We are seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic professional to join our team as Head of Support. The ideal candidate will demonstrate exceptional skill in cultivating strong, collaborative relationships within our support team, the wider Ashton Court team, and with our customers. This role requires a highly organised individual with outstanding communication abilities and a proactive, innovative mindset for solving challenges. As the Head of Support, you will be instrumental in promoting excellence and ensuring the consistent delivery of superior support services to our valued customers.
About the Role
You will be responsible for transforming and leading Ashton Court’s support operations to ensure a proactive, scalable function aligned with the company’s ambitions.
Essential Skills and Experience
* Leadership and Team Management
o Lead, mentor, and develop the support team to ensure high performance and engagement
o Manage resource allocation to maintain efficient support operations
o Set clear performance goals and conduct regular reviews to assess individual and team performance.
* Knowledge and Experience
o Over 5 years' proven experience in managing IT support services, preferably within a consultancy or similar customer-focused environment
o 3+ years' proven and applicable experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM
o In-depth understanding of IT implementation and support processes, including troubleshooting methodologies
o Strong knowledge of ticketing systems, incident management, and escalation procedures
o Experience in managing teams and fostering professional development
o Familiarity with ITIL or other service management frameworks is highly desirable
o Excellent technical understanding of Dynamics 365
o Application support and administration experience involving Microsoft Dynamics
o Excellent technical knowledge of Microsoft technologies including Azure.
* Customer Relationship Management
o Act as the primary escalation point for customer support issues
o Build and maintain strong customer relationships by ensuring prompt and professional issue resolution
o Proactively gather customer feedback to improve services and customer satisfaction.
* Operational Oversight
o Define and implement support processes, policies, and procedures to ensure consistency and quality
o Oversee ticketing systems and ensure service level agreements (SLAs) are consistently met
o Monitor support metrics and produce regular reports for internal stakeholders.
* Strategic Planning
o Identify opportunities for process improvements and automation to enhance service delivery
o Collaborate with other departments to ensure seamless customer experiences
o Stay abreast of industry trends to maintain a competitive edge in support services.
* Technical Expertise
o Provide guidance on complex technical issues to support team members and customers
o Ensure team members have up-to-date knowledge of the company’s products, services, and technologies.
* Contract Management
o Oversee and manage customer commercial contracts, ensuring compliance with agreed terms and conditions
o Negotiate support-related contract renewals, amendments, and service levels to align with customer needs and business objectives
o Monitor contract performance, identifying and addressing potential risks or opportunities for improvement
o Collaborate with other teams to ensure all contracts are commercially sound and meet organisational standards
o Maintain accurate records of contract terms, key dates, and obligations to ensure timely renewals or renegotiations.
* Tender and Bid Support
o Collaborate with the business development team to support tenders and bids, ensuring the support elements are clearly defined and aligned with customer requirements
o Provide expert input on support capabilities, processes, and costs to inform proposal development
o Review bid documents to ensure support commitments are realistic, achievable, and aligned with company resources
o Act as a point of contact for support-related queries during the tender and bid process.
Personal Characteristics
* Exceptional leadership and motivational skills
* A customer-centric mindset with a passion for delivering outstanding service
* High levels of integrity, reliability, and accountability
* Strong interpersonal and communication skills to build trust with customers and team members
* An ability to communicate complex information to technical and non-technical stakeholders
* Strong analytical and problem management skills.
Personal Abilities
* Ability to remain calm and composed under pressure
* Strong problem-solving skills with a focus on delivering practical solutions
* Excellent organisational skills with an ability to prioritise tasks effectively
* Adaptability to changing customer needs and business priorities
* Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to liaise with a variety of stakeholders
* Ability to deliver to agreed timescales.
Technical
* Strong technical knowledge across business applications, specifically Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM
* Proficiency in troubleshooting and resolving complex technical issues
* Familiarity with cloud services, networking, and cybersecurity principles
* Experience with relevant tools and platforms such as remote support software, monitoring tools, and collaboration platforms.
Qualifications
* Microsoft Certified Professional or able to gain MCP qualifications through self-study
* BSc/BA in Computer Science, Engineering or a related field (desirable).
What We Offer
* Industry aligned competitive salary
* 31 days annual leave, including bank holidays
* Continuous professional development
* Access to learning resources to support study to achieve Microsoft certifications
* Bonus paid on passing agreed exams to gain specific Microsoft certifications
* Opportunity to work from home to ensure a healthy work/life balance
* Auto-enrolment pension scheme
* Employee Wellbeing Strategy
* Free flu jabs
* Eyecare vouchers
* Company events
* Free on-site parking.
About Us
We believe in our culture, values and staff successes. We invest in developing our staff and we support our employees with their professional development goals. We strive to offer an environment that provides our staff with the right work/life balance. We offer genuine career prospects: you will have a clear career progression path with the opportunity to become stakeholders within the business as it transitions to an employee-owned company.
This role is UK-based and will require visits to customer sites in the UK and Ashton Court's HQ in Northampton. The position involves flexible working, with the opportunity to work from home. Although the majority of our staff work from or within a reasonable commute to our offices, we also have staff working remotely from wider locations. We welcome applications from candidates located throughout the UK, particularly based around the Midlands. However, ability and attitude are more important than location.
Strictly Personal Applicants Only. Please apply here to upload your CV and cover letter, describing why you feel you are right for this position, together with details of your current and minimum salary expectations, current benefits and notice period. Ref: 2501. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis; we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
Please note we cannot sponsor applicants for a visa. Please only apply if you have the right to work in the UK and are resident in the UK. Ashton Court is committed to supporting individuals with the desire and capacity for long-term career growth and development to achieve their full potential. Because the limitations of a time-bound visa do not align with our long-term career development plans, we regret we cannot accept applications from candidates whose right to work in the UK relies on a temporary, time-limited or dependency visa.
Interview Process
Ashton Court Group is an equal opportunities employer. Interviews are conducted in a two-stage process. Successful applicants will be invited to an initial 30 minute Teams meeting with a senior member of staff in the same discipline as the role for which you have applied. If successful, we will be inviting candidates to a second interview of up to one hour, including an assessment of your skills and experience and may include a technical test. Final interview and offer of employment is held in person at our offices. Full details will be provided at a later date for those who are selected.
Recruitment Agencies:
Strictlyno agency contactin response to this vacancy. We have a strict company policy to recruit directly. We therefore do not accept speculative CVs and/or cold calls to our Recruitment Team or Hiring Manager.
Ashton Court Group is an experienced client-focussed information systems consultancy providing on-premise, cloud, and hybrid solutions to the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. As a Microsoft Business Solutions Partner, we maintain comprehensive knowledge of Microsoft’s software tools and applications, and the expertise to deliver successful projects on time and on budget.
#J-18808-Ljbffr