Head of IT Service Management

Arden University; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days holiday + bank holidays

Aviva pension plan, starting from 7%

Private Medical Insurance

Access to Perkbox benefits

Free Arden course for employees and discounts for family

Golden Ticket – Arden education gift

Job summary

A leading educational institution is seeking a Head of IT Service Management to oversee strategic IT service delivery. This role involves aligning services with business objectives and enhancing support for students and staff in a rapidly expanding environment. Candidates should possess senior leadership experience in IT, knowledge of ITIL frameworks, and a drive for service improvement. Exceptional leadership and influencing skills are essential for success in this role, which will operate under a hybrid working model with some travel required.

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.
• Knowledge of IT infrastructure, cloud platforms, cybersecurity, and automation.
• Awareness of AI, ML, and automation trends shaping ITSM.

Responsibilities

• Accountable for strategic leadership of IT service delivery functions.
• Align IT services with business objectives to support digital transformation.
• Work closely with student services teams to enhance technology support.
• Mentor and motivate teams to deliver service improvements at scale.

Skills

Leading IT service delivery

Driving IT service transformation

Implementing service management frameworks

IT infrastructure knowledge

Cybersecurity awareness

Leadership skills

Influencing skills

Higher Education sector experience

Jira Service Management experience

Management or leadership qualifications

Education

Advanced management or leadership qualifications

ITIL Qualifications

Tools

ITIL

COBIT

ISO/IEC 20000

Job description

Overview

Click here to read the full job description and view our excellent benefits here

This role operates on a hybrid working arrangement that will require regular travel into our various UK locations. Travel each week will fluctuate in line with business requirements. You can work remotely when not visiting one of our sites. Our working model arrangements are a non-contractual benefit so please note that an Arden work location is added to our employment contracts.

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

• 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 20000
• 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
• 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%
• 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.

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

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.

Sponsorship statement: 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.