Head of IT Service Management

Purpose of the role:

Reporting directly to the Director of Managed Services, The Head of Service Management is responsible for the leadership, governance, performance and continual improvement of all IT Service Management (ITSM) functions within the Shared Managed Services business. The role provides strategic and operational leadership across the Service Desk, Major Incident Management, Problem Management, Change Management, Service Governance and Service Reporting functions. Working closely with customers, operational teams and senior stakeholders, the role ensures service excellence, operational efficiency, strong governance and continual enhancement of customer outcomes.
Culture, Values and Behaviours
-
Putting customers first and maintaining a strong focus on service outcomes.

-
Giving their best through visible leadership, accountability and high professional standards.

-
Challenging limits by using innovation, automation and continual improvement to strengthen service performance.

-
Rising together by collaborating across teams, communicating clearly and helping others succeed.

-
Taking ownership of outcomes and demonstrating resilience during service-critical situations.

-
Continuously learning and encouraging the development of others.

Key Responsibilities/Deliverables/Behaviours
-
Lead and develop the Service Desk and Service Management teams, creating a high-performing and customer-focused culture.

-
Own ITSM governance across the Shared Managed Service business, ensuring alignment with ITIL best practices and organisational standards.

-
Oversee Incident, Major Incident, Problem and Change Management functions, ensuring effective control and continuous service performance.

-
Drive SLA achievement, customer satisfaction, service availability and operational excellence across all managed service contracts.

-
Act as the senior escalation point for critical incidents and significant service issues.

-
Lead automation, efficiency and continual service improvement initiatives that enhance service maturity and reduce operational risk.

-
Build and maintain trusted relationships with customers, suppliers and senior stakeholders, balancing customer, operational and commercial priorities.

Success Measures
-
A highly successful Head of Service Management will have:

-
Consistently achieved contractual SLA and KPI commitments.

-
Improved customer satisfaction (CSAT) and overall service perception.

-
Increased service availability and first contact resolution rates.

-
Improved major incident recovery performance and reduced business impact.

-
Maintained a high change success rate while effectively managing service risk.

Knowledge/Skills/Experience:
Essential Skills:
-
Significant leadership experience gained within an IT Managed Services environment.

-
Proven track record leading Service Desk, Incident, Major Incident, Problem and Change Management functions.

-
Experience managing multi-customer managed service contracts and delivering against agreed SLAs and KPIs.

-
Experience driving ITSM governance, service improvement and operational excellence.

-
Strong hands-on experience with enterprise ITSM platforms, including ServiceNow.

-
Expert knowledge of ITIL-based Service Management practices, governance frameworks and continual service improvement methodologies, with proven experience applying these within a complex Managed Services environment.

-
Excellent stakeholder management, communication and leadership skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead high-performing operational teams.

-
Strong analytical and decision-making capability with sound commercial awareness.

Desirable Skills:
-
Experience leading automation, transformation or service modernisation programmes.

-
Experience delivering executive governance reporting to customers and senior leadership.

-
Experience operati