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- Tasks: Lead strategic service continuity initiatives to ensure M&S services remain resilient during crises.
- Company: Join the innovative team at Marks & Spencer, a leader in retail transformation.
- Benefits: Enjoy 20% discount, competitive holidays, and generous pension schemes.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by safeguarding our brand and enhancing customer experience.
- Qualifications: Proven leadership in IT service continuity and strong communication skills required.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to innovation and excellence.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
The Head of Service Continuity is a senior role within the D&T Service Management organisation, ensuring that there is an Enterprise approach to all Service Continuity activities that underpin the needs of the M&S Business. The Head of Service Continuity is accountable for ensuring that the availability and performance of all M&S services are maintained at sufficient levels in case of a disaster. The key outcome is to build organisational resilience with the capability of producing an effective response that safeguards the interests of our Stores and Colleagues, protecting the organisation's reputation, brand, and value-creating activities.
This role requires regular engagement with Senior Business Leaders and D&T leadership to understand current challenges and risks to the continuity of M&S Services and to reinforce the value of Service Continuity planning and testing.
What's in it for you
Being a part of M&S is exactly that – playing your part to bring the magic of M&S to our customers every day. We’re an inclusive, dynamic, exciting, and ever-evolving business built on doing the right thing and bringing exceptional quality, value, service to every customer, whenever, wherever and however they want to shop with us. Here are some of the benefits we offer that make working for M&S just that little bit more special:
- After completing your probationary period, you’ll receive 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third-party brands for you and a member of your household.
- Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days!
- Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.
- A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.
- A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programmes to develop your skills.
- Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to maximise your financial and personal wellbeing.
- Industry-leading parental, adoption and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.
- Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support for all colleagues including access to our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist to support you and your family.
- A charity volunteer day to support a charity or cause you’re passionate about through a dedicated day away from work.
What you’ll do
- Strategic leadership in ITSCM and resilience. Proven ability to lead enterprise-wide continuity strategies, develop robust ITSCM roadmaps, govern service continuity practices, and drive prevention, prediction, and recovery capabilities across a complex digital and retail environment.
- Deep expertise in continuity, incident management, and risk. Strong command of ITSCM, incident response, command-and-control models, regulatory considerations, business impact assessment, risk management, and the design of standardised response processes and testing programmes.
- Exceptional stakeholder influence and communication. Skilled at engaging senior leaders, cross-functional teams, business stakeholders, and partners; able to simplify complex concepts, guide decision-making during crises, and lead communications across colleagues, stores, D&T, and service providers.
- Operational excellence and data-driven improvement. Experienced in using metrics and analytics to enhance release quality, service availability, partner performance, and continuity readiness, while embedding best practice, automation, quality frameworks, and continuous improvement across the ITSCM lifecycle.
- People leadership and collaborative delivery. Demonstrated capability to lead and develop continuity professionals, build high-performing multi-disciplinary collaborations, ensure ITSCM integration across architecture, delivery, assurance, and operations, and support readiness for major trading periods and new initiatives.
Who you are
- Strategic leadership and enterprise thinking. Able to operate at an enterprise level, set long-term direction for ITSCM, align service continuity with business goals, and balance immediate operational needs with future strategic improvements.
- Expertise in ITSCM, ITSM, and resilience practices. Deep understanding of ITSCM principles, ITIL/ITSM frameworks, incident and risk management, and experience building and leading continuity capabilities in large, complex organisations.
- Strong technical and analytical capability. Solid knowledge of IT infrastructure, applications, networks, and ITSM platforms (e.g., ServiceNow, BMC Helix), combined with data-driven decision-making skills to translate insights into meaningful improvements.
- Exceptional communication, influence, and stakeholder engagement. Skilled in partnering with senior leaders, cross-functional teams, and external providers; capable of conveying complex information clearly and fostering collaborative, high-trust relationships.
- Continuous improvement and innovation mindset. Proven ability to drive operational excellence through shift-left practices, automation, quality-first thinking, knowledge-sharing, and proactive risk mitigation to enhance service availability and resilience.
Everyone's welcome
We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.
We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.
If you feel you’d benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.
Head of Service Continuity in London employer: Marks & Spencer
Contact Detail:
Marks & Spencer Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Service Continuity in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections on LinkedIn or at industry events. We all know that sometimes it’s not just what you know, but who you know that can help you land that dream job.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. We want to show that we’re not just a good fit for the role, but also for the team. Tailor your answers to reflect how you can contribute to M&S's goals.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Do mock interviews with friends or use online platforms. We can help each other refine our responses and boost our confidence before the big day.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up after interviews! A simple thank-you email can go a long way in showing your enthusiasm for the role. Let’s keep the conversation going and remind them why we’re the best fit!
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Service Continuity in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience in service continuity and ITSCM. We want to see how your skills align with the needs of M&S, so don’t hold back on showcasing your relevant achievements!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills: As a senior role, we’re looking for someone who can lead and inspire teams. Use your application to demonstrate your leadership experience and how you've successfully managed cross-functional teams in the past.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it straightforward. We appreciate clarity, so avoid jargon and make sure your key points stand out. This will help us quickly understand your fit for the role.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets to the right people. Plus, you’ll find all the details you need about the role there!
How to prepare for a job interview at Marks & Spencer
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you have a solid understanding of IT Service Continuity Management (ITSCM) principles and practices. Brush up on your knowledge of incident management, risk assessment, and the specific challenges faced by M&S. This will help you speak confidently about how you can contribute to their goals.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
Prepare to discuss how you would engage with senior leaders and cross-functional teams. Think of examples where you've successfully influenced stakeholders or simplified complex concepts. This will show that you can communicate effectively and build trust within the organisation.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Be ready to share your experiences in leading teams and developing continuity professionals. Highlight any successful collaborations you've led and how you ensured operational excellence. This is crucial for a senior role like Head of Service Continuity.
✨Data-Driven Decision Making
Familiarise yourself with metrics and analytics that enhance service availability and continuity readiness. Be prepared to discuss how you've used data to drive improvements in past roles. This will demonstrate your analytical capability and commitment to continuous improvement.
