We are looking for an experienced AIS Lead / Service Transition Lead to support and manage the successful transition of new services, deployments, and major changes into a stable Business-as-Usual (BAU) environment.
The role will work closely with Project, Service Support, Business, Architecture, and Operational Service Support teams to ensure that solutions are fit for purpose, recoverable, maintainable, and meet all agreed Service Acceptance Criteria (SAC) and mandatory exit requirements before Go-Live.
The ideal candidate should have strong experience in IT Service Transition, Service Acceptance, Go-Live readiness, operational readiness, ITIL processes, and stakeholder management , with the ability to drive transition activities across multiple teams.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and facilitate Service Transition activities from project initiation through successful transition into BAU.
- Review projects against Mandatory Exit Criteria and drive closure of all transition requirements.
- Ensure solutions are operationally supportable, recoverable, maintainable, and fit for purpose before Go-Live.
- Review and validate Service Acceptance Criteria (SAC) and ensure all agreed criteria are completed before transition.
- Coordinate with Project, Support, Business, Architecture, and Operational Service Support teams to ensure transition readiness.
- Define and coordinate service acceptance requirements , ensuring sufficient time is available for review and closure.
- Review and validate NFR (Non-Functional Requirements) and FR (Functional Requirements) templates in collaboration with relevant teams.
- Ensure transition deliverables are completed and accepted before services move into the operational environment.
- Facilitate Service Rehearsals , including remediation and closure of failed workflows or identified gaps.
- Support the creation and publishing of Service Removal Plans .
- Facilitate appropriate warranty support arrangements between the Project/Transition team and Operational Service Support teams.
- Ensure appropriate configuration and readiness of supporting tools such as: ServiceNow, Monitoring tools, Backup enablement, CMDB population
- Ensure Commercial Agreements, Work Orders (WOs), and Change Control Notices (CCNs) follow the approved process, with deviations/exceptions appropriately documented and approved.
- Ensure agreed baseline SACs are completed, evidenced, and formally accepted by the relevant stakeholders.
- Support the transition of services into BAU operations after successful Go-Live.
- Work with the Service Support Manager and process owners to identify process issues and improve the overall service transition process.
- Facilitate process reviews and drive improvements to transition activities and associated deliverables.
- Identify transition risks, dependencies, gaps, and exceptions and ensure appropriate remediation plans are in place.
- Ensure all service acceptance activities are completed and signed off prior to Go-Live.
- Work collaboratively with Architecture and Operations teams to ensure services are reliable, supportable, and production-ready .
Required Skills
- Strong experience in IT Service Transition / Service Management .
- Experience working as a Service Transition Lead, AIS Lead, Transition Manager, or IT Service Management Lead .
- Strong knowledge of ITIL / IT Service Management processes .
- Experience managing end-to-end service transition and Go-Live readiness .
- Hands-on experience with Service Acceptance Criteria (SAC) and operational acceptance.
- Experience with Mandatory Exit Criteria and transition governance.
- Strong understanding of BAU handover and operational readiness .
- Experience coordinating with Project, Business, Support, Architecture, and Operations teams .
- Strong experience in stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration .
- Experience conducting service rehearsals / operational readiness assessments .
- Knowledge of NFR/FR requirements and transition deliverables .
- Experience with ServiceNow , preferably including CMDB-related activities.
- Understanding of monitoring, backup, support model, warranty support, and service management requirements .
- Strong risk, issue, dependency, and exception management skills.
- Excellent communication, coordination, documentation, and presentation skills.
Good to Have
- ITIL certification .
- Experience in large-scale enterprise service transitions .
- Experience working in managed services / IT infrastructure / application services environments.
- Knowledge of Change Management, Incident Management, Problem Management and Configuration Management .
- Experience with ServiceNow, CMDB, monitoring and operational support tools .
- Experience handling commercial agreements, WOs and CCNs .
- Experience in cloud / infrastructure / application deployment transitions .
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AIS Lead in London employer: Cognizant
Cognizant is an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture, making it an ideal place for professionals seeking to excel in their careers. With a strong emphasis on employee growth and development, you will have access to mentorship opportunities and the chance to lead transformative projects in a dynamic environment. Located in a vibrant area, Cognizant offers unique advantages such as a diverse team and a commitment to work-life balance, ensuring that your contributions are both meaningful and rewarding.
