Associate Service Delivery & Release Manager

Finova; Cheltenham; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Private medical insurance

Life assurance & income protection

Family friendly policies

Work from abroad up to 4 weeks a year

25 days holiday + public holidays with

Company pension scheme

Employee assistance programme

Gym discounts

Snack pantry and team socials

Job summary

Finova is seeking a client-focused professional to manage relationships with tier 3 lenders and oversee service delivery. You will drive reviews, coordinate releases, and ensure high-quality support within a hybrid, office-based role in Cheltenham.

Ideal candidates have strong communication, a methodical mindset, and experience with service desks and MS Office; JIRA Service Management is a bonus. The position offers hybrid working and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Experience in client or customer relationship management, ideally within Software Delivery or Financial Services.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with client empathy.
• Calm, organized and methodical approach in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and deliver monthly or quarterly service reviews for clients.
• Track issues and hotspots; work with the Service & Reliability team to prioritise and resolve.
• Plan, coordinate and oversee L1 release deployments with cross-functional teams.
• Maintain visibility of production activities, patches and incidents for allocated clients.
• Drive SLA resolutions and collaborate with Service Desk Managers to improve performance.

Skills

Client relationship management

Communication & empathy

Organized & methodical

MS Office / Google Workspace

JIRA Service Management

Tools

JIRA Service Management

Microsoft Office

Job description

About Finova

Finova is the UK's leading lending and savings technology provider, supporting one in every five mortgages nationwide. Our agile, cloud-native solutions enable over 60 banks, building societies, specialist lenders, equity release providers and a network of 2,400+ brokers to stay ahead in a competitive market.

Cheltenham - 3 days office based

About Finova

Finova is the UK's leading lending and savings technology provider, supporting one in every five mortgages nationwide. Our agile, cloud-native solutions enable over 60 banks, building societies, specialist lenders, equity release providers and a network of 2,400+ brokers to stay ahead in a competitive market.

Built on open architecture and backed by deep industry expertise, our platform is designed to scale. Each year, we process over £50 billion in loans, manage nearly £50 billion in savings, and support the digital servicing of more than 650,000 UK borrower accounts.

Be part of a team that’s driving innovation, enabling growth and shaping the future of UK lending.

For Lenders

Finova offers a flexible, modular technology suite designed to help lenders move faster, scale efficiently and deliver standout digital experiences.

Financial Institutions use Finova to launch products faster, process applications up to 50% more efficiently and reduce operational costs — all while staying fully compliant in a fast-moving market.

About you:

• Background: Client/customer relationship experience, ideally within Software Delivery or Financial Services. Knowledge of service desk operations and what constitutes "world-class service" is a distinct advantage.
• Communication & Empathy: Exceptional written, verbal, and listening skills with demonstrable customer empathy and the ability to tailor your approach to different client contracts and ways of working.
• Mindset: A calm, organized, and methodical approach to a fast-paced, demanding environment, ensuring clients have full confidence in our actions.
• Technical Proficiency: Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office (especially PowerPoint and Excel) or Google Workspace equivalents. Experience using JIRA Service Management is a bonus.

What will you be doing?

• Client Management: Prepare and deliver monthly or quarterly service reviews for your clients (typically tier 3 Lenders), conducting regular touchpoints to build strong, valued relationships.
• Issue Resolution: Champion client priorities by tracking problems and hotspots. Collaborate with the Finova Service & Reliability team to ensure issues are prioritized and resolved promptly.
• Release Coordination: Plan, coordinate, and oversee L1 release deployments (e.g., product catalogue changes). Align resources, manage client communications, and ensure compliance with internal processes (requires occasional early evening and very rare weekend activity).
• Production Oversight: Maintain full visibility of production activities for allocated clients, including patches, major incidents, and Cloud Ops–managed tests (DR, Pen testing), ensuring all data is provided for the CAB process.
• SLA Management: Drive resolutions within SLAs, escalating blocked issues beyond the first-line team, and working with Service Desk Managers to continuously improve performance metrics.

What We Offer:

• Hybrid working We operate on a hybrid model that is primarily office-based, requiring three days in the office each week, with the flexibility to work remotely for the remainder.
• Private medical insurance Comprehensive health cover, with the option to add your family to your plan, because your well-being matters to us.
• Life assurance & income protection We provide life assurance and income protection to give you peace of mind for the future
• Family friendly policies Our enhanced family-friendly policy goes beyond maternity and paternity leave, offering paid time off for when plans change or alternative paths to parenthood are needed.
• Work from anywhere Some thrive in the office, others at home — and many do best with choice. With approval, Finova employees can work abroad for up to 4 weeks each year.
• Flexible holiday package Enjoy 25 days paid holiday allowance, plus all public holidays. And, you can rebook any public holidays for a day that aligns with your personal beliefs or celebration calendar. We also offer holiday trading allowing you to purchase or sell your holiday allowance.
• Company pension scheme With salary exchange, you save on tax and can build a secure future.
• Employee assistance programme We understand that mental health is just as important as physical health. Access to a 24/7 confidential counselling helpline ensures you have support when you need it.
• Electric car scheme Get a brand-new electric vehicle with salary sacrifice as a benefit, paid for through your gross monthly pay, saving on Income Tax and National Insurance.
• Health cash plan Our Health Cash Plan empowers you to prioritise your wellbeing by providing effortless reimbursement for everyday healthcare costs, from dental and optical visits to physiotherapy.
• Gym discounts Achieve your fitness goals for less with GymFlex, which offers significant savings on annual memberships at over 3,000 gyms and leisure centers nationwide.
• Perks that matter We fuel your day with a fully stocked pantry of fresh fruit and snacks and keep the team spirit high with weekly socials and events.

Equal Opportunity Statement

We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. If you’re passionate about this role but don’t meet all the criteria, please reach out, we’d love to discuss how your skills and experiences align with our needs.