Job Description:

IT Service Manager

Location: Coventry (Hybrid Working Available)
Salary: £55,000 - £65,000
Job Type: Full-time, Permanent

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced and customer-focused IT Service Manager to take ownership of the performance, governance, and continual improvement of our IT services.

This is a pivotal leadership role responsible for ensuring the delivery of high-quality, business-critical IT services while managing and developing the Service Desk function as the single point of contact for incidents and service requests.

Working closely with senior business and technology stakeholders, you will translate business priorities into measurable service outcomes, drive service excellence, and ensure services remain secure, resilient, compliant, and cost-effective. You'll play a key role in shaping the future of IT service delivery through automation, AI adoption, continual improvement, and strong governance.

IT Service Manager Key Responsibilities



Service Leadership & Governance

• Own the end-to-end performance, governance, and continual improvement of IT services.
• Develop and maintain service management strategies, operating plans, and improvement roadmaps.
• Act as the senior service management lead, ensuring business priorities are translated into effective service outcomes.
• Chair service reviews and governance forums, providing clear updates on performance, risks, financials, and improvement activities.

Service Desk Management

• Lead and develop the Service Desk function, including Service Desk Agents and Service Analysts.
• Ensure consistent processes for incident and service request intake, triage, prioritisation, routing, communication, and fulfilment.
• Set clear objectives, expectations, and performance standards across the team.
• Foster a customer-centric culture focused on service excellence and continuous improvement.

Service Performance & Customer Experience

• Take ownership of service performance, customer satisfaction, resilience, and service value.
• Define, monitor, and report on KPIs, SLAs, customer experience metrics, and operational trends.
• Produce insightful management reports and dashboards to support data-driven decision-making.
• Identify recurring issues and opportunities to improve service quality and efficiency.

Automation, AI & Continuous Improvement

• Champion the responsible use of automation and artificial intelligence within service management processes.
• Drive initiatives that reduce manual effort, improve consistency, accelerate fulfilment times, and enhance customer experience.
• Maintain a prioritised continual improvement portfolio focused on measurable business outcomes.
• Deliver improvements across service quality, resilience, efficiency, and user satisfaction.

Incident, Problem & Change Management

• Lead the response to major incidents and critical service escalations.
• Ensure effective communication, business continuity, service restoration, and stakeholder engagement during major incidents.
• Drive robust problem management practices and post-incident reviews.
• Own service change governance, ensuring an appropriate balance between innovation, service stability, and risk management.
• Ensure new and changed services transition smoothly into operational support.

Supplier & Commercial Management

• Manage strategic supplier relationships and service performance.
• Hold suppliers accountable for contractual obligations, service levels, and improvement commitments.
• Support contract negotiations, renewals, procurement activities, and sourcing decisions.
• Oversee service budgets, forecasts, cost optimisation initiatives, and demand management activities.

Risk, Compliance & Resilience

• Maintain oversight of service risks, controls, operational resilience, and compliance requirements.
• Ensure appropriate governance around cyber security, data protection, backup and recovery, disaster recovery, and audit obligations.
• Support adherence to recognised industry standards and best practices.
• Ensure service acceptance criteria, support models, ownership, documentation, monitoring, and funding are established before services go live.

About You

You will be an accomplished IT Service Management professional with a proven track record of leading business-critical services, driving service excellence, and developing high-performing service teams.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Significant experience managing a portfolio of business-critical IT services.
• Proven leadership experience managing and developing Service Desk teams.
• Strong experience with IT Service Management (ITSM) platforms and service improvement initiatives.
• Demonstrable success delivering automation, AI-enabled service improvements, and operational efficiencies.
• Extensive experience managing service performance, governance, customer experience, risk, and continual improvement programmes.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and present complex service issues in a clear, business-focused manner.
• Experience managing strategic suppliers, service contracts, and commercial relationships.
• Strong financial management skills, including budgeting, forecasting, cost optimisation, and investment planning.
• Experience leading major incident management, service recovery, and problem management activities.
• Excellent understanding of:
  • Incident Management
  • Service Request Fulfilment
  • Problem Management
  • Change Enablement
  • Service Level Management
  • Service Design & Transition
  • Continual Service Improvement
• ITIL Certification is essential.
• Strong understanding of service resilience, operational controls, cyber security, data protection, business continuity, backup and recovery.

Personal Attributes

We are looking for someone who is:

• A visible and credible leader who inspires high standards and accountability.
• Strategic in their thinking, connecting business goals with technology services and customer outcomes.
• An excellent communicator who can engage effectively at all levels of the organisation.
• Calm, decisive, and resilient in high-pressure situations.
• Commercially aware with a strong focus on value, outcomes, and continuous improvement.
• Skilled in stakeholder management, negotiation, and conflict resolution.
• Analytical and data-driven, with the ability to turn complex information into clear actions and recommendations.
• Customer-focused and pragmatic, balancing long-term objectives with operational priorities.
• Adaptable, proactive, and committed to building a mature service management culture.

Compliance & Standards

You will support and promote adherence to:

• ITIL Framework
• ISO 9001 Quality Management
• ISO 27001 Information Security
• Cyber Essentials & Cyber Essentials Plus
• ISO 14001 Environmental Management and ESG Principles

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package, including:

• Competitive Salary
• Company Share Scheme
• Pension Scheme
• Private Medical Insurance
• Medicash Healthcare Cash Plan
• Financial Planning Support
• Death in Service Cover
• Permanent Total Disability Insurance
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Pay
• Company Sick Pay
• Hybrid Working
• Investment in Professional Training and Development
• Professional Membership Support
• Health Checks
• Wellbeing Training and Support
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Annual Flu Vaccinations
• Eyecare Support
• Generous Annual Leave Allowance

Services advertised by Gold Group are those of an Agency and/or an Employment Business.
We will contact you within the next 14 days if you are selected for interview. For a copy of our privacy policy please visit our website.