The Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) Oxford’s purpose is to have a global impact by fundamentally reimagining the way science and technology translate into end-to-end solutions and delivering these solutions in programmes and platforms that respond to humanity’s most challenging problems.
EIT Oxford will ensure scientific discoveries and pioneering science are turned into products for the benefit of society that can have high-impact worldwide and, over time, be commercialised to ensure long-term sustainability.
Led by a faculty of world experts, EIT Oxford seeks to solve the world’s most challenging problems across four high-risk, high-reward, high-impact humane endeavours: health and medical science; food security and sustainable agriculture; climate change and clean energy; and government innovation in an era of artificial intelligence.
EIT Oxford is investing significant resources in a new world-class research and development facility in the Oxford Science Park. Set for completion in 2027, the state-of-the-art campus includes 300,000 sq ft of research laboratories, an oncology and preventative care clinic, and educational and meeting spaces. Together, they create the perfect environment for EIT Oxford experts to take ground-breaking ideas from research to broad implementation. The new facility will further EIT’s current partnership with the University of Oxford and become the new home for Ellison Scholars.
EIT Oxford is committed to cultivating a community where excellence is achieved through collaboration, trust, innovation and tenacity. We foster an environment where everyone’s experience and expertise are valued. We are curious and resilient in our efforts to drive long-term, sustainable innovation to meet humanity’s most enduring challenges.
We are seeking a Head of IT Service with significant and demonstrable experience with building and leading an IT service team within a large enterprise organisation. Reporting into the IT Director, you will be responsible for delivering an exceptional, white-glove IT support experience to users at all levels—scientists, researchers, technical specialists, institute leadership and operational staff alike.
This is a pivotal role within the IT team, overseeing the helpdesk function that is the entry point for all issues, problems and requests. You will own major incident management, problem management, and change management processes. You will be the driving force behind continual service improvement, ensuring all services are underpinned by robust ITIL practices and aligned to our strategic and operational goals.
Key Responsibilities:
* Leadership and Team Management
* Lead and develop the IT Helpdesk team across all tiers (L1, L2, L3) ensuring seamless end-to-end support of the highest quality.
* Build a team to support the Institute’s long term growth plans aligned with a high touch, quality-based service delivery.
* Promote a high-performance, service-focused culture within the team.
* Set clear objectives, provide coaching, and ensure continuous professional development and succession planning.
* Service Delivery and Quality
* Own and continuously improve the delivery of IT support services across the institute.
* Ensure services meet agreed SLAs, OLAs, and customer expectations with a white-glove approach.
* Champion service excellence and user satisfaction through proactive engagement and feedback mechanisms.
* Incident, Problem and Change Management
* Act as the owner for Major Incident Management, ensuring timely resolution and effective communication during incidents.
* Lead root cause analysis and Problem Management, driving long-term fixes and preventing reoccurrence.
* Serve as Change Manager, chairing change and release advisory boards and ensuring risk-managed implementation of changes across the IT estate.
* Knowledge and Configuration Management
* Maintain the CMDB (Configuration Management Database) to the highest standard, ensuring accuracy and integrity across assets and services.
* Champion best practices in Knowledge Management—ensuring the knowledge base is accurate, up to date, and widely used.
* Lead on the continual development of EIT’s ITSM to enable automation and End User satisfaction
* Process, Policy & Governance
* Embed ITIL-based processes across the IT team and continuously refine them for maturity and effectiveness.
* Drive service reporting, KPI tracking, and continual improvement initiatives.
* Develop, document, and enforce IT policies and procedures relevant to the service domain.
* Stakeholder Engagement
* Build strong partnerships across scientific and operational departments to ensure IT services are enabling and responsive.
* Act as a senior point of contact for service escalations and strategic service conversations.
Requirements
Essential Skills, Qualifications & Experience:
* Proven experience in leading IT service teams within complex, enterprise-level environments (science/tech sector experience advantageous).
* Deep expertise in ITIL frameworks—ideally ITIL v4 certified.
* Track record of managing Helpdesk operations across 1st to 3rd line support.
* Experience managing major incidents and overseeing structured problem management.
* Strong background in leading change management processes across technical teams.
* Experience maintaining CMDBs and developing knowledge base best practices.
* Outstanding communication, stakeholder engagement, and leadership skills.
* Laser focus on service quality, user experience, and continuous improvement.
Desirable Skills, Qualifications & Experience:
* ITIL Expert or Managing Professional Certification.
* Experience working in scientific or research-based organisations.
* Familiarity with tools like ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, or similar ITSM platforms.
* Relevant technical certifications (e.g., Microsoft, Cisco, etc.).
Benefits
We offer the following salary and benefits:
* Salary: £70,000 - £80,000, plus bonus and travel allowance
* Enhanced holiday pay
* Pension
* Life Assurance
* Income Protection
* Private Medical Insurance
* Hospital Cash Plan
* Therapy Services
* Perk Box
* Electric Car Scheme
Why work for EIT:
At the Ellison Institute, we believe a collaborative, inclusive team is key to our success. We are building a supportive environment where creative risks are encouraged, and everyone feels heard. Valuing emotional intelligence, empathy, respect, and resilience, we encourage people to be curious and to have a shared commitment to excellence. Join us and make an impact!
Terms of Appointment:
You must have the right to work permanently in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary.
You will live in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford.
Please note, due to the nature of the role, this is a fully office based position and requires you to be onsite in our Oxford office Monday – Friday, 8:30 – 17:30 (core working hours)
During peak periods, some longer hours may be required and some working across multiple time zones due to the global nature of the programme.
This role does not have a scheduled closing date for applications, however we encourage all candidates to apply as soon as possible, as we will close the role for applications in the event of receiving high volume applications.