Service Owner

AQA; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 59,000 - 67,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading education provider in the UK is looking for a Service Owner to oversee the performance of enterprise applications such as Workday and iTrent. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in managing suppliers and contracts, ensuring high-quality service delivery. Responsibilities include managing service levels, engaging with stakeholders, and developing improvement roadmaps. The role offers a hybrid work model with competitive pay and benefits.

Benefits

25 days annual leave

Flexible working hours

Excellent pension scheme

Health cash plan

Qualifications

• Experience managing suppliers and contracts.
• Excellent communication skills for stakeholder management.
• Experience in application management of cloud-based technologies.

Responsibilities

• Accountability for enterprise application performance.
• Management of third-party suppliers and service levels.
• Developing and maintaining service and system roadmaps.

Skills

Supplier relationship management

Stakeholder engagement

Customer focus

Cloud-based application management

Project methodologies

Job description

At AQA, we’re committed advancing education and we’re committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK , we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and it’s our people who make this happen.

Service Owner

Permanent

Manchester

Salary: £59,481 - £66,633

Working Arrangements; Hybrid (2 days per week in the office)

Introduction

You will join AQA at a pivotal moment as we continue to strengthen the systems that underpin our core operations and drive forward our customer focus. In this role, you will shape how our enterprise applications support colleagues, provide essential insight and enable the organisation to function smoothly and effectively. You’ll be stepping into a space where the work you do will directly influence how thousands of colleagues experience and benefit from our key platforms every day.

This is an opportunity to bring together service leadership, supplier management and strategic thinking. You will play a visible role in driving improvements, enhancing stability, and ensuring the organisation can rely on the systems that support critical HR, Finance and wider business activities.

Purpose of the role

You will take full accountability for the performance and evolution of some of AQA’s enterprise applications, including our Workday and iTrent platforms, as well as other key corporate systems. Your purpose is to ensure these applications are reliable, secure, cost‑effective and continuously improving.

You will do this by overseeing service levels, championing user needs, managing supplier performance and ensuring that all change activity is aligned with AQA’s strategic aims. As the face of the service, you will be the central point connecting technical teams, business stakeholders and external partners—ensuring clarity, communication and a shared focus on delivering value.

Key responsibilities

In this role, you'll be responsible for:

• Leading the management and performance of some of AQA’s enterprise applications, ensuring consistent, reliable and high‑quality service delivery.
• Managing relationships with third‑party suppliers, defining contractual commitments and ensuring their delivery, KPIs and service levels are achieved.
• Acting as the escalation point for service issues and ensuring major incidents are resolved quickly and effectively. Manage and mitigate risks.
• Understanding stakeholder needs and translating these into clear service expectations and improvement priorities.
• Supporting the delivery of a structured, benefit‑focused roadmap for system enhancements and service changes.

What we are looking for

You’ll thrive in this role if you:

• Bring strong experience managing suppliers and contracts and driving service performance.
• Excel in engaging, influencing and challenging stakeholders.
• Have a clear customer focus and an evidence‑based approach to decision‑making.
• Understand best practice approaches for application management of cloud‑based enterprise technologies, .

What’s in it for you

You’ll enjoy:

• 25 days’ annual leave, rising to 30 with service, plus bank holidays and extra closure days at Christmas
• a 35‑hour working week with flexible working arrangements
• an excellent contributory pension scheme (6%–11.5% depending on your contribution)
• life assurance, BUPA PMI, and health cash plan
• enhanced maternity and paternity schemes

Diversity and inclusion statement

At AQA, we are committed to fostering a workplace that celebrates diversity and promotes equity and inclusion. We believe that a diverse team brings richer perspectives and drives better outcomes. Our ED&I strategy ensures that everyone—regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, age, disability, sexual orientation, or background—is valued, respected, and empowered to thrive. We actively promote inclusive language, avoid stereotypes, and strive for representation across all dimensions of diversity. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and lived experiences.

Application process

To apply, please submit your CV and cover letter. The application deadline is Monday 9th February. Interviews will include two stages: an initial conversation followed by a face‑to‑face interview. Onboarding details will be confirmed at offer stage.

