Cloud Transformation and Strategy Operations Manager

Overview

In your role you will be part of the Technology Operations Center (TOC) leadership team, ensuring continuous monitoring, rapid incident response, and effective coordination of major incidents. You will also champion IT Service Management (ITSM) practices, driving process improvement and service reliability through Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) frameworks. Additionally, you will act as a key Business Relationship Manager (BRM) for the Columbia Threadneedle UK organisation, serving as a trusted advisor to regional business units and driving strategic alignment between IT capabilities and business needs.

Responsibilities

• Lead ITSM Strategy & Governance (50%)
  • Develop, implement, and maintain an enterprise-wide ITSM strategy aligned with organisational goals.
  • Define and enforce ITIL-based policies, processes, and procedures.
  • Oversee core ITIL functions such as Incident Management, Problem Management, Change Management, Request Fulfillment, and Configuration Management.
  • Establish KPIs and metrics to monitor and report on service performance, availability, and customer satisfaction.
• Business Relationship Management (25%)
  • Serve as the strategic liaison between IT and business units to align technology initiatives with business goals.
  • Build strong relationships with stakeholders, ensuring clear communication and expectation management.
  • Support the delivery of IT services, resolving issues and driving continuous service improvement.
• Technology Operations Center Leader & Major Incident Coordinator (15%)
  • Manage the performance of IT infrastructure services delivered by external vendors, ensuring SLAs are met.
  • Liaison with Business Continuity teams in EMEA and lead Disaster Recovery Exercises in compliance with global standards.
  • Act as the point of escalation for critical issues from business partners, driving prompt and effective resolution.
  • Oversee governance of IT operations, ensuring outsourced services are aligned with enterprise goals and maintaining compliance with regulatory and business standards.
• Team Leadership & Cross-functional Collaboration (10%)
  • Lead a team of operations engineers and analysts, fostering innovation, efficiency, and collaboration.
  • Partner closely with application and product teams across a global 24/7 operations network (India and US), ensuring infrastructure capabilities support evolving business requirements.
  • Guide the team in adopting best practices for infrastructure resilience and security while enabling digital transformation initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field (Masters preferred or equivalent experience).
• Extensive progressive IT experience in service management, operations, or infrastructure support, including proven leadership or managerial roles.
• Proven track record in IT service delivery, ITSM process implementation, and managing major incidents in large-scale enterprise environments.
• ITIL Foundation certification (Intermediate or Expert preferred).
• Experience in business analysis, stakeholder management, and bridging technical and non-technical teams.
• Strong knowledge of ITIL practices, ITSM frameworks, and service management platforms.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Skilled in translating business needs into technical solutions and driving cross-functional collaboration.
• Proficient in data analysis, performance reporting, change management, and continuous improvement.

Desired Skills & Tools

• BRM Institute certification, PMP, CBAP, or other governance frameworks (e.g., COBIT, ISO/IEC 20000).
• Experience with ITSM tools: ServiceNow, BMC Remedy, Jira Service Management, Freshservice.
• Familiarity with CMDB and IT performance monitoring platforms.
• Experience with automation tools and scripting (e.g., Ansible, PowerShell).

About Columbia Threadneedle Investments

Working at Columbia Threadneedle Investments you'll find growth and career opportunities across all of our businesses. We're intentionally built to help you succeed. Our reach is expansive with a global team of 2,500 people working together. Our expertise is diverse with more than 650 investment professionals sharing global perspectives across all major asset classes and markets. Columbia Threadneedle is a people business and we recognise that our success is due to our talented people, who bring diversity of thought, complementary skills and capabilities. We are committed to providing an inclusive workplace that supports the diversity of our employees and reflects our broader communities and client‑base. We appreciate that work‑life balance is an important factor for many when considering their next move so please discuss any flexible working requirements directly with your recruiter.