Head of Partnership Technology Delivery

About IDP

IDP is the global leader in international education services, delivering global success to students, test takers and our partners, through trusted human relationships, digital technology and customer research. An Australian-listed company, we operate in more than 50 countries around the world.

Our team is comprised of over 7,000 people of various nationalities, ages and cultural backgrounds. Proudly customer-first, our expert people are powered by global technology. Together, we offer unmatched services, helping local dreams become realities, all over the world.

Learn more at www.careers.idp.com

Role purpose

We are seeking a seasoned senior technology delivery leader with extensive experience in steering complex, multi-organisation environments to spearhead the strategic direction, governance, and operational execution of the IELTS partnership technology ecosystem. This ecosystem supports one of the world's most esteemed English language testing platforms, ensuring it remains robust, scalable, and innovative.

As the Head of Partnership Technology Delivery, you will occupy a pivotal leadership position at the nexus of technology delivery, partnership governance, and cross-organisational alignment. Reporting directly to the Director of Technology Partnerships, you will serve as the primary accountability lead for the stability, security, and evolution of technology platforms shared across the IELTS partnership, which includes global collaborators such as the British Council and Cambridge Assessment English.

Situated at our London corporate office, this full-time, permanent role provides an excellent opportunity to collaborate broadly, influence at senior levels, and ensure excellence in delivery within a highly regulated, high-stakes international education environment. If you thrive on leading transformational technology agendas in partnership ecosystems that make a global impact, this role offers a compelling challenge.

What you'll lead

• Lead the end-to-end management and delivery of the shared IELTS technology estate, ensuring exceptional performance, resilience under load, adaptability to change, and scalability to meet expanding global needs.
• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve a robust technology governance framework that ensures transparency, clear decision-making pathways, defined ownership, and accountability among all partnership stakeholders.
• Develop and drive the execution of a unified, strategic technology roadmap aligned to the collective priorities and aspirations of the IELTS partnership, anticipating future trends and opportunities for innovation.
• Coordinate cross-partner collaboration effectively, skillfully managing and resolving dependencies, risks, and delivery conflicts to achieve seamless integration and shared success.
• Champion operational excellence across platform operations, ensuring continuous high availability, top-tier vendor management, rigorous service quality standards, and responsive incident management practices.
• Maintain stringent oversight of risk management, regulatory compliance, cybersecurity protocols, and data protection practices for all shared systems within the partnership to safeguard data integrity and trust.
• Engage with global technology and business leaders regularly to promote shared understanding, foster collaborative problem-solving, and advance the maturity of partnership technology capabilities.

What you bring

• Demonstrated leadership excellence in delivering complex, large-scale technology programmes in multifaceted, multi-stakeholder, multi-organisational environments, showcasing resilience and strategic vision.
• Advanced expertise in technology governance frameworks, risk management methodologies, and compliance requirements applicable to large international technology ecosystems.
• In-depth knowledge of enterprise platform architectures, principles of digital product delivery, and Agile/DevOps methodologies, with a focus on continuous delivery and improvement.
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills, with proven experience in aligning diverse senior stakeholders across organisational boundaries to achieve common goals.
• Experience working within partnership or consortium-led delivery models, particularly with global or joint-ownership structures, is highly desirable.
• High adaptability and emotional intelligence to navigate varying organisational cultures, political sensitivities, and operational dynamics, tailoring communication and leadership approaches to foster trust and collaboration.
• Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving skills, and the ability to anticipate potential challenges and devise proactive mitigation strategies in a fast-moving global context.
• A commitment to inclusivity, continuous learning, and championing diversity within teams and partnerships to drive innovation and shared success.

Why this role

• Take charge of one of the most strategically critical technology ecosystems within global educational partnerships, influencing the future of IELTS digital platforms.
• Collaborate with globally renowned partners in a purpose-driven organisation committed to international education and lifelong learning.
• Enjoy a highly visible leadership position with direct influence on global technology delivery outcomes and strategic direction.
• Shape the future development and continuous evolution of a shared digital platform that operates at a significant international scale.

If you excel in managing complexity, uniting diverse organisations, and driving impactful technology solutions that benefit millions worldwide, we encourage you to apply and join our mission-driven team.