Head of Service Delivery in Horsham

Location: Horsham, West Sussex

Reporting to: Main Board of Directors

Contract: Full-time, Permanent

Role Purpose

The Head of Service Delivery is a senior leadership position responsible for the strategic direction, commercial performance, operational excellence, and continuous improvement of service delivery across The Principal Group of Companies. The role ensures that service delivery not only meets high quality, compliant, and customer-focused standards, but also drives revenue growth, cost efficiency, and optimal resource utilisation. The postholder will lead, develop, and motivate service teams to achieve both operational and commercial objectives. This role plays a critical part in shaping service standards, improving profitability, and supporting Principal's growth, scalability, and market reputation. It also carries overall responsibility for ensuring robust Health & Safety management, ISO compliance, and effective oversight of facilities operations.

Leadership & Strategy

• Provide clear leadership and direction to service teams, fostering a high-performance, customer centric, and commercially focused culture.
• Contribute to company wide strategy as a senior member of the leadership team, ensuring service delivery aligns with commercial objectives.
• Translate business and financial targets into effective, scalable service delivery plans.
• Champion a culture of safety, compliance, and operational excellence in alignment with Health & Safety, ISO, and facilities standards.

Service Delivery, Revenue & Performance

• Oversee end-to-end service delivery, ensuring consistently high standards, efficiency, and profitability.
• Drive service revenue growth, identify opportunities for upselling, cross-selling, and enhanced service offerings.
• Set, monitor, and continuously improve KPIs, SLAs, utilisation rates, and customer satisfaction metrics with a strong focus on commercial outcomes.
• Identify risks and opportunities within service delivery and implement proactive, value-driven solutions.
• Ensure service operations uphold company-wide Health & Safety and ISO management principles.

Operational & Financial Management

• Take ownership of service-related P&L performance, ensuring effective cost management and margin improvement.
• Drive resource utilisation and productivity, ensuring optimal deployment of people and assets.
• Ensure services are delivered in line with regulatory, legal, and company compliance requirements.
• Drive process improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, scalability, and cost effectiveness.
• Provide leadership and oversight of facilities management to ensure safe, compliant, and efficient working environments.

People Management & Development

• Recruit, mentor, develop, and retain high performing, commercially aware individuals.
• Set clear performance objectives linked to both operational and financial targets.
• Promote accountability for utilisation, productivity, and service outcomes.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, ownership, and commercial awareness.

Client & Stakeholder Management

• Act as a senior escalation point for complex issues and key client relationships.
• Build strong internal and external relationships to support client retention, growth, and long-term value creation.
• Work closely with Sales and Account Management teams to support new business opportunities and contract growth.
• Represent Principal professionally with clients, partners, and regulators when required.

Skills & Experience

Essential

• Proven experience in a senior service leadership role (Head of Service, Operations Manager, or similar).
• Strong track record of delivering high quality services alongside commercial performance (revenue growth, cost control, margin improvement).
• Experience managing budgets, P&L, KPIs, and operational performance.
• Strong leadership, communication, and influencing skills.
• Ability to drive change, efficiency, and continuous improvement.

Desirable

• Experience within Managed Print, IT Services, Digital Transformation, Professional Services, or a similar sector.
• Knowledge of UK regulatory and compliance frameworks relevant to service delivery.
• Experience leading multi-site or scaling teams.
• Understanding of Health & Safety, ISO management systems, and facilities operations.

Personal Attributes

• Strategic thinker with strong commercial acumen.
• Customer-focused with high attention to detail.
• Results-driven with a focus on profitability and growth.
• Resilient, adaptable, and confident decision-maker.
• Collaborative and values-led leader with strong accountability.

What we offer

• A senior leadership role with real influence over service strategy and commercial performance.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunity to shape and grow a high-performing, revenue-generating service function.
• Supportive leadership team and professional working environment.

The details contained in this Job Description reflect the content of the job at the date it was prepared. It should be remembered, however, that it is inevitable that over time, the nature of individual jobs will change, existing duties may no longer be required, and other duties may be gained without changing the general nature of the duties or the level of responsibility entailed. Consequently, Principal I Ltd will expect to revise this Job Description from time to time and will consult with the post holder at the appropriate time.