ITIL Manager in London

Stratacent is seeking an experienced ITIL Manager with expertise in release management to join our team. The ideal candidate should have a strong background in managing ITIL-based projects, with extensive experience in leading release management initiatives. As an ITIL Manager, you will play a critical role in planning, executing, and delivering ITIL projects to enhance service quality and operational efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage ITIL-based projects focused on release management, from initiation to closure, ensuring successful delivery within defined timelines, budgets, and quality standards.
• Define project scope, objectives, deliverables, and success criteria in collaboration with stakeholders and senior management, aligning project goals with business and ITIL frameworks.
• Develop and execute comprehensive project plans, including resource allocation, schedules, risk management, and change control processes, ensuring adherence to project management methodologies.
• Coordinate and collaborate with cross-functional teams, including incident management, problem management, release management, and IT service desk teams, to drive project activities and deliverables.
• Implement and enhance ITIL-based processes, policies, and procedures related to incident, problem, and change management, ensuring compliance with ITIL frameworks and industry best practices.
• Utilize ITIL tools and technologies, such as ServiceNow, Remedy, JIRA, or similar platforms, to streamline and automate release management processes.
• Monitor project progress, track key performance indicators (KPIs), and report project status, risks, and issues to stakeholders and senior management, facilitating decision-making and issue resolution.
• Manage project budgets, track expenditures, and ensure efficient utilization of resources, while maintaining cost-effectiveness and value delivery.
• Conduct post-project reviews, evaluate project outcomes against defined objectives, capture lessons learned, and contribute to continuous improvement of ITIL practices and project management processes.
• Develop and implement release management strategies, processes, and policies to ensure efficient and successful software releases.
• Define release milestones, deliverables, and dependencies, and create detailed release plans and schedules.
• Manage the release lifecycle, including release readiness reviews, release deployment activities, and post-release evaluations.
• Lead the incident and problem management process, ensuring timely identification, classification, investigation, and resolution of incidents and problems, while minimizing business impact and adhering to service-level agreements (SLAs).
• Conduct thorough root cause analysis for major incidents and recurring problems, working with relevant teams to identify underlying causes, implement preventive measures, and drive continuous improvement.
• Develop and maintain incident and problem management documentation, including standard operating procedures (SOPs), incident response plans, and knowledge base articles, to enable efficient incident resolution and problem diagnosis.
• Monitor incident and problem trends, metrics, and performance indicators, and provide regular reports and analysis to stakeholders and management, identifying areas for improvement and implementing corrective actions.
• Stay up to date with ITIL frameworks, industry trends, and emerging technologies in incident, problem, and release management, and proactively recommend improvements and innovations to enhance service quality and operational efficiency.

Experience Required

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 - 7 years of experience in IT project management, with a strong focus on incident, problem, and change management, following ITIL principles and frameworks.
• Experience managing risks and resolving challenges that impact release scope, quality, and schedules.
• Experience in communicating necessary release details to business teams and cross-functional teams; managing, planning, and negotiating release activities and initiating and overseeing progressive release processes.
• Proficiency in developing automation and release management tools along with scripts necessary for the construction, continuous integration, and deployment of software release.
• In-depth knowledge and practical experience in implementing and managing ITIL processes, particularly release management.
• Proven experience in leading and managing cross-functional project teams, including internal resources, vendors, and stakeholders.
• Proficiency in ITIL tools and technologies, such as ServiceNow, Remedy, JIRA, or similar platforms, for incident, problem, and release management.
• Strong understanding of IT service management (ITSM) principles, change management processes, and IT governance frameworks.
• Excellent project management skills, with a deep understanding of project management methodologies and best practices.
• Strong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to effectively interact with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• ITIL certifications, such as ITIL Foundation, ITIL Practitioner, or ITIL Service Manager, are highly desirable.