Head of Middleware Platform

Who is HelloKindred? HelloKindred are specialists in staffing marketing, creative and technology roles, offering a range of talent solutions that can be delivered on-site, remotely or hybrid. Our vision is to make work accessible and people’s lives better. We do this by disrupting traditional employment barriers – connecting ambitious talent to flexible opportunities with trusted brands. Anticipated Contract End Date/Length: 6 months contract Work Setup: Hybrid (3 days per week onsite, mandatory) Our client in the Information Technology and Services industry is looking for a Head of Middleware Platform to lead the security, strategy, and performance of middleware capabilities across a complex technology environment. The role will define secure configuration baselines, drive compliance and remediation, and ensure middleware platforms align with business strategy, regulatory expectations, technology advancement, best practices, and evolving threats. Work closely with technical subject matter experts, Enterprise and Security Architecture, Control Owners, Service Owners, Technology and Platform Owners, delivery partners, and wider stakeholders to maintain secure and effective middleware capabilities, prioritise investment and improvements, and support technology and service uplift. What you will do: Define secure configuration baselines for middleware software, including IBM WebSphere Application Server, IBM WebSphere Message Queue, IBM WebSphere Portal, IBM HTTP Server, Apache HTTP Server, Apache Tomcat, Oracle WebLogic Server, nginx Web Server, and node.js JavaScript Web Server. Collaborate with middleware technical subject matter experts to agree secure configuration baselines. Define, develop, and implement compliance checks for configuration scans with middleware technical subject matter experts. Provide remediation guidance to IT Service Owners based on compliance findings. Work with the Configuration Baseline Management team to ensure configuration compliance data is received and appropriately managed. Engage stakeholders across the organisation to understand security needs, expectations, and priorities. Define and maintain the middleware capability strategy with support from Enterprise Architecture, Security Architecture, and Control Owners. Align capability strategy with business objectives, regulator expectations, technology and practice advancement, best practices, and evolving threat actors. Ensure successful delivery through delivery partners in alignment with supporting functions. Maintain and prioritise the capability backlog based on objectives and value released, identifying priorities for delivery teams. Support backlog prioritisation across supporting technology and operations/service teams. Evaluate and adopt new technologies and practices that may impact capability requirements or the control environment. Monitor and communicate capability performance through agreed indicators and metrics. Oversee Control Owner activity from a technical perspective, including accurate assessment of control defect severity. Partner with Service Owners to understand service performance, exceptions, customer feedback, and service uplift roadmaps. Collaborate with Technology and Platform Owners to understand IT service performance, significant defects, technology health, customer feedback, and technology uplift roadmaps. Support the resolution of technical debt and other technology health priorities. Lead and empower the technical team, promoting effective delegation and ownership. Translate complex technical and security requirements into clear business-focused recommendations for stakeholders. Drive continual improvement across middleware security, capability performance, service delivery, and technology practices. Minimum 5 years of in-depth experience working with multiple middleware technologies, including IBM WebSphere Application Server, IBM WebSphere Message Queue, IBM WebSphere Portal, IBM HTTP Server, Apache HTTP Server, Apache Tomcat, Oracle WebLogic Server, nginx Web Server, and/or node.js JavaScript Web Server. Proven experience in middleware platform security and secure configuration management. At least 2 years of experience leading a technical team, with the ability to delegate, empower, and develop team members. Strong understanding of and practical experience with Center for Internet Security (CIS) benchmarks. Strong stakeholder management skills, with a proven ability to understand and meet the needs of multiple stakeholder groups. Excellent communication skills, including the ability to translate complex technical concepts into business-friendly language. A customer-centric consultancy approach with the ability to provide practical, solutions-focused guidance. Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, particularly when addressing complex technical and security issues. Resilience and adaptability when responding to changing situations, priorities, technology, and threat landscapes. Experience working collaboratively with technical subject matter experts, architecture functions, control owners, service owners, and platform owners. Ability to assess technical risks, control defects, service performance, and technology health to support informed decision-making. Experience managing capability backlogs, priorities, roadmaps, and continuous improvement initiatives is advantageous. CISSP certification or a similar professional security certification is desirable. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines. Candidates must be legally authorized to live and work in the country where the position is based, without requiring employer sponsorship. HelloKindred is committed to fair, transparent, and inclusive hiring practices. We assess candidates based on skills, experience, and role-related requirements. We appreciate your interest in this opportunity. While we review every application carefully, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. HelloKindred is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.