rapid growth of data and AI roles outside education, school data roles in particular are currently lagging behind on pay. Even so, the sector has a huge amount of goodwill. People are drawn in and stay because they can see the benefit of what they do day to day, and the job satisfaction that comes with it.
Getting the brief right
Before recruiting, it's worth asking what the role actually needs to achieve. Often a vacancy is the right moment for a refresh: which systems you use, what data you report on, and whether some add-on products or services are still worth paying for.
Given AI, these are among the fastest-developing roles in schools. Strong candidates should show both an appreciation of what AI can do and a critical eye on where it falls short, and they need to balance GDPR and data protection with bringing in efficiencies and better insight. That balance is one of the first things I look for.
What I look for
- Infrastructure. Networks, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, and device management at scale.
- Safeguarding. Filtering and monitoring in line with KCSIE and the DfE's digital and technology standards.
- Systems and returns. SIMS, Arbor and Bromcom, iSAMS or Veracross in independent schools, and the school census and other DfE returns.
- Exams. JCQ regulations and running exam series smoothly.
- Value for money. Making sound decisions within a school budget, and being able to justify them to senior leaders.
How it works
The process is the same for every role: a proper briefing conversation, direct approach to candidates alongside a targeted advert, a screening interview with every candidate before you see them, a short and honest shortlist, and support through to start date. Fees are a percentage of the first year's salary, agreed before the search begins.
Frequently asked questions
Should IT and data be one role or two?
Most schools split them, and finding one person who covers both in equal depth is unusual. The strongest candidates tend to lean one way, and I'll be honest about which way a candidate leans.
Does it matter which MIS a candidate has used?
It helps, but it isn't always essential. Someone strong on one system can often learn another, especially if they understand the returns and reporting behind it. With so many schools now migrating systems, experience of a migration can be as valuable as knowledge of any one product.
Do you recruit Exams Officers?
Yes, including Exams Managers and roles that combine exams with wider data responsibilities.
Do you recruit trust-wide IT and data roles?
Yes, including Heads of IT, IT Directors and data leads responsible for several schools.
Talk to me about your vacancy
If you're recruiting an IT, data or exams role, I'd be very happy to talk it through, formally or informally. Call me on 07359 924773 or email luke.johnson@eduexec-recruitment.com.