Market Update: Tech & Change Hot Roles (w/c 02/02)

Apologies in the slight delay... Well Street has gone Skiing! The first week of February saw a slight decline in hiring activity compared to the final week of January. Permanent roles remained the majority, though interim positions continued to account for a meaningful proportion of the total. Public sector hiring was notably strong, particularly in healthcare and local government, alongside sustained activity in private equity and financial services.

📊 Volume & Mix

54 roles total this week
Permanent: ~40
Interim: ~14

Channel: Agency roles accounted for approximately 75% of the total. Direct hires were concentrated in public sector (NHS, local government, defence), healthcare trusts, and corporate employers including financial services and PropTech organisations.

Down from 57 roles in the previous week.

💡 Key Trends This Week

Public sector and healthcare were particularly active this week, with Chief Information Officer (NHS), Chief Digital and Information Officer (National Crime Agency, NHS Trust), Director General (Defence Digital), Director of Transformation (Norfolk & Suffolk Constabularies), and Assistant Director - Technology and Data (Oldham Council) roles appearing.
Programme Director roles were the most frequently recurring title, appearing across interim and permanent markets in banking, private equity, higher education (Student Record System, ERP), data, and manufacturing contexts.
Private equity interim activity remained visible, with Interim CIO, Interim IT Director, Interim Transformation Lead, and Programme Director positions across UK and European locations.
Engineering leadership featured prominently, with Director of Engineering, Engineering Director, Head of Engineering & Architecture, Director of Software Engineering, and VP of Engineering roles across FinTech, construction, travel technology, and PropTech sectors.
ERP and systems delivery appeared in interim capacity, including Oracle Fusion Programme Director, ERP Programme Director, and Programme Director - Student Record System roles in higher education and private sector contexts.

📅 Month-on-Month (rolling view)

January 2026 (w/c 06/01): 64 roles; permanent hiring dominant; IT Director and Head of IT most common titles; housing and charity sectors notably active.
January 2026 (w/c 13/01): 54 roles; interim activity up, particularly in private equity; programme and carve-out work more visible; public sector presence reduced.
January 2026 (w/c 19/01): 37 roles; volumes down by a third; Head-level roles most frequent; change leadership and security roles notable; interim proportion increased.
January 2026 (w/c 26/01): 57 roles; volumes up; Head of Digital most common; public sector and healthcare more visible; permanent roles returned to majority.
February 2026 (w/c 02/02): 54 roles; stable volumes; Programme Director most frequent; public sector and healthcare notably strong; engineering leadership prominent.

Role

Type

Employment

Sector

Location

Link

Digital Service Delivery Director

Agency

Permanent

Private Sector

London