Head of IT Service Management

Arden University Ltd; Coventry; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A dynamic educational institution in Coventry seeks a Head of IT Service Management to lead strategic IT service delivery functions amid rapid growth. The successful candidate will oversee service alignment with business objectives and drive the digital transformation agenda. This role calls for extensive experience in IT service leadership, a strong background in service management frameworks like ITIL, and excellent leadership and influencing skills. Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits are offered.

Benefits

30 days holiday plus bank holidays

Generous pension plan

Private Medical Insurance

Access to Perkbox benefits

Study any Arden course for free

'Golden Ticket' for free Arden education

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in leading IT service delivery at a senior level.
• Proven track record of driving IT service transformation.
• Experience of implementing service management frameworks like ITIL.

Responsibilities

• Accountable for strategic leadership and IT service delivery functions.
• Align IT services with business objectives.
• Support the digital transformation agenda.

Skills

IT service delivery leadership

IT service transformation

Service management frameworks knowledge

Cybersecurity awareness

AI and automation knowledge

Leadership skills

Influencing skills

Education

ITIL Qualifications

Advanced management qualifications

Tools

Jira Service Management

Job description

Salary

Salary: £75,000 - £80,000 per annum

Employment type

Employment type: Permanent

Hours per week

Hours per week: 37

Reporting into

Reporting into: IT Director

Department

Department: IT

About Arden University

We are an aspirational and multi-award-winning university, delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first-choice university for career-focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access higher education.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines, forge worldwide partnerships, and expand our locations.

About our Department

The Head of IT Service Management sits within our Technology Department that is crucial to making sure our employees and students can work effectively, deliver projects, find the right solutions and ensure we develop the technology that will make the biggest difference.

Our IT team is made up of around 65 employees with a vast range of skills from Software Development to IT Operations and Security.

Our IT Department values employee development and we have lots of great examples of employee progression and promotions within the team.

About the Opportunity

As Arden continues to rapidly expand into new locations (9 in the UK and 2 International) and support record student numbers, it is imperative that we move our ITSM maturity to the next level, working closely with the wider University's student services teams, to deliver the highest level of technology support to both our students and staff.

To enable this evolution, we are hiring for a new Head of IT Service Management to be accountable for the strategic leadership, direction, and continuous improvement of all IT service delivery functions. This role ensures that IT services are aligned with business objectives, deliver maximum value, and support the digital transformation agenda.

About You

Essential Skills / Experience

• Extensive experience in leading IT service delivery at a senior level, ideally across multiple business units and/or locations.
• Proven track record of driving IT service transformation and managing large, diverse teams.
• Experience of implementing service management frameworks e.g. Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and driving continuous improvements
• Knowledge of IT infrastructure, cloud platforms, cybersecurity, and automation.
• Awareness of AI, machine learning, and automation trends shaping ITSM
• In depth understanding of service management frameworks, such as ITIL, COBIT, or ISO/IEC 2000
• Excellent leadership skills to engage and motivate team members to deliver further service improvements
• Excellent influencing skills in order to enhance the credibility of the function amongst key stakeholders

Desirable Skills / Experience

• Experience working within the Higher Education sector
• Experience of Jira Service Management
• Advanced management or leadership qualifications
• ITIL Qualifications

Why Arden

At Arden, you will become a part of a passionate and dedicated team who are committed to removing unnecessary barriers to learning and making education more accessible. Our people work hard to ensure our students journeys are the best they can possibly be, as such we want to reward our people with fantastic benefits. Employees benefit from:

• 30 days holiday + bank holidays on-top, and even a Christmas closure!
• A generous Aviva pension plan, company contributions starting from 7%
• SimplyHealth plan option
• Private Medical Insurance coverage (applies to certain job roles)
• Access to Perkbox benefits
• Study any Arden course for free, with a discount for all family and friends
• Plus, other excellent benefits
• Our ‘Golden Ticket’ which allows you to gift anyone in your life a free Arden education

Our Values

Stand out, Progressive, Accessible, Resourceful, Kindness, reflect who we are as an institution, a team and as individuals. If they also reflect you and you are excited by the chance to be the driving, creative force within a growing business, we want to hear from you.

Closing Date

Closing Date: 27th January

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the specified closing date should we receive sufficient applications or in order to respond to business needs. In order to avoid missing an opportunity to apply please submit your application as early as possible.

If you are a current Arden student or have an upcoming course with us, you are not eligible to apply for Student Experience roles due to a conflict of interest related to system access.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Arden University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. This means that if you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Equality Act 2010, you may be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role. If you wish to be considered under this scheme, you can indicate via the application form below. By doing so you are also consenting for this information to be shared with the hiring team. For more details on what qualifies as a disability under the Disability Equality Act 2010, please refer to the guidance here.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Therefore, we make sure that our recruitment and selection processes never discriminate based upon people's age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances, and actively welcome applications from all groups.

Please be aware that some roles may not meet the points requirement for a sponsored Skilled Worker visa under the points-based immigration system. However, we welcome applications from candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK but may be eligible for a visa through an alternative route.