Asset Application Service Manager

Southern Water; Lewes; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Southern Water is seeking an experienced Asset Application Service Manager to lead the Wholesale Platforms team, overseeing stability, performance, and security of ~50 enterprise applications. You’ll manage a team of technical specialists, drive 24/7 support, and govern ITSM processes to ensure resilience and high customer service levels.

You will own problem management, coordinate with suppliers and stakeholders, and oversee contracts worth about £5 million.

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing operational support and service delivery for business-critical technology platforms.
• Strong knowledge of Incident, Problem, Change, and Service Request Management, ideally within an ITIL-based environment.
• Good understanding of enterprise application platforms and architectures.
• Demonstrable experience leading and developing high-performing technical or application support teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to communicate complex technical issues clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong organisational, planning, and prioritisation skills, particularly within fast-paced operational environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proactive, customer service-focused approach with continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end operational service management of wholesale platforms, applications, and related technologies.
• Ensure service levels, availability targets, and customer experience objectives are met.
• Own IT Service Management processes: Incident, Problem, Change, Service Request.
• Take accountability for SLA performance, resilience, risk, and availability.
• Lead and motivate a team of support specialists and outsourced providers.
• Ensure new products/releases transition smoothly into operational support.
• Own Problem Management and root-cause analysis for recurring issues.
• Serve as primary escalation point for major incidents.
• Act as Application Service Owner for wholesale apps, SaaS, and mobile platforms.
• Monitor performance and identify continuous improvement opportunities.
• Maintain operational docs, runbooks, and audit-ready controls.
• Ensure security/regulatory compliance.

Skills

ITIL processes

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

Incident Mgmt

Communication skills

Planning & prioritisation

Documentation

Customer service

Security/compliance

Tools

Planview

Jira

Job description

Closing Date

2026-09-07

Asset Application Service Manager

Location: Falmer, Brighton – Hybrid working (2 days in the office)
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: Full Time

Salary: Around £70,000 depending on experience

On-Call Requirement: Participation in an out-of-hours support rota

About the Role

We’re looking for an experienced Asset Application Service Manager to join our Wholesale Platforms team. This is a critical leadership role responsible for ensuring the stability, performance, security, and continuous improvement of a portfolio of approximately 50 enterprise applications and associated technologies that support our wholesale operations.

Leading a team of technical support specialists, you’ll be accountable for delivering high-quality, customer-focused 24/7 support services across a complex technology landscape. You’ll oversee the operational management of business-critical platforms, mobile applications, integrations, databases, monitoring tools, and related technologies that enable wholesale customer journeys, partner integrations, and core business operations.

Managing service contracts worth approximately £5 million, you’ll work closely with technology teams, suppliers, and business stakeholders to ensure services remain resilient, reliable, and aligned with business needs. You’ll also act as the key escalation point for major incidents and service issues, driving problems through to successful resolution.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead the end-to-end operational service management of wholesale platforms, applications, and associated technologies.
• Ensure agreed service levels, availability targets, and customer experience objectives are consistently achieved.
• Own and govern IT Service Management processes, including Incident, Problem, Change, and Service Request Management.
• Take full accountability for SLA performance, service resilience, operational risk, and platform availability.
• Lead, develop, and motivate a team of support specialists, matrix-managed resources, and outsourced service providers.
• Ensure new products, releases, and changes transition smoothly into operational support.
• Own Problem Management activities, driving root cause analysis and permanent resolution of recurring issues.
• Act as the primary escalation point for major incidents and critical operational issues.
• Serve as Application Service Owner for a range of wholesale applications, SaaS solutions, and mobile workforce platforms.
• Monitor platform and application performance, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Maintain operational documentation, support procedures, runbooks, and audit-ready controls.
• Ensure compliance with security, regulatory, and data protection requirements.
• Support project delivery activities including requirements gathering, solution design, testing, and operational readiness.
• Deliver application support, administration, maintenance, and enhancement activities across platforms, databases, integrations, and mobile applications.
• Drive automation, integration, and process improvement initiatives to improve operational efficiency and service stability.
• Build strong working relationships with internal stakeholders, suppliers, and external vendors.
• Support business continuity and disaster recovery planning, testing, and execution.
• Produce reporting, metrics, forecasts, and service insights to support governance and continual improvement.
• Ensure adequate out-of-hours support coverage across all required technical skill areas.

What We’re Looking For

Essential Skills & Experience

• Proven experience managing operational support and service delivery for business-critical technology platforms.
• Strong knowledge of Incident, Problem, Change, and Service Request Management, ideally within an ITIL-based environment.
• Good understanding of enterprise application platforms and application architectures.
• Demonstrable experience leading and developing high-performing technical or application support teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to communicate complex technical issues clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong organisational, planning, and prioritisation skills, particularly within fast-paced operational environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proactive, self-motivated approach with a strong focus on customer service and continuous improvement.

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Experience within the Water or Wastewater industry.
• Understanding of digital and enterprise system architecture.
• Experience with resource planning and work management tools such as Planview and Jira.
• Experience supporting asset management applications.
• Experience supporting mobile workforce applications.
• Experience within wholesale, B2B platforms, or partner-integrated technology environments.
• Knowledge of cloud platforms, API-driven architectures, and application monitoring tools.

Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain’s water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025-30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in the way water services are managed.

You will be joining at a time of significant change, working alongside a highly skilled leadership team with a clear vision for the future. We offer an environment where senior professionals can make a meaningful impact, influence major strategic decisions, and drive long-term value creation.

Our Commitment to Diversity

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.

In line with Southern Water’s security requirements, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their identity, eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record check (DBS) and verification of their employment and/or education history for the past three years.

Appointment to this role is subject to the successful completion of all pre‑employment checks, including security vetting.

Please note that if a candidate does not meet the required security standards or fails to pass the vetting process, Southern Water reserves the right to withdraw the offer of employment. Some positions may also require higher levels of security vetting, which may involve providing additional documentation.