Manager, Service Operations

Thrive; Mansfield; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Thrive in Mansfield seeks a Service Operations Manager to lead and scale engineering support teams, driving exceptional customer experiences. You will own day-to-day service performance, enforce SLA-driven delivery, and foster a proactive, data-informed culture across accounts.

Collaborate with Account Management and Project Delivery to align client goals with operational execution, while mentoring teams for growth and ensuring scalable, high-quality service delivery.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading engineering or technical support teams.
• Strong knowledge of IT operations concepts (incident, request, change, problem).
• Ability to mentor and grow engineering teams with accountability.
• Experience with complex customer environments and strict SLAs.
• Ability to analyze operational data and drive improvements with metrics.
• Excellent communication translating technical details for clients.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coach engineering support teams for technical excellence.
• Scale teams and workflows to support growth and changing customer needs.
• Deliver services that meet SLAs, KPIs, and customer expectations.
• Maintain standardized processes, documentation, and escalation protocols.
• Manage client relationships and align engineering with business goals.
• Track KPIs, identify risks early, and drive data-based improvements.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Project Delivery, Account Management, and Engineering.

Skills

Leadership

Operational excellence

Customer focus

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decisions

Education

ITIL Foundation certification

Job description

Description

Thrive is a rapidly growing technology solutions provider focusing upon Cloud, Cyber Security, Networking, Disaster Recovery and Managed Services. Our corporate culture, engineering talent, customer-centric approach, and focus upon “next generation” services help us stand out amongst our peers. Thrive is on the look‑out for individuals who don’t view their weekdays spent at “a job” but rather look to develop valuable skills that ignite their passion and lead to a CAREER. If you’re attracted to a “work hard, play hard” environment, seeking the guidance, training and experience necessary to build a lucrative career, then welcome to THRIVE!!

Position Overview

The Service Operations Manager is responsible for leading, developing, and scaling high‑performing engineering support teams to deliver consistently exceptional customer experience. In partnership with the Director, Managed Services, this role drives operational excellence, engineers’ professional growth, and strong client relationships that reinforce long‑term customer success. This leader acts as the operational owner for day‑to‑day service performance across assigned accounts, strengthening the technical execution of engineering teams while ensuring services are delivered with predictability, quality and a proactive mindset.

Responsibilities

Engineering Team Leadership & Growth

• Lead and coach engineering teams to ensure technical excellence and accountability.
• Build scalable team structures and workflows to support growth and meet changing customer needs.
• Promote a culture of learning and collaboration for ongoing skill development.
• Review performance metrics and guide engineers on technical and professional improvement.

Operational Excellence & Service Delivery Execution

• Deliver services that meet or exceed SLAs, KPIs, and customer expectations.
• Enforce standardised processes, quality documentation, effective communication, and escalation protocols.
• Track operations, identify risks early, and resolve issues proactively.
• Assist in capacity planning, workload distribution, and resource allocation for operational goals.

Strategic Client Relationship Management

• Serve as the main operational contact for assigned clients, building transparent and responsive relationships.
• Align engineering support with client business needs and goals.
• Collaborate with Account Management and Project Delivery for unified service.
• Join customer reviews, service discussions, and roadmap planning to support the partnership.

Customer Success Ownership

• Regularly assess customer experience and drive actions to boost satisfaction, reliability, and value.
• Turn customer feedback into practical improvements for engineering and service teams.
• Support renewal readiness through effective service delivery and by spotting upsell or expansion opportunities linked to customer goals.

Data Driven Performance Management

• Track and respond to service KPIs like SLA attainment, response/resolution times, backlog status, and customer sentiment.
• Use data to inform decisions, enhance team performance, and report trends to leadership and clients.
• Regularly manage metrics, service health, and operational reports.

Collaboration & Cross Functional Alignment

• Collaborate with Engineering, Project Delivery, Account Management, and Central Services to ensure seamless service delivery and effective knowledge sharing.
• Support the onboarding process for new customers and technologies by facilitating coordination and communication among teams.
• Work with leadership to implement initiatives that improve efficiency, quality, and scalability.

Resource & Budget Management

• Maintain team staffing plans and budget alignment to support business growth, SLA commitments, and service quality requirements.
• Participate in hiring, onboarding, and workforce planning to ensure a strong, scalable engineering support bench.

Requirements

• Proven experience leading engineering or technical support teams within a managed services or enterprise IT environment, with a strong focus on operational execution and customer outcomes.
• Solid understanding of core IT operations concepts such as incident, request, change, and problem management, as well as how these functions integrate within a global service delivery model.
• Demonstrated ability to develop, mentor, and grow engineering teams, fostering a culture of accountability, learning, and high performance.
• Experience supporting complex customer environments that require adherence to strict SLAs, regulatory controls, and high‑availability service expectations.
• Ability to analyze operational data, identify trends, and drive improvements using metrics‑based decision making.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate technical and operational details into clear, actionable information for both engineers and client stakeholders.
• Proven success in building and maintaining trusted client relationships, including managing expectations, communicating service performance, and advocating for customer needs internally.
• Demonstrated effectiveness in collaborating cross‑functionally with Project Delivery, Account Management, Engineering, and other operational teams.
• Ability to balance hands‑on operational oversight with forward‑thinking process improvement and scalability initiatives.
• Experience managing remote and distributed teams across multiple geographies or time zones.
• ITIL Foundation certification or practical ITIL experience strongly preferred.
• Strong organizational, problem‑solving, and prioritization skills in a fast‑paced, rapidly evolving environment.
• Comfortable working outside standard business hours when required (major incidents, escalations, or on‑call rotation).