Technical Services Manager (Change Projects) - Bradford

Job Title: Technical Services Manager

Section: Information Systems (IS) Department

Responsible to: Head of Information Systems

Job Purpose:

The Technical Services Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day delivery of IT Operational Support and IT / Tech Change Projects. You will ideally be used to being part of a small IT function and as such have the ability to pick up tasks that fall inside of tech and then conversely, into management, on any given day. This is a hybrid role that bridges the gap between tech and management. You'll enjoy managing projects, problems, issues, risks, and technology, and no one day will be the same in this fast-paced environment.

This role could suit a lead engineer that has management traits and/or recent history (maybe 1 or 2 years as a lead 3rd line / quasi IT manager) but you've not actually been provided with the title. This role could offer the chance for you to be rewarded with the official title and become a valued part of the management team.

Monitoring, managing, and reporting on service delivery, the post-holder will assist in developing IT systems and services, whilst nurturing positive relationships with the customer base within the organization.

Staff Management Responsibility:

The post-holder will line manage 4 x IS support staff of varying levels from 1st to 2nd line & 2nd to 3rd Line. This will include mentoring, managing, and prioritizing workload to hit deadlines as agreed with the Head of Information Systems.

The post-holder will develop skills both individually and as a team so that the IS staff can provide the best service to the group including the induction, appraisal, and performance management of team members and the management of sickness/absence and conduct etc.

The post-holder will lead, manage, and direct the IS team to support all aspects of IT support and change management, taking operational responsibility for the team, including where day-to-day management has been delegated.

The post-holder will define training requirements for the IS team and ensure that support cover in and outside of normal working hours is available for holidays and sickness.

The post-holder will be expected to implement and work within the Information Systems and Human Resources Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines.

The post-holder will meet weekly with the Head of Information Systems and will provide reviews of work completed, work in progress, and planned work. When directed, scheduled or planned work may be deferred or rescheduled to meet the needs of the group.

The post-holder will ensure full compliance with any relevant laws, regulations, policies, and guidelines.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Provide a high level of service support and maintain the systems and infrastructure, with the responsibility of identifying and implementing new developments, which are aligned with the organisation’s strategy.
2. Serve as the main technical expert to the Head of Information Systems, IS team, and the wider business.
3. Ensure that incidents and requests are handled appropriately and ensure that documentation of the supported components is available and in an appropriate form for those providing support.
4. Ensure that appropriate action is taken to anticipate, investigate, and resolve problems in systems and services ensuring that such problems are fully documented within relevant system(s). Coordinate the implementation of agreed remedies and preventative measures and analyse patterns and trends.
5. Develop implementation plans for dealing with system change, including the introduction of new systems and/or services, evaluating risks to the integrity of infrastructure inherent in proposed implementations and review the effectiveness of the change implementation.
6. Identify and draw awareness on operational risk for all aspects of the IT capability, mitigate this risk as far as possible within practical constraints.
7. Ensure maximum availability of IT systems and infrastructure, minimise outages and ensure optimal system performance.
8. Directed by the Head of Information Systems, take responsibility for the definition, documentation, and satisfactory completion of IT projects. Including: Identifying, planning, allocating tasks to IS staff and assessing and managing risks to the success of the project.
9. Work with the Head of IS to develop IT budgets and identify opportunities to reduce operating costs, whilst adhering to financial rules and regulations.
10. Take responsibility for own workload and keep the Head of Information Systems informed, highlighting potential problems and suggesting solutions to ensure continuity of service delivery.
11. Promote and assist the Head of Information Systems in the implementation of strategies, policies, and procedures that seek to guide and shape the IT service delivered by the IS department.
12. Continually conduct cyber and IT security risk and vulnerability assessments for business applications and/or IT systems and provide remediation/mitigation and guidance on the application and operation of fundamental physical, procedural and technical security controls.
13. Responsible for the coordination of regular Information Security reviews with partner organisations by conducting assessments of departmental systems, processes, and infrastructure and making recommendations to minimise risks identified.
14. Work closely with the Head of Information Systems to assist and provide input to ensure that policies and procedures for Information Security are effective and adhered to. Making recommendations for updates to policies and procedures as required.
15. Directing IS staff, carry out 'ad-hoc' tasks when required to assist with the security and smooth running of IT systems and to ensure a high level of support for users.
16. Stay informed of developments in the IT world, assessing and advising the Head of Information Systems on the potential benefit of leveraging existing technologies and new/emerging system(s) developments or products.
17. Make effective use of available resources including people, information, networks, and budgets. Being aware of the financial and commercial aspects of the organisation.
18. Assist the Head of Information Systems with the production of departmental reports on a weekly, monthly, and ad hoc basis.
19. Any other tasks as requested by Head of Information Systems.

SKILLS:

Required Ability to adjust to unfamiliar situations, demands, and change. Seeing change as an opportunity and being receptive to new ideas. Ability to assimilate new support tasks while retaining and developing established ones. Ability to adapt communication style to suit the audience. Enthusiastic and self-motivated, with the ability to confidently work within a demanding changing business and technical environment. Ability to deal with confidential and sensitive information with tact and discretion. Customer focused, with experience of providing advice and guidance to end users with a proven track record of service delivery. Ability to explain complex IT information clearly to ‘lay’ managers and other stakeholders. Organised and methodical, with the ability to work to targets and goals.

EXPERIENCE:

Required Previous IT Operations experience within a fast-paced environment. Proven track record of supervising or managing, motivating and developing an effective IT support team in a complex environment. In-depth experience of providing IT support (1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd tier) and the processes associated with it, ideally in a dynamic fast-paced environment. In-depth experience of managing Cyber and IT security risk and the importance of systems hardening to safeguard business systems. In-depth experience with IT system implementation and troubleshooting support for core Microsoft technologies and a variety of business-specific applications. In-depth experience of manually utilising SQL for data manipulation, building reports and analysis services. Experienced in managing multiple administration systems including: VMware, Veeam Backup and Replication, WAN, LAN (VLAN), VPN, Active Directory, Exchange, Server, Desktop Antivirus and SIEM platforms. Experienced in designing IT service delivery policies, procedures and practices and putting them into action.

Desirable Experienced in the identification, planning and management of operating and capital expenditure budgets achieving value for money. Experienced in the negotiation, management and monitoring of contracts for IT services provided by third parties ensuring effective service delivery. Experienced in developing, delivering and managing IT strategies and plans aligned to key business objectives. Proven skills and experience in defining, planning and managing IT Change Projects. Proven skills and experience in bringing about controlled change to improve the delivery and performance of business IT capability. A strong understanding of all aspects of service delivery with a working knowledge of ITIL.