Head of IT Service Management (IT Operations) - National Crime Agency - G6

Location: Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Leicester, London, Normanton, Warrington

Enterprise Services provides and manages the enterprise IT capabilities that support the NCA and its partners in delivering operational outcomes across the Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) system. Operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round, the team ensures services are reliable, resilient, and available when they are needed most. Working in partnership with suppliers, Enterprise Services maintains a strong focus on delivering cost‑effective, high‑quality services that meet current organisational needs while supporting ongoing transformation.

The team leads the introduction of new services into live operation, ensuring they are implemented smoothly and deliver tangible value across the estate. Enterprise Services plays a critical role in managing and driving the supply chain, enabling the NCA to remain agile and responsive, while building and sustaining a future‑ready technology environment.

The Head of IT Service Management – IT Operations is a senior leadership role responsible for defining and delivering the organisation’s IT service management strategy, ensuring processes are effectively governed, owned, and continuously improved. The role leads a high‑performing team to deliver secure, reliable, and customer‑focused IT services in a 24/7 operational environment, while acting as a key escalation point and trusted advisor to senior stakeholders. It holds accountability for service performance, availability, and security, as well as the successful transition of new services into live operation.

Working closely with suppliers, the role ensures high‑quality service delivery, strong performance management, and value for money within agreed budgets.

Are you ready to shape how IT services operate within a complex, fast‑paced environment? This is an excellent opportunity to join the National Crime Agency (NCA) at a key point in its technology evolution. You will be part of a passionate team that is building strong momentum around modern ways of working, balancing the demands of a critical legacy estate while adopting product and platform approaches that leverage cloud‑native capabilities to support the Agency’s mission.

The environment is demanding and challenging but highly rewarding, offering a genuine opportunity to play a pivotal role in sustaining this pace of change and delivering the IT Service Management strategy. As a senior leader within the Digital, Data and Technology Enterprise Services function, you will ensure the large and diverse technology landscape operates reliably every day (24/7/365), while driving continuous improvement in how services are managed and delivered.

This role is about maintaining stability while enabling progress, ensuring that change is delivered without compromising service performance. You will lead a team, work closely with internal colleagues and external partners, and be accountable for service desk operations, corporate IT services, incident and problem management, change control, service performance, and supplier management.

This is a leadership role that requires you to set clear direction, support and develop your people, and ensure that services are delivered in a way that meets the needs of the organisation.

Person Specification

Leadership: Accountable for setting and delivering the strategic direction for IT Service Management, ensuring it supports business objectives and drives operational excellence. Responsible for embedding and championing ITIL‑aligned best practices, leading the continuous improvement, governance, and optimisation of service management processes to enhance service quality and user experience.