Market Update: Tech & Change Hot Roles (w/c 26/01)

The final week of January saw a modest uptick in hiring activity, with volumes rising compared to the previous week. The permanent-to-interim balance shifted back toward permanent roles, which accounted for the majority of positions. Public sector hiring was more visible this week, particularly in healthcare and local government, alongside sustained activity in charities, housing associations, and retail.

📊 Volume & Mix

57 roles total this week
Permanent: ~42
Interim: ~15

Channel: Agency roles accounted for approximately 70% of the total. Direct hires were concentrated in public sector (NHS, National Crime Agency, Islington Council), charities (Save the Children, Medical Aid for Palestinians), housing associations, and corporate employers including utilities and transport bodies.

Up from 37 roles in the previous week.

💡 Key Trends This Week

Head of Digital roles were the most prominent this week, with multiple Head of Digital, Head of Digital Product, Head of Digital and Ecommerce, and Director of Digital positions across retail, fashion, education, and private sector contexts.
Public sector and healthcare showed increased activity, including Chief Data Officer (National Crime Agency), multiple NHS Programme Manager roles (Service Delivery, PMO Services, Transformation Services), Head of Cyber Security (Islington Council), and Platform Engineering Director (British Business Bank).
Housing associations and charities remained active, with roles including Director of People, Technology & Transformation (Coastline Housing), Head of Business Design and Architecture (L&Q), Director of IT Operations (Shaw Trust), and Head of Service Operations (Save the Children).
Private equity-backed roles continued in both permanent and interim capacity, with Group CIO, CDO/Data Director, and Interim Technology Advisor positions across UK, Europe, and international locations.
Service delivery and operations leadership was notable, with Head of Service Operations, Head of IT Service Management, Director of Service Operations, and Director of PMO Delivery roles appearing across transport, charity, technology, and private sectors.

📅 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.

Role

Type

Employment

Sector

Location

Link

Head of Information & Cyber Security

The Law Society

Permanent

Legal