Problem Manager

Are you ready to chart your own career path? With our refreshed strategy, we’re building on our rich heritage and transforming our business to be more scalable and efficient, unlocking the capabilities needed for future success. This includes significantly investing in technology, streamlining the way we work and creating an environment where colleagues feel engaged, empowered and accountable; where they can show up, speak up and perform - because we believe in the difference our work makes.

At a glance:

• Location: Cirencester Office
• Workplace Type: Hybrid
• Employment Type: Permanent
• Seniority: Mid-Senior Level

The Service Management and Controls department plays a critical role in ensuring the smooth, resilient and customer‑focused delivery of all Technology services across SJP. Bringing together expertise in service support, transition, risk, controls, change management and disaster recovery, the team safeguards service quality, drives continual improvement, and enables colleagues and partners to work efficiently and confidently. Joining this department means contributing to a high‑performing function that underpins the reliability, stability and continual evolution of our technology landscape.

Reporting to the Head of Service Management and Controls, the primary objective for this role is managing the lifecycle of all problems recorded for the services, systems or infrastructure, working with Value Stream Leaders, Business Owners, Service Owners and Technology teams towards highly reliable services contributing to a high quality service. This role will also be responsible for the accumulation of RCAs and associated reporting, including compilation of the Corrective Action Reviews (CAR) and attending and chairing CAR meetings.

What you’ll be doing:

• Be Responsible for the entire life cycle of problems, ensuring they are identified, analysed, and resolved effectively.
• Proactively working with problem owners embedding the role within value streams to ensure improvement in client, partner and employee sentiment.
• Conducting thorough investigations to identify the underlying causes of recurring incidents, utilizing data analysis and collaboration with technical teams.
• Effectively managing and communicating Known Errors, ensuring that supporting work‑arounds are documented as knowledge and communicated to all relevant support channels.
• Ensuring effective follow‑up on RCA reports to ensure that Identified actions are recorded as problems where appropriate and managed via the problem process to prevent recurrence.
• Ensuring that the root causes of complex issues are analysed and escalated to the resolving teams to ensure timely resolution.
• Providing guidance on drafting RCA’s and CAR reports to ensure they are clear, easy to understand and have associated action plans.
• Oversight and management of actions from RCA’s and CAR’s to ensure agreed actions are completed.
• Attending the Change Approval Board (CAB) meetings in relation to changes and releases set to resolve problems and KE’s and ensure that projects and changes are implemented with consideration to the on‑going support requirements of faults and KEs.
• Working closely with incident management, change management, and other IT teams to gather information and implement solutions.
• Developing and implementing permanent solutions to address identified root causes, including deploying software patches and updating configurations.
• Keeping stakeholders informed about the status of problems and resolutions, ensuring transparency throughout the process.
• Monitoring the effectiveness of implemented solutions and seeking ways to improve problem management processes to reduce future incidents.

Who we’re looking for:

We’re looking for an experienced Problem Manager who will operate within the ITIL framework, focusing on investigating patterns, analysing trends, and implementing solutions that transform recurring incidents into resolved problems to ensure that Technology Services remain stable, reliable, and aligned with business objectives.

Essential Criteria:

• Strong experience in IT Service Management, working to ITIL principles, with solid knowledge of formal methodologies across service delivery, project management and change management.
• Proven analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to assess issues, make sound decisions and drive effective problem resolution.
• Excellent communication and relationship‑building abilities, able to engage confidently with users, stakeholders and technical teams.
• Resilient and adaptable approach, able to work under pressure, manage escalations effectively and use initiative rather than being strictly rules‑bound, while still applying best‑practice principles.
• Highly organised with strong attention to detail, demonstrating a disciplined, structured and flexible working style, ideally with an understanding of the financial services environment.

Desirable Criteria:

• A broad‑based understanding of technical principles with an ability to understand the service management implications of new technologies.
• Understanding of Value Streams, project methodology and their integration with ITIL processes.

What’s in it for you?

We reward you for the work you do, whether that’s through our discretionary annual bonus scheme that reflects both personal and company performance, competitive annual leave allowance (28 days plus bank holidays, with the option to purchase an additional 5 days), or online rewards platform with a variety of discounts. We also have benefits to support whatever stage of life you are in, including:

• Competitive parental leave (26 weeks full pay)
• Private medical insurance (optional taxable benefit)
• 10% non‑contributory pension (increasing with length of service)

Reasonable Adjustments

We’re an equal opportunities employer and want to ensure our recruitment process is accessible and inclusive for all. If you require reasonable adjustment(s) at any stage please let us know by emailing us at careers@sjp.co.uk. Research tells us that applicants (especially those from underrepresented groups) can be put off from applying for a role if they do not meet all the criteria or have been on an extended career‑break. If you think you would be a good match for this role and can demonstrate some transferable experience please apply, regardless of whether you tick every box.

What’s next?

If you’re excited about this role and believe you have the skills and experience we’re looking for, we’d love to hear from you! Please submit an application by clicking ‘apply’ below and our team will be in touch. As a business regulated by the FCA we would advise you to familiarise yourself with the conduct regulations and in particular consumer duty obligations prior to an interview with SJP.