Head of Service Management

Role Purpose
The Head of Service Management is responsible for managing the delivery and governance of technology services through industry-standard frameworks such as ITIL and Agile. This role oversees strategic outsourced service providers, ensuring high-quality service performance, process adherence, and continuous improvement. The position plays a key role in process ownership, quality assurance, vendor oversight, and cross-team collaboration to enable effective service delivery and change across the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Vendor & Service Provider Oversight, own relationships with key managed service providers, delivering critical vendor oversight and ensuring adherence to ITIL processes.
• Oversee service providers operating under ITIL, Agile, and similar frameworks on behalf of the Technology & Data function.
• Ensure providers deliver services consistently, to contractual and regulatory standards.
• Process Ownership & Governance,own and govern key service processes, including defining design, managing changes, overseeing implementation, and driving continuous improvement.
• Conduct regular audit and verification activities to ensure compliance, quality performance, and evidence collection for client and regulatory requirements.
• Act as the main facilitator between service providers and internal teams, helping resolve conflicts and ensuring smooth process execution.
• Incident & Escalation Management, serve as the primary escalation point for critical service processes such as Incident Management.
• Manage a 24/7 escalation rota across incident managers and senior technology leaders.
• Performance Reporting & Continuous Improvement, report on service performance metrics, SLAs, and KPIs, identifying trends and implementing improvement actions where required.
• Develop and execute process improvement plans informed by operational feedback and industry best practice.
• Benchmark service delivery performance against industry standards to ensure competitive and efficient operations.
• Service Catalogue & Cross-Team Collaboration, develop and maintain a comprehensive, accessible service catalogue outlining all available technology services.
• Foster collaboration across Technology & Data teams to ensure end-to-end service delivery and resolution of cross-functional issues.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders to enhance service satisfaction and promote transparency.
• Risk Management, develop and implement strategies for identifying, managing, and mitigating risks related to technology service delivery.
• Ensure continuity, reliability, and resilience across all managed services.
• Lead and develop a high-performing team, setting goals, providing direction, and supporting professional growth.
• Encourage a culture of accountability, improvement, and service excellence.

Experience & Expertise

• Extensive experience in technology service delivery within large, global, and complex organisations.
• Demonstrated expertise managing large-scale outsourced vendors across multiple technology domains.
• Qualified in ITIL with in-depth understanding of process design, implementation, and execution.
• Proven experience managing the full service delivery lifecycle, including scoping, planning, budgeting, and forecasting.
• Strong background in developing and maintaining technology service catalogues.
• Demonstrable experience delivering process improvements informed by operational insights and best practice benchmarking.
• Experience managing risk and ensuring service continuity across critical technology functions.

Skills & Attributes

• Effective leader capable of managing specialist teams, motivating individuals, and driving high performance.
• Excellent communicator able to provide clear, concise updates and guidance to stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong relationship-building skills, with the ability to collaborate across departments and maintain stakeholder satisfaction.
• Analytical and detail-oriented, with the ability to evaluate service performance and identify improvement opportunities.
• Sound judgement in assessing operational risks and applying appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Commitment to inclusivity, team development, and supporting the growth of others.