Head of IT Service Management

Job description

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.
Qualifications
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 operating within large-scale outsourced or enterprise Managed Services environments.
Essential Qualification:
• ITIL 4 (or above) Managing Professional (MP), ITIL Expert or equivalent advanced IT Service Management qualification.
• Equivalent demonstrable experience operating at a senior Service Management leadership level may be considered where supported by significant practical achievement.
• Proven experience applying ITIL practices across Service Desk, Incident, Major Incident, Problem, Change and Continual Service Improvement disciplines.
Desirable:
• ITIL 4 (or above) Strategic Leader (SL) certification.
• Leadership or management qualification such as ILM, CMI or equivalent.
• Lean, Six Sigma or Service Improvement certification.
Additional Information
Additional Role Requirements:
• Occasional travel to customer and company locations may be required.
• Participation in major service incidents or escalations outside normal business hours may be required.
• Ability to successfully attain and maintain Security Check (SC) and Non-Police Personnel Vetting Level 3 (NPPV3) clearance.
• Successful completion of any role-relevant background screening or security clearance may be required for specific customer assignments
At Telefónica Tech, we believe inclusion is the bridge that empowers everyone to be their authentic selves.  We celebrate and respect our differences because diversity drives innovation and makes us stronger.
Be yourself with us, and feel that you belong.
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and identities regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
We are also committed to equity, accessible hiring practices, and creating an inclusive culture through many means including TogetHer (Women's network) and our Employee Resource Groups which include Diversity and Inclusion, Telefónica Tech Pride, Neurodiversity, ELEVATE (African and Caribbean heritage network), and Sustainability.
We don’t believe hiring is a tick box exercise, so if you feel that you don’t match the job description 100%, but would still be a great fit for role, please get in touch.
About the Company
Telefónica Tech (part of the Telefónica Group) is a leading NextGen Tech solutions provider with a highly diversified team of over 6,000 exceptionally skilled employees and +60 nationalities. At Telefónica Tech we believe that technology can do great things: from extracting all the value of data to make the best business decisions, to ensuring the resilience of every organisation to build a more sustainable future. We serve more than 5.5m customers every day in over 175 countries, with a global ecosystem of market-leading partners. We are a global business with local strategic hubs in Spain, Brazil, the UK, and Germany.
In the UK and Ireland, Telefónica Tech UK&I has over 1,000 professionals helping leading brands and organisations across public sector, financial services and insurance, retail and manufacturing and commercial markets to unlock the power of integrated technology for all. We bring together in one place a unique combination of the best people, with the best tech and the best platforms. All in a simplified manner, to make a real difference to every business, every day. The Telefónica Tech UK&I hub has an end- to-end portfolio of market leading services and develops integrated technology solutions to accelerate digital transformation through: Cloud, Data & AI (Adatis), Enterprise Applications (Incremental), Workplace Services and Cyber Security & Networking.
We live by our values by being open, trusted and bold.   Open to new ideas and ways of doing things. Trusted by our employees, customers and partners. Bold in our decisions and actions.
A few of our Partners & Accreditations:
• One of Microsoft UK&I’s top 3 Service Providers having achieved their most highly acclaimed Azure Expert status for the last 3 years.  Also recognised as a key Fastrack and Inner Circle Partner working closely across and with Microsoft globally.
• HPE Platinum Partner and pleased to have received the HPE FY23 UK&I Solution Provider of the Year award.
• Part of the Fortinet elite VIP program and one of only 2 Ultimate Partners in the UK.
• AWS Advanced Solution provider program and Managed Service Provider program.