Head of Service

Xeinadin; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company Pension Scheme

25 days annual leave + bank holidays

Life Assurance x4 annual salary

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

Xeinadin in Manchester seeks a Head of Service to lead IT service delivery across the UK and Ireland. You will drive a single service operating model, governance, and continuous improvement while aligning technology services with business needs.

The role requires extensive ITIL experience, supplier management, and a track record of service transformation across multi-site environments. Hybrid work and a strong pension/benefits package are offered.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in IT service management or service delivery leadership.
• Experience leading Service Desk and Service Management functions.
• Strong knowledge of ITIL best practice.
• Experience managing third-party suppliers and outsourced services.
• Experience operating within a multi-site enterprise environment.
• Proven ability to lead operational transformation and service improvement.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience producing executive-level service reporting.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Service function across Xeinadin.
• Define and own service standards, SLAs, OLAs and KPIs.
• Act as the senior escalation point for service-related issues.
• Drive improvements in first-time fix rates, customer satisfaction and service responsiveness.
• Develop self-service, knowledge management and automation capabilities.
• Ensure service transition from projects follows formal governance.
• Own Incident, Problem, Change, Request and Major Incident Management processes.
• Produce executive-level service reporting and dashboards.
• Lead supplier reviews with key providers and drive improvement plans.
• Coordinate major incident management and post-incident reviews.

Skills

IT service management

Service delivery leadership

ITIL

Supplier management

Stakeholder management

Executive reporting

Multi-site leadership

Service governance

Education

ITIL 4 Managing Professional or equivalent

Tools

COBIT governance

Job description

Vacancy Name

Head of Service

Vacancy No

VN2453

Employment Type

Permanent

Duration

NA

Location City

Manchester

Location Country

United Kingdom

Company Description

Xeinadin was established in 2019 when a number of leading business advisory and accountancy practices across the UK and Ireland came together to re-imagine the future of accountancy. Our collective mission to provide locally forged, trusted business advice to SMEs through forward-thinking, close-knit relationships remains pivotal to our growth. It's our people who drive our business forward, and we offer them future-focused career opportunities whilst supporting individual specialisms. Our regional offices of over 3000 colleagues operate collaboratively, combining collective expertise to maximise potential.

Description

The Head of Service is responsible for the delivery, performance and continual improvement of all IT services across Xeinadin. The role ensures a consistent, reliable and customer-focused service experience for colleagues across the UK and Ireland.

The post holder will lead service management, supplier performance, service reporting, major incident management and service improvement. They will establish and maintain a single service standard across the business while driving adoption of ITIL best practice, governance controls and operational excellence.

Working closely with the Head of Platform, Enterprise Architecture and business leaders, the Head of Service will ensure technology services are stable, trusted, measurable and aligned with business needs.

Key Responsibilities

Service Leadership

• Lead the Service function across Xeinadin.
• Establish a single service operating model across all offices.
• Define and own service standards, SLAs, OLAs and KPIs.
• Act as the senior escalation point for service-related issues.

Service Desk & End User Experience

• Accountable for service desk operations & field engineering
• Drive improvements in first-time fix rates, customer satisfaction and service responsiveness.
• Champion an excellent end-user experience across all technology services.
• Develop self-service, knowledge management and automation capabilities.
• Ensure service transition from projects follows formal governance

ITIL Service Management

• Own Incident, Problem, Change, Request and Major Incident Management processes.
• Ensure service management disciplines are consistently applied across internal teams and suppliers.
• Maintain service governance forums and reporting.

Supplier & Vendor Management

• Lead service reviews with key suppliers including MSPs, SOC providers and application partners.
• Manage contractual service obligations and performance targets.
• Drive supplier accountability and service improvement plans.
• Support contract renewals, service transitions and commercial negotiations.

Major Incident Management

• Own the Major Incident process.
• Coordinate business communications during critical incidents.
• Lead post-incident reviews and root cause analysis.
• Ensure lessons learned are embedded.

Service Reporting & Governance

• Produce executive-level service reporting and dashboards.
• Present service performance to ExCo and relevant governance forums.
• Measure performance against agreed service targets.
• Drive fact-based service improvement initiatives.

Continual Service Improvement

• Develop a formal CSI programme.
• Identify opportunities for automation and standardisation.
• Improve operational efficiency, service quality and customer satisfaction.
• Reduce recurring incidents and operational risk.

Risk, Compliance & Assurance

• Support IT audit, cyber security and operational resilience requirements.
• Ensure service processes align to COBIT, ITIL and organisational governance frameworks.
• Maintain operational risk and issue registers.

Leadership & People Management

• Lead, coach and develop SDM.
• Manage the on call rota.
• Build a culture of accountability, ownership and customer focus.
• Support succession planning and capability development.
• Define clear objectives and performance expectations.

Key Requirements Essential

• 8+ years in IT service management or service delivery leadership roles.
• Experience leading Service Desk and Service Management functions.
• Strong knowledge of ITIL best practice.
• Experience managing third-party suppliers and outsourced services.
• Experience operating within a multi-site enterprise environment.
• Proven ability to lead operational transformation and service improvement.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience producing executive-level service reporting.

Additional Requirements

• ITIL 4 Managing Professional or equivalent.
• Experience in professional services or acquisitive organisations.
• Experience of large-scale service transition programmes.
• Knowledge of COBIT governance frameworks.
• Experience working alongside MSPs and outsourced support models.

Model

Hybrid

Salary

Competitive

Benefits

• Company Pension Scheme
• 25 days of annual leave + bank holidays
• Additional annual leave days from certain levels of seniority
• Ability to buy up to 5 days of annual leave to reach a maximum of 30 days per annum
• Business closure over Christmas*
• Life Assurance x4 annual salary
• Enhanced family leave policies
• Enhanced Company Sick Pay
• Employee Assistance Programme - 24/7 support, free and confidential
• Corporate Discounts Platform

Flexible Benefits platform with ability to opt-in to various insurances (level of seniority dependent & self-funded at corporate rates) such as:

• Critical Illness Cover
• Cash plan
• Cycle to work
• Eye care
• Dental
• subject to exceptions and business needs