IT Customer Service Manager

City of Portsmouth College; Portsmouth; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A local educational institution in Portsmouth is seeking an IT Customer Service Manager to lead the IT Support Team, ensuring high-quality IT services to staff and students. This role involves overseeing daily team operations, stakeholder communication, and resource management. Candidates should have a degree in IT or Customer Service Management, ITIL certification, and strong communication and organizational skills. The college offers a supportive workplace culture and competitive benefits, including 32 days of annual leave and access to staff development programs.

Benefits

32 days annual leave

Local Government Pension Scheme

Access to staff development programmes

Onsite discounts at college facilities

Free parking at campus sites

Discounts with Blue Light Card

Qualifications

• Degree in IT, Customer Service Management, or related field.
• ITIL certification preferred.
• Any Microsoft 365 qualifications are beneficial.
• Experience in delivering IT support and strong organisational skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage IT Support Team operations and resolve IT requests.
• Lead and develop IT support staff.
• Act as escalation for complex technical issues.
• Communicate support status to senior management.

Skills

Organisational skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Time-management

Customer service

Education

Degree in IT or Customer Service Management

ITIL certification

Microsoft 365 qualifications

Cisco / Meraki qualifications

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Overview

The IT Customer Service Manager leads the IT Support Team, ensuring the delivery of high‑quality IT support services to staff and students. This role is responsible for managing the IT helpdesk, resource allocation, stakeholder engagement, and driving continuous improvement in customer service to support the college's strategic IT objectives.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the daily operations of the IT Support Team, ensuring timely and effective resolution of IT support requests.
• Lead, mentor, and develop IT support staff, fostering a collaborative and high‑performance culture.
• Act as an escalation point for complex technical and customer service issues.
• Serve as the primary contact for IT support stakeholders, including internal departments and external partners.
• Communicate support status, risks, and achievements to the Head of IT and senior management.
• Manage support resources, including staff scheduling, budgets, and third‑party suppliers.
• Conduct regular 1:1s and team meetings with direct reports.
• Implement and maintain support controls, including incident management, issue tracking, and quality assurance.
• Ensure all IT support activities comply with college policies, Cyber Essentials, GDPR, and safeguarding requirements.
• Champion new technologies and process improvements to enhance IT support efficiency and effectiveness.
• Review and refine IT support methodologies, documentation, and reporting.
• Provide regular updates and reports to the Head of IT, including service metrics, deliverables, and risk assessments.
• Promote and uphold college values, diversity, inclusion, and safeguarding policies in all IT support activities.

Qualifications

• Degree in IT, Customer Service Management, or related field; ITIL certification.
• Any Microsoft 365 qualifications.
• Any Cisco / Meraki qualifications.
• Relevant technical qualifications.
• A good standard of maths and English.
• Strong organisational and time‑management skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Experience of delivering IT support to a high standard and understanding customer need.
• Line management experience.

About City of Portsmouth College

At City of Portsmouth College, we aspire to be the employer of choice in the Portsmouth area, with a progressive, supportive, and rewarding workplace culture that offers competitive benefits for its staff. By joining us, you will personally be part of the change we are driving and will play a pivotal role in supporting the growth and development of our brilliant students, turning them into future leaders and innovators.

We have an unrivalled curriculum of courses on offer for students of all ages and stages covering A-levels, Apprenticeships, Vocational & Technical courses. We also offer Higher Education, Online learning, and Community courses that appeal to the needs of the local community.

Benefits & Working Conditions

• Annual Leave: 32 days total and closure for winter shutdown period in line with Hampshire County Council school holidays & statutory bank holidays.
• Pension: Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Learning & Development Programme by The Community Adult Education Department.
• Staff Development: Access to the College staff development programmes and CPD.
• Onsite Discounts: City of Portsmouth College Hair Salon & 50% off at the City of Portsmouth College Sports Centre.
• Online Discounts: Unidays, Student Beans, and Totum with a City of Portsmouth College email address.
• Parking: Free car parking across all campus sites (apart from Arundel).
• Blue Light Card: Providing several discounts for clothing, electrical goods, food and days out, even concert tickets.

Equality, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion are central to the work of City of Portsmouth College. The college's commitment to these principles is reflected in the curriculum, enrichment activities, and the range of direct and indirect student support services. Pre‑employment checks include an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and two references.