IT Production and Operations Manager in Cardiff

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join a well-established and highly respected financial services organisation that is committed to delivering exceptional customer service through reliable, secure and innovative technology operations. The organisation fosters a collaborative and inclusive working environment where employee wellbeing, professional development and continuous improvement are at the heart of its culture.

This role is hybrid, 8 days per month, based in central Cardiff.

As IT Production Operations Manager, you will take ownership of the production environment, ensuring critical systems, platforms and workloads operate reliably, securely and efficiently. Reporting to the IT Service Operations Manager, you will play a key leadership role within the Service Operations function, overseeing production operations, enterprise scheduling, production control and operational automation. You will be responsible for ensuring operational readiness across supported services while providing leadership during incidents and major incidents to support effective service recovery.

You will drive continual service improvement by identifying root causes of recurring issues, implementing robust operational controls and enhancing production resilience. Working closely with technology teams and third-party suppliers, you will manage production risks, dependencies and service restoration activities whilst ensuring governance standards are maintained. The role will also focus on developing automation capabilities to improve operational efficiency, reduce manual effort and increase service stability. In addition, you will lead, coach and develop a high-performing team, creating a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.

To be successful in this role, you will have significant experience leading IT operations or production support teams within a complex technology environment. You will possess strong knowledge of production operations, enterprise scheduling, batch processing and operational service management. We are looking for someone who has managed infrastructure and mainframe engineers, (ideally you’ll be familiar with Unisys, but any mainframe experience would be considered).

You will be confident operating in incident and major incident environments, with the ability to make informed decisions under pressure and coordinate technical recovery activities. Experience of driving automation initiatives and improving operational resilience, recovery procedures and service continuity practices will be highly beneficial. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills are essential, together with the ability to utilise operational data and performance metrics to drive improvements. You will be an effective communicator who can build strong relationships with internal stakeholders, technical teams and external suppliers. Experience working within a regulated environment would be advantageous.

You will be a proactive and collaborative leader who can motivate and develop teams, remain calm in demanding situations and continually seek opportunities to improve processes and operational performance.

Salary up to £75,000 (depending on experience), flexible working (8 days a month on site in central Cardiff), 36 days annual leave (including BH), excellent maternity (39 weeks fully paid maternity leave) and paternity leave (20 week paternity leave), as well as fertility treatment, adoption, surrogacy and fostering leave and flexibility for carers. Private Medical, 4x Life Assurance, plus other employee discount schemes.

In return, you will join a forward-thinking organisation that invests in its people and technology. You will benefit from flexible hybrid working, a supportive and inclusive culture, excellent opportunities for professional development and the chance to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of IT operations within a large and complex environment.

If you’re interested in this opportunity, click 'apply now' to submit your up-to-date CV, or contact us for a confidential discussion about your career.