Technical Support & Service Manager in Lewes

Location: Lewes, East Sussex

Reports to: Head of Account Management

Working pattern: Full-time, office-based, 5 days per week

Travel: UK customer visits with occasional international travel

About the Company

Hanover Displays Limited is a leading global manufacturer of passenger information systems for the public transport industry. All design and development, together with the majority of production, is carried out from the company's head office in Lewes, East Sussex. Following significant growth over the past three years, Hanover has expanded both its customer base and the range and complexity of the products and services it supports.

The Role

This is a key leadership position responsible for managing a team of approximately eight Technical Support Engineers supporting Hanover's UK customer base. The successful candidate will combine strong people management with hands-on technical capability. They will develop an in-depth understanding of Hanover's hardware, software and connected systems, provide technical leadership on complex issues and ensure customers receive a responsive and consistently high-quality support service.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the UK Technical Support team of approximately eight Support Engineers.
• Plan team workload, priorities and day-to-day support activity.
• Develop a strong technical understanding of Hanover's hardware, software, systems and support processes.
• Provide hands-on technical guidance and take ownership of complex, escalated or recurring customer issues.
• Oversee the diagnosis and resolution of hardware, software, configuration, installation and connectivity faults.
• Support troubleshooting across networking and connected systems including IP addressing, Ethernet, routers, mobile communications and remote connectivity.
• Ensure customer issues are accurately logged, prioritised, monitored and progressed through the ticketing system.
• Monitor response times, ticket ageing, recurring faults, escalations and customer risks.
• Identify recurring technical issues and coordinate root-cause investigations and corrective actions.
• Work closely with Technical, Software and Engineering teams to resolve product defects and complex technical problems.
• Manage installation and retrofit projects, including scheduling site visits, on-bus installation work, commissioning and customer training.
• Review warranty, repair, servicing, installation and call-out processes and recommend improvements.
• Analyse repair, warranty, service and financial data to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.
• Review and improve departmental processes, troubleshooting guidance, escalation routes and technical documentation.
• Ensure technical knowledge and support procedures are effectively documented and shared throughout the team.
• Analyse short- and long-term support requirements and recommend changes to improve operational efficiency and service quality.
• Recruit, train and develop Technical Support Engineers and identify technical skills gaps within the team.
• Work closely with customers to understand their requirements and ensure issues are addressed effectively.
• Support customer complaints and escalations through to resolution.
• Act as an escalation point for occasional technical queries from international customers, subsidiaries and agents.
• Support the review and development of maintenance and service contracts.
• Maintain a safe and secure working environment for the Technical Support team.

Essential Experience & Skills

• Previous experience managing a team within a customer-facing technical environment.
• Experience working within technical support, engineering, field service, systems support or a similarly technical function.
• Strong technical aptitude with the ability and motivation to develop detailed product and systems knowledge.
• Practical understanding of networking and connected systems, including IP addressing, Ethernet, routers, mobile communications and remote connectivity.
• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills.
• Experience investigating complex or recurring technical issues.
• Experience managing escalated customer issues and communicating confidently with customers and internal stakeholders.
• Ability to remain technically hands-on while managing team workload, priorities and performance.
• Experience using a ticketing or service-management system.
• Technical knowledge supported by a relevant qualification or equivalent practical experience in engineering, electronics or a related discipline.
• Strong planning and organisational skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• A collaborative approach with the ability to work effectively across multiple departments.
• Strong knowledge of Windows and Microsoft Office.
• Full UK driving licence or equivalent.
• Willingness to travel within the UK and occasionally internationally.

Additional desirable technical experience includes:

• Electronics, electrical engineering, automotive engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• Vehicle electrical systems and wiring diagrams.
• Equipment installation and commissioning.
• Serial communications including RS232 and RS485.
• Ethernet and IP networking.
• Routers and mobile communications.
• SIM-based connectivity.
• Remote device-management systems.
• Technical training and development of support documentation.
• Installation or retrofit programmes.
• Field-service management.
• Maintenance and support contracts.
• Foreign-language capability.

Personal Attributes

The successful candidate will be:

• Technically curious and willing to remain hands-on.
• Customer-focused.
• Proactive and solutions-oriented.
• Structured and analytical.
• Comfortable managing multiple priorities.
• Collaborative and able to work across technical and commercial teams.
• Confident communicating with customers and senior stakeholders.
• Motivated to improve processes, service quality and team performance.