Head of IT Support

University of South Hampton; Southampton; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days annual leave

Excellent pension scheme

Family-friendly policies

Wellbeing facilities

Flexible working

Job summary

The University of Southampton's iSolutions invites applications for a Head of IT Support, a high-profile leadership role overseeing IT Support across the university. You will lead managers and technical professionals in Service Desk, Tech Hubs, Outreach and AV support, setting priorities and driving a culture of accountability and service excellence.

Reporting to the Deputy Director, you will balance operational delivery with long-term service development, use data and customer insight to

Qualifications

• Experience leading customer-facing IT support or service delivery in a complex organisation.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with operational judgement to deliver measurable outcomes.
• Proven track record of developing capable teams and creating a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead managers and technical professionals across Service Desk, Tech Hubs, Outreach and AV support.
• Set priorities, strengthen performance and ensure the support model meets student and staff needs.
• Oversee workforce planning, resource allocation and service resilience; balance operational delivery with service development.

Skills

Leadership experience

People management

Data-driven improvement

Stakeholder management

Strategic planning

Tools

ServiceNow

ITIL

Automation tools

Job description

Lead the teams at the frontline of the University's technology experience

Every day, circa 25,000 students and 6,500 staff rely on technology to learn, teach, research and work. Behind that experience are the people and services that make technology accessible, reliable and effective.

We are looking for an experienced leader to become our next Head of IT Support within iSolutions, the University's IT and digital service.

This is a high-profile leadership role responsible for the performance and continual improvement of IT Support across the University.

You will lead managers and technical professionals across our Service Desk, on-campus IT support (Tech Hubs), Outreach and AV support services. As Service Owner, you will set priorities, strengthen performance and ensure our support model continues to meet the needs of students and staff.

Reporting to the Deputy Director of IT Support Services, you will balance operational delivery with longer-term service development, contributing to wider iSolutions strategy.

About the Role

You will lead a diverse, customer-facing service and create the conditions for teams to deliver excellent support.

Using service data, customer insight and operational expertise, you will identify opportunities to improve performance, customer journeys and efficiency. You will oversee workforce planning, resource allocation and service resilience, ensuring support remains effective as demand changes.

A key part of the role will be modernising IT support through digital and remote services, automation, AI and new technologies that improve customer experience and reduce avoidable demand.

You will build strong relationships, providing insight to inform service development and investment.

The University operates across multiple campuses, so regular travel and a visible leadership presence will be important.

What You'll Bring

You will be a people-focused service leader with significant experience leading IT support, service delivery or other customer-facing operational functions in a complex organisation.

You will bring:

• A strong track record of leading customer-focused IT support or service delivery.
• The ability to combine strategic thinking with operational judgement, turning priorities into measurable outcomes.
• Experience leading through managers, developing capable teams and creating a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Confidence using data, insight and customer feedback to drive improvement.
• Strong communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience managing people, resources and capacity to deliver resilient services.
• A strong understanding of IT support, service management and the evolving digital workplace.
• A commitment to inclusive leadership, accessibility and creating an environment where people can perform at their best.

Experience of service ownership, ITIL, ServiceNow, digital workplace services, automation or AI-enabled support, financial planning, supplier management and Higher Education would be advantageous.

About iSolutions

iSolutions is the University of Southampton's IT and digital service, providing technology, systems and support for education, research and professional services.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to lead a well-established service, improving performance, modernising support and developing future capability.

We offer:

• 30 days annual leave, plus University closure days.
• Membership of an excellent pension scheme.
• Family-friendly policies.
• Access to wellbeing, sports, arts and cultural facilities.
• The opportunity to lead talented teams and make a visible difference to thousands of students and staff.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone is valued, respected and able to contribute. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are committed to equality of opportunity throughout our recruitment process.

As a university we aim to create an environment where everyone can thrive and are proactive in fostering a culture of inclusion, respect and equality of opportunity. We believe that we can only truly meet our objectives if we are reflective of society, so we are passionate about creating a working environment in which you are free to bring your whole self to work. With a generous holiday allowance as well as additional university closure days we are committed to supporting our staff and students and open to a flexible working approach.