Head of Service Management in London

About the Project

Transport for London (TfL) has awarded Indra a long‑term contract to operate, develop, enhance and expand ticketing and access control systems across London’s transport network through to 2034, with extension options to 2039. This programme covers the maintenance, operation and evolution of a large‑scale, complex ecosystem, including turnstiles, validators, ticket machines, sales terminals, back‑office systems, payment gateways, IT infrastructure and cybersecurity that supports over 8.6 million daily journeys. Indra will become TfL’s strategic technology partner to guarantee the operation and evolution of the world’s largest and most sophisticated ticketing system. Following a transition period of approximately two years, Indra will serve as the sole provider across the network that includes more than 8,500 buses, nearly 400 Underground stations, around 300 rail stations, 4,000 Oyster Card outlets, seven customer service centres and 24 river boat boarding points. Drawing on over 30 years of experience in urban public transport solutions, Indra will manage and evolve all aspects of the system. The project also envisions, in partnership with TfL, the implementation of new technologies to develop the system, make it more efficient and automate key processes; in short, to jointly create the next generation of the ticketing system for London.

Key Duties

• Contractual and Operational Skills: Deep understanding of contractual obligations, service performance regimes and change control mechanisms. Ability to balance contractual compliance with operational pragmatism and continuous improvement. Strong financial and commercial acumen, including budget ownership and cost control.
• Leadership and People Management: Outstanding leadership capability, with the ability to motivate, develop and hold senior teams accountable. Effective delegation and empowerment of managers while retaining clear oversight and control. Ability to lead through complexity, ambiguity and organisational change.
• Communication and Stakeholder Management: Manage all technical and non‑technical changes, ensuring smooth implementation of changes while minimising disruptions. Foster innovation to improve processes, systems and services. Ensure robust information security measures are in place to protect the IRC System from vulnerabilities, working closely with the Information Security Manager to address risks and incidents. Excellent communication skills, able to operate credibly at executive and operational levels. Strong influencing and negotiation skills in a multi‑stakeholder, politically sensitive environment. Ability to manage escalations calmly and constructively under intense scrutiny. Work with internal teams and sub‑contractors in managing and meeting key metrics including Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Personal Attributes: Highly organised, resilient and outcome focused. Strong sense of accountability and ownership. Diplomatic, adaptable and collaborative, with the confidence to make decisions in high‑risk and high‑visibility situations. Comfortable operating with limited supervision while exercising sound judgement.
• Required Skills and Experience: Extensive senior‑level experience in service management or service delivery roles within large, complex and highly regulated contractual environments. Demonstrable experience of operating at executive or senior management level as the accountable owner of service delivery under a formal performance‑based contract. Proven experience managing multi‑disciplinary service organisations, including operations, maintenance, performance assurance and change management functions. Strong experience in contractual performance management, including SLAs, KPIs, service credits, assurance and audit activities. Experience of managing high‑visibility services with significant operational, reputational and stakeholder impact. Demonstrated ability to interpret and apply complex contractual requirements and translate them into effective operational governance and controls.
• Contractual and Governance Skills: Strong contractual literacy, with the ability to interpret, apply and enforce service obligations, governance mechanisms and change control processes. Ability to operate effectively within a strict performance and assurance framework, ensuring evidence‑based compliance at all times. Sound understanding of service management governance, risk management and audit principles in regulated environments.
• Education and Technical Knowledge: Degree‑level education or equivalent professional experience in engineering, information systems, service management or a related discipline. Strong working knowledge of service management frameworks in ITIL‑aligned environments. Demonstrable understanding of change management, asset and configuration management, and performance assurance in complex, regulated service contracts. Ability to operate credibly in technically complex environments without acting as a hands‑on technical specialist.
• Desirable: ITIL certification or equivalent service management training. Engineering or technical background in large‑scale systems or infrastructure environments. Formal training in risk management, asset management or quality management systems (e.g. ISO‑aligned environments).

Benefits:

• Holidays: 25 days per annum + 8 days bank holidays (options to buy/sell days)
• Pension – 4% employee and 4% employer
• Private medical insurance (including dental & optical)
• Life assurance
• Income protection
• Employee assistance programmes
• Flexible/remote working options