IT Service Transition Lead

Job Introduction
We are currently recruiting for a IT Service Transition Lead who will have overall responsibility for IT service design and the transition of new and changed services into the live production environment. Success in this position will entail ensuring that the end to end IT support model for new services is fully defined, and services are transitioned efficiently, effectively, and with mínimal disruption to the business.

The Service Transition Lead will report to the Head of IT Service Management and will work closely with the Transformation Office, project teams, BRM’s, external delivery partners and business stakeholders to ensure that IT services are transitioned in accordance with best practice methodology and company standards.

This is a hybrid role working from home and our Wakefield office, great links to the MI and free onsite parking.

Main Responsibilities
- Define the end to end IT support model / service design for new proposed solutions and IT services including consideration for third party support, additional resources, support tools, financials etc
- Ensure that the service impact of every element of the life cycle of developmental change is considered, from the time a project is confirmed to its eventual deployment.
- Collaborate with project teams, third parties and business stakeholders to ensure that new and changed services are designed, built, tested, and documented in accordance with service transition requirements.
- Develop and maintain service transition plans and metrics, reporting progress against key milestones.
- Leading the service transition process, ensuring that all new and changed services are transitioned into the production environment in a controlled and coordinated manner in accordance with project timelines, company policies, standards, and best practices, e.g. ITIL.
- Manage risks and issues related to service transition, escalating as appropriate.
- Co-ordinate the delivery of transition tasks through the matrix management of delivery and operations support resources (both internal and external)
- Act as a bridge between project teams and operational support teams ensuring service transition progress is clearly communicated, service support requirements are signed off and early life support arrangements are clear.
- Work with external partners to define scope of support to be delivered outside of the Card Factory IT team and work with Vendor Management and Legal Teams to agree commercial arrangements and on boarding processes prior to service transition.
- Engage, develop and maintain positive working relationships with key stakeholders across the business.
- Demonstrable experience in a similar Service Transition role with experience working in an ITIL environment
- Well-developed presentation and influencing skills. Capable of making the case for and achieving effective service transition deliverables in project environments where delivery timescales may be inflexible
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills; including ability to communicate with both a technical and non-technical audience, at all levels of organisation
- Ability to work autonomously and be self-driven, with a strong ownership mind-set.
- Motivated and enthusiastic individual with a positive ‘can do’ attitude.
- High degree of professionalism, with excellent customer relationship / stakeholder management skills
- Good leadership skills with demonstrable experience of motivating others to get results, especially in a matrix management environment
- ITIL qualification to a practitioner level or equivalent methodology experience
- Demonstrable experience of successfully planning and transitioning new IT services into live operation, preferably in a retail environment
- Flexibility required to provide support outside of core business hours to assist in project cutover or early life support.
- Exposure to a high-volume retail environment is preferred, but not essential
- Sufficient technical background to understand the different architectures of the core systems, and to understand the impact of new technologies;
- Proven track record of successfully managing their own work and that of others where required, including the ability to plan, prioritise and organise work to meet tight deadlines
- Proven track record of working independently and showing persistence, while fostering good working relationships across teams.

About The Company
CardFactory is the UK’s leading specialist retailer of greetings cards, dressings, and gifts with over one thousand stores across the UK and Ireland. In 2020 we launched our exciting 5-year business strategy including our vision of becoming a true Omni-channel retailer. This strategy sees significant investment into our colleagues across the business creating multiple opportunities to join a fast-paced environment and be part of our exciting journey.
- cardfactory_ have just have been ranked as the **UK's 3rd Best Big Company to Wo