Recruitment Agencies

We have a preferred supplier list (PSL) in place.

Unsolicited CVs will be treated as a gift. We will not be subject to or liable under your terms and conditions for agency fees.

Full Job Description

Summary

The Service Owner is responsible for the service management provision of a first class system support and enhancement function for technologies within the Enterprise Applications area. This involves owning, actively managing and evolving our key 3rd party partner relationships to ensure AQA can cost‑effectively optimize it’s use of the technologies and related suppliers to meet current and future business needs. It also means working collaboratively with suppliers, technical and business colleagues to drive a smooth functioning service that enables delivery of strategic ambitions for the business across the relevant technologies.The Service Owner manages the Delivery Lead within the Enterprise Technology area. The role reports into the Head of Enterprise Applications, who in turn reports into the Director of Enterprise Technology. The remit covers platforms managed by the Enterprise Applications area. This includes our HR and Finance corporate platforms (currently Workday and i-Trent) and some customer facing applications, with an increasing footprint as we centralise our corporate platforms.

The Service Owner is accountable for the overall service provided to the business. As some of our hands‑on technical resource and expertise is provided by external 3rd parties, active management of our partner relationships and their performance outcomes is critical for success. This role is also the key interface to the senior internal business stakeholders for this service, so has to clearly understand the strategic and day‑to‑day needs of the organisation and translate them into agreed service expectations for operational use and change delivery.

Activities:

• Proactive management of all 3rd party suppliers ensuring delivery of services to required level of quality and achievement of all KPIs. This covers all services including application management, support and change
• Define and/ or contribute to operational performance standards and monitor and report on the performance and quality of service provision to internal stakeholders, proactively managing identified issues and risks to delivery performance
• Ensure high levels of customer satisfaction are delivered through effective and customer- focused IT services
• Proactive stakeholder management to collaboratively engage and also challenge stakeholders/ suppliers of all levels, both internal and 3rd party
• Act as accountable escalation point for issues, including any major incidents
• Accountable owner of the defining and management of relevant supplier contracts, including contract renewals and contract changes between different suppliers
• Ensure a clear roadmap of change delivery is defined and is strategically aligned with both business priorities and the evolving functionality offered by the IT products/ applications. Ensure the delivery of maximum business benefit on an ongoing basis
• Model leadership behaviours with confidence and get the very best from direct reports and teams by providing clarity, feedback, coaching and development, while continuously seeking to enhance performance in line with business objectives
• Cover for Delivery Lead role as required, to ensure no single point of failure in overall service provision
• Cover for other Service Owners as required to ensure no single point of failure in overall service provision
• Work collaboratively with other Service Owners to support an holistic and standardised level of service
• Set challenging targets and support staff to achieve them whilst managing performance effectively
• Manage holistic budgets (service and technical) to ensure overall cost effectiveness for AQA
• Undertake regular service meetings with suppliers
• Accountable lead to deliver service audit requirements for relevant systems/ services.
• Following security guidance, ensure regular user access reviews are carried out to validate the access/roles of all business and support staff are still appropriate
• Work closely with the supporting structure to ensure effective risk managementand own relevant risks
• Demonstrate commercial flexibility by undertaking other responsibilities which are of a commensurate level as business needs change
• Ensure AQA is safe and legally compliant by applying AQA’s policies and other legislative/ regulatory requirements
• Adopt a continuous improvement approach to ensure the ongoing optimisation of the service being delivered to the business

Need to know (to be successful in this role, you will need to know):

• Strong customer focus
• Previous experience of supplier relationship management and working with 3rd party delivery partners to ensure optimal outcomes throughout the contract lifecycle
• Excellent communicator, able to challenge, negotiate with and influence stakeholders of all levels to achieve desired outcomes
• Ability to translate a vision into achievable goals and provide clear direction to achieve organisational objectives
• Change oriented leader who can quickly bring about timely and cost-effective delivery and process improvement through effective relationship management
• Good understanding of project methodologies and ITIL principles (certification desirable)
• Experienced people manager (line or matrix management)
• