At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead IT service management and ensure operational excellence in a complex tech environment.
- Company: Join the National Crime Agency, a key player in digital transformation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career development, and the chance to make a real impact.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for continuous improvement and agile working.
- Why this job: Shape the future of IT services while driving innovation and service excellence.
- Qualifications: Proven leadership in IT service management and strong stakeholder engagement skills.
The predicted salary is between 55000 - 65000 £ per year.
Location: Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Leicester, London, Normanton (Calder), Warrington. For roles based in London, your contractual place of work will be Stratford. While the Stratford site is expected to become operational from November 2025 – March 2026, you will be required to carry out your contractual duties from Vauxhall or another reasonable location on a temporary basis during the interim period. Please note that, as Stratford will be your contractual place of work, any subsequent move from a temporary location will not entitle you to payments for travel time or costs under the Relocation and Excess Travel Policy.
About The Job
Job summary: Have you got the skills and experience to set the vision and strategy for service management, within a complex organisation? If so, continue reading to find out more about this fantastic opportunity to join the National Crime Agency (NCA) as it continues its digital and technology transformation. This is a critical, high impact, leadership role within the Digital, Data and Technology Enterprise Services function. At the heart of delivering and managing a complex technology estate with a strong focus on service, delivery and innovation, this leadership role will ensure operational excellence, service readiness, continuous improvement, user centricity, and importantly, alignment with our strategic objectives and vision. You will act as a role model to create a high performing, service driven and customer centric division. You will be accountable for delivering high-quality, customer-focused IT services working with partners and suppliers including service desk operations, corporate IT services, incident and problem management, change control, service performance monitoring, contract management and business relationship management.
This role links to the Service owner - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework.
Job Description
As Head of IT Service Management – IT Operations, you will be responsible for setting the vision and strategy for service management, ensuring processes are owned and maturing. You will lead a team ensuring adequate resources and capacity and represent the IT service management function at a senior level and act as an escalation point for business stakeholders. You will ensure the provision of the organisational IT is well maintained, up to date, and secure. This is a 24-hour operation, working 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You will work with suppliers to ensure our services are reliable, with high levels of availability, and affordable within our financial budgets. The team manages the movement of new services as they go live to users across the estate. The team also manage the performance of our suppliers in the daily provision of Services.
Duties And Responsibilities
- Leadership: Lead and manage the IT Operations teams, making sure Service Level Agreements (SLA) and Operational Level Agreements (OLA) are in place and compliant, driving service continuity for a technology estate that is complex and includes significant proportion of legacy (technical debt).
- Delivering Service Excellence: Design, own and oversee incident and problem management, service improvement initiatives, change management processes and performance reporting to enable data driven decisions to achieve service excellence.
- Lead organisational changes: To become more digitally enabled, embedding agile ways of working alongside the management of legacy Technology and modern products & platforms including new functionality while protecting the integrity of existing service.
- Stakeholder Management: Be responsible for making sure that business relations within the organisation are managed to enable delivery of ICT services, collaborating with stakeholders to align IT services with business needs.
- Lead, coach, and develop the IT Operations teams: To achieve higher performance, continuous improvement, driving digital adoption that balances legacy and agile approaches with a customer centric mindset and culture.
Person specification
- Leadership: Highly engaging and service‑driven leader able to build trust and provide clear direction at a senior level within a complex, technology‑driven organisation. Proven leader of high‑performing teams, applying industry standards and best practice to continually improve services and deliver organisational value. Effective team leader with the ability to see the bigger picture, make sound decisions, and drive continuous improvement while maintaining high performance.
- Operational and Service Excellence: Strong understanding of IT services, products, tools, methods, procedures and software used in the delivery and management of modern IT environments. Demonstrated ability to improve performance, drive service delivery excellence and lead turnaround activity in challenging or fast‑moving environments. Skilled service manager with a strong customer and end‑user focus, able to simplify processes and deliver efficiencies, particularly in complex or legacy IT environments.
- Stakeholder Engagement and Communication: Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, able to work credibly with technology experts, senior leaders, customers and end users. Strong communicator with the ability to influence, gain buy‑in and adapt messaging for diverse audiences in high‑pressure or complex contexts.
- Agile and Multi‑Disciplinary Team Working: Experienced in agile ways of working, enabling multi‑disciplinary teams to work flexibly and meet delivery standards. Proven ability to coordinate diverse skill sets and bring teams together to achieve effective delivery under tight or shifting timelines.
Qualifications: ITIL 4 Foundation qualification.
Head of IT Service Management (IT Operations) - National Crime Agency - G6 in Manchester employer: Manchester Digital
At Manchester Digital, we pride ourselves on fostering a collaborative and innovative work culture that empowers our employees to excel. As a Chief Software Engineering Leader, you will not only lead a talented team but also enjoy flexible working arrangements, competitive pension contributions, and generous annual leave that grows with your tenure, making it an ideal environment for personal and professional growth.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of IT Service Management (IT Operations) - National Crime Agency - G6 in Manchester
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the industry. Attend events, join online forums, or even hit up LinkedIn. The more people you know, the better your chances of landing that dream job.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Understand their mission and values, especially how they align with your experience in IT service management. This will help you stand out as a candidate who truly gets what they're about.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! Be ready to explain how your skills and experiences make you the perfect fit for the Head of IT Service Management role. Keep it concise and focus on your leadership abilities and service excellence.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative to engage directly with us.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of IT Service Management (IT Operations) - National Crime Agency - G6 in Manchester
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight how your skills and experience align with the job description. We want to see how you can contribute to our vision and strategy for service management!
Showcase Leadership Skills:As a Head of IT Service Management, leadership is key! Share examples of how you've led teams, driven service excellence, and managed stakeholder relationships in your previous roles. We love to see strong leaders in action!
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. Use bullet points where possible to make it easy for us to read. We appreciate straightforward communication that gets right to the heart of your experience.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity at the National Crime Agency.
How to prepare for a job interview at Manchester Digital
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you brush up on IT service management principles, especially ITIL 4. Understand how these frameworks apply to the role and be ready to discuss your experience in leading teams and managing complex IT environments.
✨Showcase Leadership Skills
Prepare examples that highlight your leadership style and how you've successfully managed high-performing teams. Think about times when you’ve driven service excellence or led organisational changes, and be ready to share those stories.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
Be prepared to discuss how you’ve effectively engaged with stakeholders in previous roles. Highlight your communication skills and give examples of how you’ve aligned IT services with business needs, especially in high-pressure situations.
✨Demonstrate a Customer-Centric Mindset
Think about how you can illustrate your focus on user-centricity. Prepare to talk about how you’ve simplified processes or improved service delivery for end-users, particularly in complex or legacy IT environments.
