ITSM Service Manager London

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading news organisations, globally recognised for its authority, integrity and accuracy, with a mission to deliver quality information and services worldwide. At the FT, curiosity thrives and ambitious thinking is rewarded. Here, you’re given the chance to reach millions, create work that matters and deliver impartial journalism in a polarised world. In our warm, collaborative culture, you’ll connect with a diverse community of experts who support your growth, career aspirations and wellbeing. Your future at the FT will be filled with opportunities that challenge and inspire you. With no fixed path, you’ll discover new skills and forge a career that can take you anywhere. Build a newsworthy career at the FT.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We believe in the power of unique perspectives and want all voices in our organisation to be heard, respected and valued. A supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves and operate to their full potential. We are committed to removing barriers for everyone, with a focus on addressing those faced by underrepresented groups.

The Role / Position Overview

IT Service Management (ITSM) sits within Infrastructure and Operations (I&O) and works to identify, challenge and improve the way I&O services are delivered to FT employees. The ITSM Service Manager focuses on removing friction, reducing waste and improving reliability by fixing the underlying service management processes that create unnecessary demand and slow teams down in delivering a great service across the FT. The role exists to make services easier to run, easier to support and easier to use - or to identify requirements for new services - in order to improve overall employee and developer experience. We value pragmatism, data and continuous improvement.

Infrastructure & Operations purpose: “We keep the business running. Our job is to support and deliver fast, reliable, and cost-effective technology - so our FT colleagues can do their best work. We are responsive, we support change, and always aim for high performance. When we’re at our best, the whole business runs better.”

About the role / what you’ll work on

• Reporting to the Infrastructure and Operations Technology Director, the ITSM Service Manager is accountable for driving measurable improvements across existing service management processes.
• This is an individual contributor role. You will spend your time:
• Proactively identifying and addressing inefficient service management processes that drive avoidable demand, operational delays, rework and user dissatisfaction.
• Using data from incidents, requests, changes and problems to pinpoint where processes break down.
• Challenging existing ways of working and removing steps, approvals and handoffs that no longer add value.
• Driving ITSM processes (Incident, Request, Problem, Change, Service Catalogue) and continually reshaping them to reduce demand and improve flow.
• Ensuring processes work and fixing them when teams are forced to work around them.
• Maintaining a prioritised backlog of process improvements, gaining support for and driving those changes through to completion.
• Taking a risk-based and pragmatic approach to reducing repeat incidents by strengthening problem management inputs and ensuring fixes are structural, not temporary.
• Reducing unnecessary requests by improving service definitions, expanding self-service and increasing automation.
• Establishing clear, proportionate service standards that balance risk, efficiency, and business need.
• Driving and steering the governance and strategic direction of ITSM tooling to support efficient, consistent service management practices.
• Ensuring service metrics and reporting highlight trends, friction points and improvement opportunities.
• Providing clear, honest insight on what is working, what is not, and where improvement effort should be focused.
• Operating as part of Infrastructure and Operations, working collaboratively with delivery and operations teams to implement service improvements, while retaining independence from day-to-day operational execution.
• Working collaboratively with Engineering, Product, Cyber Security and operational teams across the FT to embed effective service management practices.

About you

We are looking for someone who demonstrates:

• A solution driven disruptor, service-focused mindset, with a strong bias towards identifying problems and driving meaningful improvement.
• A systems thinking approach, able to assess end-to-end services rather than isolated components.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to influence across teams without direct authority.
• Confidence working with senior stakeholders, balancing pragmatism with appropriate governance.
• The ability to challenge existing ways of working constructively, challenging the status quo and drive change through evidence and data.
• Experience working within Infrastructure and Operations environments, with a solid understanding of how services are delivered and supported.
• An appreciation of end-user services and applications, and how design decisions impact support teams and customer experience.
• Experience working with globally distributed teams.
• Familiarity with lean and agile ways of working, and applying continuous improvement principles in practice.

What will help you succeed

• A pragmatic approach and proven track record with service management, focused on simplifying how work gets done rather than adding process for its own sake.
• The confidence to challenge ineffective or inefficient practices constructively and use data to support change.
• The ability to build trust quickly with Infrastructure and Operations, Service Desk and delivery teams by working collaboratively and transparently.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity, with the discipline to introduce clarity and structure where it adds value.
• A continuous improvement mindset, with the persistence to follow changes through and measure whether they have delivered the intended outcomes.

Accessibility

We are a disability confident employer and Valuable 500 signatory.

Further information

At the FT, we embrace innovation and the use of technology and appreciate that individuals may leverage AI tools as part of their job application process. Whilst we are happy for you to use AI to assist with your application, it is essential that all information provided is authentic and accurately represents your skills, experience, and qualifications. Candidates should be aware that the use of AI throughout the application process may be monitored to ensure a fair and transparent hiring process for all.