Service Manager

Role Overview

The Service Manager is responsible for the development, implementation, sustainment, and continuous improvement of IT Service Management (ITSM) processes, as well as establishing, measuring, and reporting on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to services, processes, operations, and delivery.

This is a customer-facing role representing the services provided by Service Management & IT Operations. The Service Manager builds strong relationships and manages expectations to become the trusted IT partner for the business working with key stakeholders across the business and Digital Technology and Innovation to manage and report on services, optimise capacity, maximise throughput within budget constraints, and drive customer satisfaction.

Key Accountabilities

• Responsible for the development, implementation, sustainment, and continuous improvement of ITSM processes; establishes, measures, and reports on KPIs related to services, processes, operations, and delivery.
• Maintains and manages standards for service management and associated processes across IT Operations, Workplace Services, Change Management, and Applications Management & Support.
• Maintains and improves service quality, ensuring IT services meet or exceed service level requirements through continuous review of service performance.
• Manages service level agreements (SLAs), KPIs, and Operational Level Agreements (OLAs) with customers and external service providers. Regularly reviews OLAs (internal) and underpinning agreements (UPCs) (external) to ensure alignment with SLA targets. Produces new SLAs and extensions to existing SLAs, negotiating changes and improvements as required.
• Maintains a catalogue of all available services (Service Catalogue). Liaises with stakeholders to establish the structure of SLAs and ensures operational methods, procedures, and policies are documented, maintained, and reviewed regularly.
• Works with stakeholder and service-user representatives to determine service level requirements, negotiating and agreeing to levels covering quantity (e.g. hours, throughput, consumables) and quality (e.g. availability, reliability, performance, growth capacity, support, contingency, and security).
• Manages external service providers and ensures consumption is validated and aligned to contracted approved consumption. Identifies opportunities to reduce cost of ownership by acting upon contractual levers (e.g. Minimum Guaranteed Baselines). Manages the Service Management annual Capex and Opex budget, contributing to Business Planning processes.
• Reviews tactical and longer-term metrics for service performance outside defined thresholds, executing the problem management process to resolve. Leads problem management in the diagnosis and resolution of service problems, ensuring that agreed service levels are maintained.
• Manages day-to-day Service Request Fulfilment and Service Release & Transition Management processes.
• Supports the Project Manager in Service Transition, ensuring required service acceptance criteria is met and approved ahead of go-live. Contributes to required artefacts (e.g. Service Design Package) and agreement of post go-live aspects (e.g. Open Risks & Issues, OPEX, Defect backlog).
• Implements and improves ITSM processes and tools for internal use and with service providers. Ensures IT policies, procedures, and industry standards are implemented within the Service Management and IT Operations landscape.
• Monitors levels of service performance; ensures detailed metrics and records are kept and analysed; provides accurate and timely reports to stakeholders and providers; initiates appropriate action to resolve issues.
• Works with stakeholders to define future demand requirements for adequate planning and budgeting. Monitors capacity levels of consumed services to ensure no service interruptions.
• Manages service-user expectations and perceptions to optimise user satisfaction. Works with service-users to establish qualitative assessments of service provision and proposes improvements based on metrics and satisfaction surveys.
• Builds long-term strategic relationships with key stakeholders across the aviation group and supply chain.
• In the event of high-priority incidents, acts as a conduit between business stakeholders and IT teams, providing accurate and timely updates on Business Impact and Business Continuity processes while relaying technical updates on issue resolution.
• Ensures annual maintenance windows are agreed with business stakeholders for operating systems security patching, with any exemptions continually reviewed for validity.
• Maintains an up-to-date Risk and Issues register; regularly reviews with both business and IT stakeholders; escalates risks and issues that pose an operational, financial, or safety risk that cannot be effectively treated.
• Ensures audit findings have a defined corrective action plan with clear accountable owners. Maintains an up-to-date position on open audit items and drives suppliers and internal delivery teams to closure without date slippage.
• Identifies a backup Service Delivery Manager for cover during annual leave and sickness, ensuring service continuity through consistent application of processes and tools.
• Performs regular updates on the complete service scope with the Senior Service Manager. Ensures all meetings have a defined agenda with actions recorded and distributed within one business day.

Education & Experience

• 7–10 years of service management and service delivery management experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Systems, or equivalent is a strong advantage.
• Strong knowledge of ITSM tools, reporting, and ITIL processes; ITIL Foundation and further ITIL professional qualifications required.
• Further accreditations in ITIL or equivalent are advantageous.
• SAFe, Agilist with exposure to leading and participating in Agile ceremonies.
• Knowledge of processes and technologies related to service management and awareness of latest trends in service management frameworks, tools, platforms, and services.
• Cloud Data Centre Fundamentals and Application Technologies Fundamentals.
• Security fundamentals relating to IT Service Management (e.g. patching, vulnerabilities, audits).
• Sound understanding of networks, infrastructure, and application technologies and their applicability to services provided.
• Extended knowledge and practical application of Microsoft Applications and Technologies; extended use of MS toolsets.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to interact directly with business representatives without an IT background and explain complex technical solutions and problems in an accessible manner.
• Passion for delivering technology services that drive significant customer satisfaction.