Senior IT Service Delivery Manager in Southampton

The Senior IT Service Delivery Manager oversees a number of key functions within the IT department that enables the delivery of a high quality service to end users, ensuring that Service Support and Service Delivery processes are in place to meet business needs. This position will involve liaising directly with stakeholders and requires that you establish and manage expectations within the business. The role will require the post holder to manage and drive the IT Service Delivery team to achieve a high standard of work in order to meet the expectations of the business.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Maintain a high performing IT Service Delivery function to include full management responsibilities of the IT Service Delivery Team.
• Formulate both short-term day-to-day and longer-term IT Service Delivery plans and identify and work on continuous improvement of the service.
• Professionally and effectively represent IT to both the internal business and to all IT third party vendors and suppliers.
• Understand and identify business challenges and develop strategies and solutions to deliver added value to the business.
• Liaise with Customers to establish the structure of service level agreements (SLAs).
• Ensure that operational methods, procedures and facilities are documented, maintained and reviewed regularly to maintain their effectiveness and efficiency.
• Create, implement, review / analyse problem management processes and advise on any improvements that could be implemented, using any tools that may be available.
• Support projects and develop a strong understanding of projects impacting your service area and ensuring service impact is minimised and agreed.
• Drive internal and third party service review meetings covering performance, service improvements, quality and processes.
• Ensure that patching and anti-virus updates are carried out promptly and effectively in the desktop environment.
• Create and maintain regular and accurate management reporting on IT Service performance with the tools available.
• Be an ambassador for IT, working across the business to provide effective communication on IT matters and build relationships with other teams to ensure effective dialogue between departments.
• Contribute to departmental policy, procedures and practices on matters such as security, health and safety, environmental controls, service facilities and media storage.
• Point of escalation - ensuring escalated issues from customers and colleagues are resolved effectively and in a timely manner.
• Governance – assisting in defining and implementing processes & standards and ensuring staff adhere to them.
• Support budget related conversations on different levels.
• Innovate and encourage innovation within team members.
• Coach and mentor less experienced staff as required.
• Empower staff to take responsibility for their jobs and commitments.
• Foster a spirit of teamwork inclusion and unity amongst the teams.

You will need:

• Proven experience managing an IT service desk or technical support team in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong leadership skills with a track record of coaching, developing, and motivating high-performing teams.
• Solid understanding of IT infrastructure, systems, and support operations across desktop, network, and application environments.
• In-depth knowledge of IT service management principles; ITIL certification (Foundation or higher) preferred.
• Exceptional customer service focus, with the ability to drive a user‑centric culture and improve service delivery.
• Experience managing incident, problem, and request workflows, with a strong grasp of SLAs and KPIs.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, capable of engaging with technical teams, stakeholders, and senior leadership.
• Experience with enterprise‑level IT systems and platforms such as Active Directory, Microsoft Endpoint Manager (Intune) or Entra ID.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to produce reports, identify trends, and lead service improvement initiatives.
• Experience managing service desk tools and platforms (e.g., ServiceNow, BMC Remedy, FreshDesk).

It would be great if you had:

• Experience supporting remote and hybrid working environments, including VPNs and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).
• Project management knowledge or certification (e.g., PRINCE2, PMP) to support service improvement and change initiatives.
• Understanding of cybersecurity best practices and experience contributing to IT security and compliance efforts.
• Familiarity with IT change management processes and tools.
• Experience with service automation tools, AI‑powered support technologies, or workflow optimisation.
• Basic budgeting or cost management experience in an IT services context.

About the location: Southampton Central is conveniently situated near the city centre. It is a short walk to West Quay shopping centre, a hub for retailers and restaurants, and provides an excellent link between London, Coastal areas and the Isle of Wight.

Working pattern: You will work an average of 37 hours per week across 5 days, typically office hours. Flexibility will be required and there may be an "on-call" commitment.

The Reward: In return we offer a competitive salary and a variety of valuable benefits, including:

• Free duty and leisure travel on SWR services for employees.
• Free leisure travel for spouse/partner and dependants (criteria dependent).
• 75% discount on many other train operating companies.
• Full training and support with development.
• Excellent pension scheme.