Head of Faculty IT

Nicholas Mullis, UCL Institute of Education

My role is the Head of Faculty IT in the IT for UCL Institute of Education (UCL IOE) team within Information Services Division and have been in this role for a little over 2 years now.  I am based within the Institute of Education at 20 Bedford Way.
 

The team operates under the Local but Central model (LbC) which retains knowledgeable locally responsive faculty-based IT teams, coupled with centralised provision of services (often referred to as 'commodity' or 'utility IT').

I started my career at UCL in 2007 as an IT co-ordinator within a small IT team that supported the Cancer Institute and Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Sciences (WIBR). At the time we were a local IT team with our own IT infrastructure and managed two data centres.  

After several years of gaining valuable skillsets and being a senior member of the IT team, an opportunity in 2013 arose to become IT Manager for Medical Sciences in the Bloomsbury campus within the UCL School of Life and Medical Sciences (SLMS). Managing a team was a different experience and one that I enjoyed, it required me to build on my people and communication skills to effectively support colleagues which is fundamental to being a manager.

In 2017 I had the opportunity to carry out a Secondment as Head of Faculty IT for the IOE, this again was a new challenge which required a change in mind-set with a focus on strategic thinking and less on technical experience. In 2018 I took on the role permanently and enjoy the challenge and opportunities that it brings.  

My advice is to get involved in projects and working groups, join in opportunities that arise as they open up avenues for you. Get networking with colleagues as it’s a great way to shares knowledge and bring groups closer. Apply for secondments that would help you develop skills which can support your career pathway.