IT Application Support Manager

Lincolnshire Co-op; Lincoln; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

34 days annual leave (including bankH)

Pension scheme (12% employer)

Generous colleague discount rates

Annual discretionary bonuses

Job summary

Lincolnshire Co-op is seeking an experienced Application Support Manager to lead our IT applications portfolio, overseeing lifecycle from introduction to decommissioning and ensuring availability against service levels. You will mentor the application analysts, manage multi-vendor relationships, collaborate with project teams, and develop a maintenance roadmap to keep systems reliable and resilient.

This role requires ITIL expertise, strong vendor management, and a track record of delivering

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent qualification in Information Technology, Computer Science or a related field.
• Proven experience as an Applications Manager, or experience in a similar role managing application portfolios.
• Strong understanding of ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) principles and practices.
• Experience managing application support in a complex multi-vendor environment.
• Familiarity with project management principles and practices would be desirable.
• Knowledge of application lifecycle management and maintenance practices.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the full lifecycle of applications, from introduction to decommissioning, ensuring business needs and service levels are met.
• Develop and maintain a maintenance roadmap including upgrades, patches and housekeeping activities.
• Manage relationships with suppliers and negotiate service agreements for high-quality support.
• Lead and mentor a team of application analysts to drive performance and collaboration.
• Provide expert consultation to project teams on changes in the applications domain.

Skills

ITIL principles

Multi-vendor environment

Team leadership

Vendor management

Application lifecycle management

Project management

Education

Degree in IT / Computer Science

Job description

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Application Support Manager to join our growing IT team and take charge of managing our portfolio of applications. In this critical role, you will be responsible for the full lifecycle of applications, from introduction and maintenance to decommissioning, ensuring they meet business needs at every stage. You will also lead the way in maintaining continuous operational service, monitoring performance, and ensuring applications are available and reliable to meet agreed service levels.

A key focus of this role is developing and maintaining a maintenance roadmap for all applications, including planning upgrades, patching, and regular housekeeping activities. You will ensure these maintenance activities are implemented promptly to prevent disruptions and sustain application health. Working closely with suppliers, you will manage technical relationships and negotiate service agreements to ensure consistent and high-quality support.

In addition, you will lead and mentor a team of application analysts, fostering a collaborative environment and driving high standards of performance. You will also provide expert consultation to project teams, offering technical advice and impact assessments for changes in the applications domain.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a skilled IT professional to make a meaningful impact, ensuring the resilience and performance of applications that are critical to our success.

For a full list of responsibilities you can refer to the full job description, which is available as a download at the top of this page.

INDMP

About You

• Degree or equivalent qualification or equivalent experience in Information Technology, Computer Science or a related field.
• Proven experience as an Applications Manager, or experience in a similar role managing application portfolios.
• Strong understanding of ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) principles and practices.
• Experience managing application support in a complex multi-vendor environment.
• Familiarity with project management principles and practices would be desirable.
• Knowledge of application lifecycle management and maintenance practices.

You’ll bring proven experience in leading and managing teams, including both internal colleagues and external partners, fostering collaboration and driving high performance. Your excellent vendor management skills will enable you to negotiate and oversee technical service agreements effectively, ensuring high-quality service delivery.

With strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, you’ll focus on identifying opportunities for continuous improvement and implementing solutions that enhance performance and resilience. Your exceptional communication and interpersonal skills will allow you to build strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels, ensuring effective collaboration across the organisation.

Benefits

• 34 days annual leave (including bank holidays) (pro-rata)
• Pension scheme (with up to 12% employer contributions)
• Generous colleague discount rates across our family of businesses
• Annual discretionary colleague bonuses to reward you for your hard work

We are an "Investors in People - Platinum" employer, meaning that we have been recognised as one of the country’s top employers, offering progression opportunities to all our colleagues. As your confidence grows, you’ll have the opportunity to build the skills necessary to further progress your career and help to open up future opportunities. Whether you’re thinking of a future with us or looking to develop your skills with a community-focused business, we’ll work together with you to shape your career for the better.

About Us

From a single store in 1861 we have grown to be one of the most successful co-operatives in the UK. We’re proud to be able to offer a wide range of services from across our family of businesses. From Food Stores and Pharmacies to Post Offices and Support Services, we’re a growing society made up of over 220 outlets and nearly 3,000 colleagues.

We’re owned by our members, the people of Lincolnshire and surrounding counties, and have been for more than 160 years! Communities are at the heart of everything we do and motivates us to deliver more than great customer service. We support them by sharing dividend with our members, investing in new and improved services, raising money for charity through our Community Champion scheme, supporting local schools and so much more! Find out more about us, our purpose and wonderful colleagues here.

We work together as a Society and are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is barrier free and as inclusive as possible for everyone. If you need any adjustments, would like us to do anything differently during the interview or would like to get in touch with us about anything else, please contact our Recruitment team on [phone], or alternatively you can [e-mail].

We may choose to close our vacancies in the event that we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we encourage all candidates to apply as soon as possible.