Problem Management Lead

TN United Kingdom; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Problem Management Lead to spearhead the Problem Management team in overseeing root cause analysis and problem handling. This hands-on leadership role emphasizes effective communication and collaboration across technical teams, ensuring that problems are identified and resolved efficiently. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of ITIL frameworks, continuous improvement methodologies, and strong leadership skills. Join a forward-thinking company dedicated to transforming the retail industry and making a significant impact through innovative problem management practices.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead and improve Problem Management processes with ITIL knowledge.
• Strong understanding of IT infrastructure and application support.

Responsibilities

• Manage the Problem Management team and promote effective communication.
• Track metrics to assess performance and identify improvement areas.

Skills

Problem Management

ITIL Service Management

Root Cause Analysis

Continuous Improvement

Leadership

Excellent Communication

Education

ITIL Certification

Degree in IT or related field

Tools

ServiceNow

BMC Helix

PagerDuty

Dynatrace

Job description

The Problem Management Lead plays a key role in D&T Service Management, responsible for guiding the Problem Management team in overseeing all aspects of problem handling, root cause analysis, and known error management. Reporting to the Incident & Problem Practice Owner, this role ensures that problems across D&T are identified, managed, and resolved effectively, both reactively and proactively. The focus is on preventing repeat incidents, improving response times, and selecting the right situations and people to apply structured problem-solving.

This is a hands-on leadership role that involves modelling and promoting effective communication, coaching best practices, and supporting collaboration across technical teams, suppliers, and D&T leaders, especially in high-pressure situations. The Problem Management Lead will also work closely with service owners, suppliers, and Service Assurance Managers within DevOps Tribes to ensure the right tools, processes, and resources are in place to manage problem records seamlessly.

What you’ll do

• Manage a team of Problem Performance Managers and Coordinators, providing direction, coaching, and training to build confidence, capability, and strong stakeholder engagement. Support teams in applying effective root cause analysis and foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• Promote consistent use of Problem Management practices across D&T Tribes. Identify opportunities to strengthen operational stability, reduce technical debt, and improve overall process effectiveness through data insights, automation, and collaboration with DevOps and Service Assurance teams.
• Track key metrics and system telemetry to assess performance and identify areas for improvement. Lead the measurement of Problem Management maturity and advise on ways to align with best practices and raise standards across services and closely with Service Management colleagues, DevOps teams, and Service Assurance Managers to ensure problems are addressed both reactively and proactively. Support efforts to reduce recurring issues and align technical teams around shared improvement goals.
• Contribute to the development and delivery of the Problem Management and supporting technology roadmap. Provide regular updates to stakeholders on performance, insights, and progress, and promote best practices across the D&T organisation.

Who you are

• Proven ability to lead and continuously improve the Problem Management process (PBM Level 5), with deep knowledge of ITIL Service Management frameworks and methodologies. Skilled in driving continuous improvement (CIM Level 5), ensuring service level adherence (SLM Level 5), and conducting thorough root cause analysis to implement long-term solutions (BUAN Level 5).
• Strong understanding of IT infrastructure, application support, and network operations, including common causes of high-severity incidents.
• Experienced with ITSM platforms such as ServiceNow and BMC Helix, as well as monitoring and event tools like PagerDuty, Netcool, and Dynatrace.
• Familiar with Major Incident Workbenches, collaboration tools, and AIOps. Hands-on experience operating within high-velocity DevOps environments, with a clear understanding of CI/CD pipelines, their implications on technical debt, and proactive problem detection. Skilled in identifying and delivering automation opportunities to optimise processes (AUTM Level 4/5).
• Strong leadership (LEAD Level 4/5) and strategic planning skills (STPL Level 5), with a focus on coaching teams, aligning Problem Management with broader business and technology goals, and contributing to roadmap development.
• Excellent communicator (CCTY Level 5) with the ability to engage, influence, and collaborate across Service Management, DevOps, and engineering teams (RLMT Level 5). Experienced in proactively mitigating risk (RSKM Level 5), promoting best practices, and providing transparent updates on performance and maturity.

Everyone’s welcome

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.

We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.

If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.