Programme Lead – IT Service Improvement in London

Hybrid, London - City

Full time, 24 Month FTC

Salary: Circa £96,000

Directorate Mission: To deliver outstanding services to members, customers, and the sector at large, by taking a modern, customer-centric approach to innovative technology that delivers an exceptional customer & member experience; harnessing the power of data to identify meaningful insights that deliver value for the Institute and our members; and implementing impactful programmes of work that drive sustainable value, operational excellence, and meaningful outcomes for our stakeholders.

Job Purpose: Reporting to the Director of IT Services, the Project Lead – IT Service Improvement will lead a portfolio of initiatives to enhance IT Services in line with CII’s Business Solutions strategy. Key focus areas include:

• Embedding ITIL 4 principles within the IT Service Management (ITSM) framework
• Developing and implementing IT Disaster Recovery (ITDR) capabilities
• Driving a structured cybersecurity improvement programme
• Rationalising suppliers and standardising operating procedures

The role will also assess the current IT Services operating model and recommend a future-fit Target Operating Model. This is a hands-on leadership role requiring strong delivery capability, stakeholder engagement, governance oversight, and the ability to translate strategy into measurable outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

• ITIL 4 Implementation
  • Lead adoption of ITIL 4 practices across incident, change, problem, request, and knowledge management
  • Establish governance, KPIs, dashboards, and continual improvement frameworks
  • Align IT Services with business strategy and objectives
  • Drive a culture of self-service, collaboration, and continuous improvement
  • Assess ITIL maturity and deliver improvement roadmaps
• ITSM Enhancement
  • Embed a customer-centric approach across ITSM processes
  • Assess and optimise ITSM tools (e.g. ServiceNow, SharePoint)
  • Improve service desk operations, workflows, automation, and knowledge management
  • Enhance service catalogue, request fulfilment, and self-service capabilities
  • Strengthen reporting through improved dashboards and automation
  • Align ITSM tooling with enterprise architecture and digital strategy
• IT Disaster Recovery Planning
  • Review and enhance ITDR plans in line with CII’s business continuity strategy
  • Define RTO/RPO through Business Impact Analysis
  • Develop & deliver a roadmap to improve ITDR maturity
  • Coordinate recovery architecture across cloud, infrastructure, and applications
  • Lead testing, simulations, and validation exercises
  • Establish governance, documentation, and continuous improvement processes
  • Standardise vendor procedures, including management of “shadow IT”
• Cybersecurity Improvement Programme
  • Assess cybersecurity maturity against frameworks (e.g. ISO 27001)
  • Lead a programme to strengthen security towards Zero Trust and secure-by-design principles
  • Align ITSM processes with security and risk frameworks
  • Deliver improvements across policies, controls, tooling, and monitoring
  • Define KPIs to track risk reduction and compliance
  • Ensure alignment with ITDR and business continuity
  • Enhance vulnerability, patching, and incident response processes
  • Promote organisation-wide security awareness
• Programme Leadership & Governance
  • Develop and manage an integrated programme roadmap (scope, milestones, risks, dependencies, budget)
  • Establish governance structures, reporting, and decision-making frameworks
  • Provide updates to executive leadership and boards
  • Ensure alignment with strategy, risk appetite, and regulatory requirements
  • Maintain documentation for audit and compliance
  • Oversee change governance (CAB, TDA) and post-implementation reviews
  • Coordinate delivery across internal teams and third-party vendors
  • Operate using Agile/DSDM principles
• Stakeholder Management
  • Develop and execute stakeholder engagement and communication plans
  • Build strong relationships with senior leaders and cross-functional teams
  • Translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences
  • Facilitate workshops, steering groups, and decision forums
  • Manage competing priorities and drive alignment
  • Lead change adoption through communication, training, and engagement

Skills & Experience

• Essential
  • Proven experience delivering complex IT transformation or improvement programmes
  • Strong knowledge of ITIL 4 and ITSM best practices
  • Experience with IT Disaster Recovery planning and testing
  • Experience leading cybersecurity improvement initiatives
  • Strong knowledge of Microsoft ecosystem (Azure, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, M365)
  • Experience leading cross-functional teams in matrix environments
  • Strong stakeholder management and communication skills
  • Strategic thinker with a hands-on delivery focus
  • Highly organised, proactive, and outcome-driven
• Desirable
  • ITIL 4 certification (Managing Professional or equivalent)
  • Project management certification (PRINCE2, PMP, Agile)
  • Knowledge of ISO 27001, ISO 22301
  • Experience in regulated environments
  • Understanding of UK GDPR, accessibility, and digital inclusion

Success Measures

• Successful embedding of ITIL 4 with measurable service improvements
• Fully tested and operational ITDR capability
• Improved cybersecurity maturity and risk posture
• Delivery within scope, time, and budget
• Positive stakeholder feedback and improved service performance

Application deadline: We will review applications on a rolling basis, and the position will close once we have secured a shortlist.

Next steps: If you would like to explore this opportunity with us for the next step in your career, we look forward to receiving your application through the Apply feature at the top of this advert.

If you have any queries or you would like to see the full JD, please get in touch on ukjobs@cii.co.uk.

We are an inclusive employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know. We are committed to ensuring all candidates have equal access and opportunity, in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Please note: At the CII, we work with a carefully selected Preferred Supplier List (PSL) for recruitment. We do not accept speculative CVs and kindly request that agency recruiters do not contact our managers directly, to ensure a consistent and properly coordinated recruitment process.

If you are interested in working with us in the future, please contact ukjobs@cii.co.uk. We review our PSL at set intervals and are happy to retain details for consideration when opportunities arise. Agencies who do not follow this process will be excluded from any future opportunities to work with us, including PSL reviews.

The Institute The overarching purpose of the Chartered Insurance Institute (‘the Institute’) is to educate and support our members to deliver services to the highest professional standards and to advocate for the public good. By doing this the Institute builds and maintains public trust in the insurance, financial planning, and mortgage advice professions. Our vision is that CII and PFS professionals build a world which delivers ever greater financial resilience for individuals and societies more broadly.

The Benefits

• Healthcare cash plan
• Modern office located in 30 Old Broad St (Tower 42 Estate)
• Life assurance