Principal Service Manager (Standard Support) (ED12670)

University of Bath; Bath; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Bath seeks a Principal Service Manager to lead IT support services, ensuring exceptional user experience and optimizing service delivery. This role requires strong leadership skills, experience in IT service management, and the ability to engage collaboratively with teams to meet performance targets. The position is fixed-term until July 2026, offering an array of staff benefits including generous pension schemes and a family-friendly workplace.

Benefits

Free counselling services

Cycle to work scheme

Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme

Staff discount at Team Bath gym

Staff discounts on postgraduate tuition fees

Generous annual leave allowance with extra discretionary days

Professional development opportunities

Free entry to the Holburne Museum

Relocation allowance

Visa reimbursement and Interest-Free Loan

Qualifications

• Experienced in leading IT support services.
• Competent and proactive in service provision management.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage and improve IT service support and incident management.
• Develop performance targets and implement change initiatives.
• Ensure quality service delivery in accordance with agreed standards.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Project Management

Customer Engagement

Job description

About The Role

The Principal Service Manager is key to the delivery and optimisation of IT support services to the University.

With proven success in leading and improving IT service support, they are responsible for the provision of 1st and 2nd line support.

This includes assistive technology support and incident management.

Their focus is on optimising the user experience, enabling prompt responses to support requests and minimising escalations through proactive identification of improvement opportunities with associated action.

The role holder is responsible for operational IT Service Delivery by their teams: ensuring provision of quality services managed in accordance with agreed service levels, standards and policies.

They are responsible for the day-to-day management of teams including planning the resources and capabilities required.

Strong working relationships with colleagues across the department is essential to enable collaborative, coherent support services.

They are accountable for developing and meeting performance targets, identifying areas for improvement and successful implementing approved change initiatives.

This is a fixed-term position until July 2026.

About You

The applicant will be highly competent and experienced in leading IT support services.

They will have strong people skills able to lead and motivate staff delivering successful process improvements.

Competent and effective engaging with customers at all levels including senior leadership.

They will be competent and proactive in planning, managing, reporting, and improving service provision focused on optimising the customer experience.

The applicant needs to have the agility, flexibility, and ability to manage a high workload with priorities that can change at short notice.

Strong written and verbal communication are essential.

The incumbent must have the confidence and capability to utilise their extensive knowledge, skills, and experience plus good influencing skills to deliver the desired impact or promptly resolve an issue, reflecting on action needed to minimise the likelihood of recurrence.

They will be firm, but fair ensuring empathy tempered with realism and pragmatism.

What We Can Offer You

We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equality and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students, so we encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.

We are very proud to be an autism friendly university and are an accredited Disability Confident Leader; committed to building disability confidence and supporting disabled staff.

• Free counselling services through Health Assured
• Cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
• Staff discount at Team Bath gym
• Staff discounts on postgraduate tuition fees
• Staff discount on language courses
• Generous employer contributory pension schemes
• Generous annual leave allowance with an additional 5 discretionary days so that you can enjoy a positive work life balance
• A wide range of personal and professional development opportunities including Apprenticeships, LinkedIn Learning and more
• Free entry to the Holburne Museum in Bath
• Local discounts and more
• A family-friendly workplace
• An excellent reward package that recognises the talents of our diverse workforce
• Relocation allowance
• Visa reimbursement and Interest-Free Loan to help with the cost of some immigration expenses
  
  

We are committed to continually expanding our benefits to better support you and enhance your experience with us. Find out more about our benefits.

Find out from our staff what makes the University of Bath a great place to work. Follow us @UniofBath and @UniofBathJobs on X for more information.

Closing Date: 18 Jun 2025

Department: Management, Specialist and Administration

Salary: £46,735 to £55,755