Market Update: Tech & Change Hot Roles – WC 15.09.25

This week remains buoyant but more balanced after last week’s record volume. Permanent briefs continue to dominate, with a wide mix of C-suite roles, IT Directors, data leadership, and functional heads. Interim activity is thinner in volume but still present in programme leadership, cyber, and IT management.

Volume & Mix

• 36 roles this week – down from 57 last week, but still comfortably above the mid-August dip (20–24).

• Permanent leads (26 roles, ~72%) – spanning CIO/CDO/CTO, IT Directors, Heads of Data, Engineering, Change, Cyber, and multiple sector-specific directors.

• Interim quieter (10 roles, ~28%) – focused on programme directors, CIO/IT Directors, and cyber.

• Agency remains dominant, but notable direct hires include CIO (Paradigm), CDIO (HM Treasury), Oracle Programme Director (Arriva), IT Director (Nesta), Platform Director (Royal Mail), and RSPB hires.

Key Trends This Week

1. CIO/CDIO/CTO prominence sustained

   • CIOs at Paradigm Housing and agency CIO briefs.

   • CDIO at HM Treasury – a major government role.

   • CTOs across SaaS PE, retail, start-up, Manchester, Leeds, and an interim London CTO.

   • Shows board-level leadership is still a strong demand signal.

2. Programme leadership steady but not dominant

   • Mix of interim and perm: Oracle Programme Director (Arriva), Salesforce/ERP IT Programme Director, Workday Programme Director, interim Programme Directors in PE/Telco.

   • More sector-specific than the broad surge seen in late August.

3. Data leadership continues to diversify

   • Heads of Data (North West NFP, Northampton, trade), Director of Data (RSPB), Head of Data Science (marketplace).

   • Blend of perm roles across charity, NFP, trade, and scale-ups.

4. Sector spread broadening

   • Strong NFP presence (RSPB, Nesta, Paradigm, British Red Cross last week).

   • Government/public sector still active (HM Treasury, Royal Mail, HMRC last week).

   • Private sector strong in FinTech, SaaS, retail, food manufacturing, insurance, AV, and consulting.

5. Functional head variety

   • Heads of Projects, Product, Software Engineering, Technology, Change, Cyber.

   • Balanced spread, showing organisations are still investing in mid-to-senior leadership layers.

Week-on-Week Comparison

• Volume down (36 vs 57) – easing off from last week’s record-breaking peak.

• Permanent still dominates (~72%), interim stable at ~10 roles.

• C-suite roles strong again – but the surge is broader across CIO/CDO/CTO, not just CIO/CDIO.

• Programme leadership fewer than last week – but still visible, especially in ERP/Workday/Oracle contexts.

• Data leadership steady, with more diversity of sectors.

• Direct hires still feature strongly – continuing the trend of late August/early September.

Month-on-Month Trend

• Mid-August: Market dipped (20–24 roles), functional heads broadened.

• End August: Surge (52 roles), programme & data leadership strong.

• Early September: Peak volume (57), with heavy C-suite + functional head clusters.

• This week (w/c 15/9): Normalisation at 36, with sustained permanent dominance, steady interim, and healthy C-suite/data presence.

• Overall: The market has held momentum into September, even with fewer roles than last week, showing strong demand across both public and private sectors.