Job Title: IT Service Manager Location: Horley Job Type: Full-Time, Permanent About Us: Our client is undergoing an exciting IT transformation, and we are seeking a IT Service Manager to join their team and play a crucial role in the delivery of high-quality support services across our business-critical applications. As the IT Service Manager, you will provide direction to support teams, ensuring operational standards and service targets are consistently met. If you are a customer-focused, experienced leader with a passion for service management and IT, we want to hear from you Role Overview: The IT Service Manager will be responsible for managing and improving service levels across a range of business-critical applications, including finance, asset management, CRM, data, and metering systems. These systems are critical to the daily operations of the business, highly available 24/7, and hold sensitive data. You will collaborate closely with Infrastructure, Security, Development, and Solution Architecture teams to ensure seamless service delivery and continuous improvement. Key Responsibilities: Service Management: Lead the support teams, including IT Level 1, 2, and 3 support, Infrastructure, Security, Development, and external vendors to deliver high-quality service across business-critical applications. Monitoring & Reporting: Provide regular Monthly Status Reports (MSR) detailing service requests, KPIs, risks, issues, and call analysis. Service Reviews: Schedule and participate in monthly service reviews with internal teams and vendors. Issue Resolution & Escalation: Monitor and escalate any significant service issues as per agreed procedures. Change Management: Implement problem management and change control processes, ensuring smooth service transitions. Service Quality: Drive continuous improvement by managing service quality plans and analyzing performance data. Stakeholder Communication: Manage communications with stakeholders regarding service complaints, issues, and resolutions. Audit & User Support: Facilitate ongoing audits and assist with customer satisfaction surveys. Project Management: Lead IT change projects, ensuring clear specifications and project plans are agreed upon. Training & Development: Participate in continuous learning activities to enhance your skills and knowledge. Health & Safety: Adhere to all Stark policies and ensure safe working practices within the team. Person Specification: Key Competencies & Skills: Service Management: Proven experience in service management, including service desk, IT support, and ITIL/ITSM processes. Customer-Focused: Strong commitment to customer satisfaction and understanding the business value of delivering exceptional support services. Leadership & Team Management: Strong leadership skills, with experience managing cross-functional teams and 3rd party vendors. Technical Knowledge: Solid understanding of service management tools (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira), application support, hosting/infrastructure, and risk management. Project Management: Experience in managing IT projects, with relevant qualifications (e.g., PMP, Prince2). Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present information clearly and build rapport with stakeholders. Problem Solving & Decision-Making: Comfortable making decisions under pressure and solving complex issues effectively. Experience & Qualifications: Industry Experience: Experience in a regulated or blue-chip environment, managing business systems with over 50 users. ITIL/ITSM: Demonstrable experience in ITIL/ITSM practices and the use of ITSM tools, with configuration experience where possible. Customer-Facing: Strong customer-facing experience and management, with the ability to develop and maintain strong client relationships. Service Management Certifications: ITIL Foundation certification or equivalent is desirable. Project Management Certifications: Experience in project management methodologies such as PMP or Prince2 is advantageous. Experience with ITSM Tools: Experience with tools like ServiceNow, Jira, or similar platforms, ideally with configuration exposure. Behaviours & Personal Attributes: Calm, professional, and confident in challenging situations. Supportive and team-oriented, with a positive and flexible attitude. Highly organized with attention to detail, and able to prioritize work effectively. Proactively shares knowledge and strives for continuous improvement. Able to work independently and manage multiple tasks simultaneously