Network Service Manager

Service Manager – Preston – 6 Months – SC Cleared

• As a Service Manager within the Network Portfolio, the role holder is responsible for services from strategic suppliers and internally delivered towers. The Service Manager is the professional conscience ensuring that lines of services are; accessible, compliant, and relevant to our business in terms of service definition, cost and performance.  
• Holds a position of  responsibility in delivery of the Product Management requirements within the business, relating to IT enabled opportunities, as well as representing the businesses best interests with the customer base and Systems globally 
• Provides input to the service continuity planning process and implements resulting plans.  Investigates operational requirements and problems, seeking effective business solutions through improvements in automated and non-automated components of new or changed processes. Assists in the analysis of the underlying issues arising from investigations into requirements and problems and identifies available options for consideration.
• Is a specialist in the provision of the business IM&T strategy in relation to Product Management - ensuring through stakeholder management, the strategy aligns to the business needs and objectives. 

The role holder:

• Manages the full product lifecycle to ensure that, over time, the needs of customers/users continue to be met and that financial and other benefits are achieved.
• Coordinates trials and product launches and supports  communications and training. Anticipates changes in customer/user needs; adapts products, and creates product retirement and transitioning plans.
• Actively maintains recognised knowledge in one or more identifiable specialisms.
• Consolidates expertise from multiple sources, including third party experts, to provide coherent advice to further organisational objectives. Supports and promotes the development and sharing of specialist knowledge within the organisation.
• Manages methods, tools, techniques; selecting appropriately from plan-driven/predictive approaches or more adaptive (iterative and agile) approaches.
• Develops and maintains procedures and documentation for databases. Identifies, evaluates and manages the adoption of appropriate database administration tools and processes, including automation.
• Contributes to the setting of standards for definition, security and integrity of database objects and ensures conformance to these standards.                                                                                                                                      
• Drafts and maintains procedures and documentation for applications support. Manages application enhancements to improve business performance.                                                                                                                                      
• Advises on Network Service security, licensing, upgrades, backups, and disaster recovery needs. Ensures that all requests for support are dealt with according to set standards and procedures.
• Produces models in support of business strategy. Has in-depth knowledge of a broad range of industry-wide modelling techniques. Advises on the choice of techniques and approach and influences customers accordingly.      
• Is capable of developing bespoke models for unusual contexts. Responsible for planning and co-ordinating team modelling activities and for ensuring the quality of their work.

The Service Manager will ensure that

• Own knowledge and familar with services and products under management.
• Ensure services are delivered in line with the agreed performance measures
• Provide input and challenge into monthly service reviews and internal reporting candence.
• Responsible for ensuring that service demand information flows between key stakeholders and that that service capacity is appropriate to meet the future demand.
• Responsible for the management of service risks ensuring that these are appropriately communicated to the Tower Manager ensure that mitigation actions are developed and implemented.
• Engage the SDM and BRM community to ensure that they have the required information to meet their customer’s business needs.
• Have commercial awareness related of supplier agreements and service relationships
• Supporting the Tower Manager by active and purposeful obligations management reviews for the services you manage, in order to drive already agreed contract value for all IT Service Providers.
• Supplier Management
  • Conduct formal monthly reviews with suppliers to review all aspects of Service performance
  • Ensure accountability for the management and delivery of the contracted services.
  • Conduct weekly reviews with suppliers on day-to-day activity
  • Work with supplier to identify opportunities for CSI and cost reduction.
  • Support EIT Commercial in monthly ‘supplier scorecard’ rating.
  • Commercial awareness related to supplier agreements and service relationships

• Ensure that service defintions documents for the managed services are maintained and current.

• Responsible for supporting customer and supplier escalations and complaints relative to the managed service to effective conclusion. 

The Service Manager is primarily concerned with maintaining the performance of the service, however attention should be given to both short term and long term planning, so that integration of future changes can be handled in accordance with “continuous delivery” or “Agile” principles:

• Strategy and Architecture
  • Work with the EIT Service Technical Authority to provide input into the Annual Technology Plan and Annual Strategic Roadmaps for the service.
  • Continual Service Improvement
    • Identify Continual Service Improvement (CSI) items and record in the My IT toolset.
    • Conduct regular CSI workshops with suppliers to address issues or progress significant CSI items.
    • Transition Management
      • Attend Operational Readiness Reviews (ORR’s) to assess the maturity of project deliverables before they are released.
      • Ensure the Transition Manager is aware of the context into which the deliverable is being deployed and that the Project Manager has provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate not only the contracted deliverables but also a business outcome which will enhance the service.

The Service Manager is responsible for ensuring that the Service is delivered within the agreed budget, and that if any additional funding is required, that adequate provision is made in the Service Recovery Model through the Integrated Business Planning process.

• Ensure the Service is delivered in accordance with the budget set in the Integrated Business Plan (IBP), working closely with Cost Base Management and the ‘Use It or Lose It’ teams.
• Identify changes including cost saving opportunities or new expenditure and ensure the IBP is updated via the IBP Change Process.
• Request creation of Purchase Orders and support timely payment of supplier invoices.

The Service Manager works closely with colleagues across a range of capabilities and disciplines within EIT;

• IT Service Operations
  • Service Assurance
  • Service Design and Transition
  • Operational Readiness

• IT Strategy and Architecture
  • Service Technical Authority

• Transformation and Programmes
  • Project and Programme Management

• Integrated Business Operations
  • Cost Base Recovery
  • Software Licience Management
  • Supplier Management

• IT Security
  • Security Oversight