Technical Operations Center Manager - EMEA

Music is Universal. It’s the passionate and dedicated team at Universal Music who help make us the world’s leading music company. From A&R to finance, legal to digital, sales to marketing, Universal Music is the place to grow and develop your career within a truly commercial and innovative business that leads in everything it does.

Everyone is welcome to apply for our roles, and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment because of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief, age, marital status, background, pregnancy, or caring responsibilities. We also recognise the importance of diversity of thought within our teams and are fully committed to embracing the talents of people with autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and other forms of neurocognitive variation. We will always seek to make appropriate adjustments to recruitment, workplaces, and work processes to be fully inclusive to people with different needs and working styles.

If you need us to make any reasonable adjustments for you from application onwards, including alternatives to the online form or to disclose a neurocognitive condition, please email UniversalMusicCareers@umusic.com.

Job Summary: We are UMG, the Universal Music Group. We are the world’s leading music company. In everything we do, we are committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship. We own and operate a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising, and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries. We identify and develop recording artists and songwriters, and we produce, distribute and promote the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music to delight and entertain fans around the world.

As a Technical Operations Center (TOC) Manager, you will be one of three global managers operating in a “Follow the Sun” model, ensuring continuous 24/7 coverage and operational excellence across our technical infrastructure. You will be responsible for leading and mentoring a team of skilled technical professionals, optimizing daily operations, and expertly managing critical incidents to minimize service disruption. Your leadership will be crucial in facilitating seamless handoffs between shifts, maintaining high performance, and upholding the integrity of our systems globally.

Job Functions

• Daily Operations & Optimization: Oversee and direct the day-to-day activities of the Technical Operations Center, ensuring all systems, services, and infrastructure operate reliably and securely on a 24/7 basis. Develop, implement, and optimize operational procedures and workflows to enhance efficiency and productivity. Monitor system performance trends and ensure availability and reliability, proactively identifying and addressing issues to minimize downtime. Manage the implementation and maintenance of Service Level Objectives (SLO's) and Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) with UMG Business Units, other IT groups, and vendors as appropriate. This includes measuring and reporting on these SLA's and SLO’s on a regular and scheduled basis. Drive automation for all repeatable processes by implementing AI and SRE methodologies to reduce toil in daily operations.
• Major Incident Management: Take ownership, lead and coordinate major incident response efforts, acting as the central point of contact during critical outages. Drive investigation activities, facilitate communication, and ensure rapid resolution or workaround implementation for severe IT incidents. Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including engineering, IT, and third-party vendors, to resolve complex issues and restore services promptly.
• Team Management & Leadership: Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Technical Operations Center specialists, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Manage the engagement, performance, and development of direct reports, including hiring, training, and scheduling work assignments. Provide guidance and support to the team, ensuring high-quality service delivery and adherence to operational standards. Establish and sustain standards of performance across all shifts, promoting a positive and productive work environment.
• Effective Handoffs & Global Coordination: Facilitate seamless and effective handoffs between shift teams in a “Follow the Sun” model, ensuring continuity of operations and clear communication of critical information. Define clear handover protocols and procedures, ensuring all essential information categories are covered during every transition. Ensure that all relevant information, including ongoing tasks, issues, and special instructions, is accurately and concisely conveyed to the incoming shift.

Job Requirements

• Deep technical knowledge in infrastructure operations.
• Ability to assess faults, prioritize, respond and eliminate accordingly.
• Effective time management and ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities.
• Willingness to learn and develop new skills.
• Ability to work on own initiative and actively seeks ways of improving existing systems & processes.
• Customer service driven/focused with a proactive and positive can-do approach.
• Demonstrates commitment to organization’s policy framework and practices continuous improvement.
• Ability and experience operating confidently and calmly in an emergency response environment with flexibility and strong execution.

Experience

• A minimum of twelve years of experience in the computer industry with at least six years directly working in an IT management position with similar responsibilities.
• Core competency in technical operations center management is required including a proven leadership ability with a track record of influencing positive change.
• Thorough knowledge of IT operations, information technology best practices, and industry trends.
• Professional ITIL based problem-solving approach that includes root cause analysis, corrective action, and buy-in.
• Proven experience in supporting mission critical infrastructure and applications on a global scale.
• Proven ability to work effectively within and across diverse global teams, developing and maintaining collaborative relationships.
• International experience is beneficial. Additional languages are a plus.

Education

• BA or BS degree in an IT related field or an equivalent combination of formal education and applicable experience required.
• Industry standard IT certifications. ITIL Certification strongly desired.

Just So You Know… The company presents this job description as a guide to the major areas and duties for which the jobholder is accountable. However, the business operates in an environment that demands change and the jobholder's specific responsibilities and activities will vary and develop. Therefore, the job description should be seen as indicative and not as a permanent, definitive, and exhaustive statement.