Service Desk Team Lead

Southern Water; Durrington; Hybrid; GBP 39,000 - 47,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company bonus

Pension

Life assurance

Health benefits

Volunteering days

28 days annual holiday

Occupational health

Retail discount app

Maternity leave options

Job summary

Southern Water is seeking a Service Desk Team Lead to drive a high-quality support service for thousands of users across the organisation. You will lead a team of Service Desk Analysts, coordinating incidents, requests and major incidents with a strong focus on customer experience.

The role is hybrid with two office days per week and includes shift-based work and an out-of-hours on-call on a UK-wide basis. Prior ITSM experience and ITIL certification are highly valued.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a Service Desk team in an IT environment.
• Knowledge of ITIL practices and ITIL Foundation qualification preferred.
• Excellent customer service and communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day Service Desk operations and ensure high-quality support.
• Manage team schedules and resource planning for effective coverage.
• Set workloads and priorities for analysts and act as escalation point for complex incidents.
• Lead major incidents with clear communications and post-incident reviews.
• Monitor SLAs/KPIs and produce performance reports.
• Coach and develop analysts through feedback and development planning.

Skills

Team leadership

Customer service

Stakeholder management

Decision making

Tools

ServiceNow ITSM

TalkDesk

Job description

## Service Desk Team LeadApply: South East England: Full time: Posted Today: End Date: November 2, 2026 (13 days left to apply): JR9067**Closing Date**02/11/2026**Job Title:** Service Desk Team Lead**Location:** Durrington / Hybrid Working **Contract Type:** Permanent **Hours:** 37 hours per week**Salary**: c.£43,000**About the role**Southern Water is undergoing a significant transformation, investing in technology and digital services to improve outcomes for our customers and the environment. The Digital Service Desk plays a vital role in supporting colleagues and business operations across the organisation.As a Service Desk Team Lead, you will help deliver a high-quality support service for over 5,000 internal and external users. You will lead a team of Service Desk Analysts, ensuring incidents and requests are managed efficiently while maintaining an excellent customer experience. Working closely with the Service Desk Manager and fellow Team Lead, you will drive performance, service improvement and operational excellence. The role is hybrid with a minimum of two days per week in the office and includes shift-based working and an out-of-hours on-call rota.**What you will be responsible for:**You will lead day-to-day Service Desk operations, ensuring services remain efficient, customer-focused and aligned to business needs.* Managing team schedules and resource planning to ensure effective service coverage* Setting workloads and priorities for Service Desk Analysts.* Acting as an escalation point for complex incidents and service issues.* Leading Service Desk involvement during major incidents and ensuring clear communication throughout.* Monitoring performance against service level targets, producing reports and identifying trends.* Driving continuous improvement initiatives, knowledge management and process enhancements.* Coaching, mentoring and developing Service Desk Analysts through regular feedback and development planning. Supporting KPI and SLA target development.* Contributing to Service Desk strategy and roadmap.* Deputising for the Service Desk Manager when required.**Additional requirements specific to the role*** Hybrid working with a minimum of two days per week in the office.* Shift-based working pattern.* Participation in an out-of-hours on-call rota.**What you'll bring to the role****Essential*** Experience leading a Service Desk team, ideally within an in-house IT environment.* Experience working within an IT Service Management (ITSM) environment and knowledge of ITIL practices.* Strong understanding of Service Desk performance metrics, service level agreements (SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs).* Excellent customer service and communication skills with the ability to engage effectively across technical and non-technical audiences.* Experience using ServiceNow ITSM.* ITIL Foundation qualification, ideally ITIL 4 or above.* Strong decision-making skills as well as sttrong stakeholder management capabilities. **Desirable*** Experience with Service Desk telephony platforms, particularly TalkDesk.* ServiceNow training or certification.* Customer service qualification.* Information security or cyber awareness training.**About Southern Water**Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain’s water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025-30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in the way water services are managed.You will be joining at a time of significant change, working alongside a highly skilled leadership team with a clear vision for the future. We offer an environment where you can make a meaningful impact, influence important decisions and help shape the future of our services. ***Inclusion Statement****\"We understand that great talent comes in many forms. If this role excites you and you share our commitment to delivering sustainable solutions for our communities, please apply, even if your experience doesn't perfectly match every requirement. We'll support your growth and development.\"**If this role isn't quite what you're looking for but you're keen to be contacted about future opportunities at Southern Water, you can register your details through our Introduce Yourself page. **Our Commitment to Diversity****We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion or any other protected characteristic. If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know. **Additional Information****In line with Southern Water's security requirements, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their identity, eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record check (DBS) and verification of their employment and/or education history for the past three years. Appointment to this role is subject to the successful completion of all pre-employment checks, including security vetting*### Interested in the role?* We reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so if you are interested in the position please do send your application over today to ensure consideration.* We truly appreciate every application. Please note, that due to the volume of interest, we may not be able to provide personalised feedback to all applicants.### Our Benefits* Company and performance-related bonus* Generous pension* Life assurance payment equal to four times your annual salary* Health benefits through a Cash Plan* Two paid community volunteering days a year* 28 days annual holiday* Occupational health service* Retail discount app* We offer competitive maternity leave, and flexible return to work options