Market Update: Tech & Change Hot Roles (w/c 09/02)

The second week of February saw a notable increase in hiring activity, with volumes rising to the highest level recorded since early January. Permanent roles remained the majority, though interim positions showed sustained demand across multiple sectors. The week was characterised by particularly strong activity in higher education, financial services, and security leadership roles.

📊 Volume & Mix

65 roles total this week
Permanent: ~44
Interim: ~21

Channel: Agency roles accounted for approximately 70% of the total. Direct hires were concentrated in public sector (North Yorkshire Police/Fire, Bank of England), higher education (Sheffield Hallam University, University of Gloucestershire, Leicester College), arts (Southbank Centre, London Symphony Orchestra), and corporate employers including utilities and manufacturing.

Up from 54 roles in the previous week.

💡 Key Trends This Week

CISO and security leadership were particularly prominent, with CISO roles at BNP Paribas, National Grid, Celeros Flow Technology, and Fractional CISO (FinTech), alongside Head of Information Security, Head of IT Security, Head of Cyber Security, and Programme Director - Cyber Security positions across retail, security technology, and cyber vendor sectors.
Programme Director roles continued as the most frequently recurring title, appearing across ERP (IFS, D365, SAP to Oracle), higher education (Student Record System, general), cyber security, business change, IT nearshoring, and security transformation contexts in both interim and permanent markets.
Higher education showed increased activity compared to prior weeks, with roles including Programme Director - Student Record System, Head of Business Architecture & Analysis, Director of Digital, Head of Cloud Networks and Infrastructure, and Programme Director - Higher Education positions.
Head of Technology and Head of Engineering appeared across diverse sectors including arts (London Symphony Orchestra), food manufacturing (2 Sisters), technology (Edinburgh), retail, and private sector contexts, indicating broad-based demand for operational technology leadership.
Interim activity remained elevated in private equity, financial services, housing associations, and retail, with roles including Interim CTO, Interim Head of Technology & Data, Interim Director of Change Innovation and Transformation, and multiple interim Programme Director positions across Europe and UK.

📅 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.
February 2026 (w/c 09/02): 65 roles; highest volumes since early January; CISO and security leadership prominent; higher education notably active; interim demand sustained.

Role

Type

Employment

Sector

Location

Link

Head of Engineering

Agency

Permanent

Technology

Edinburgh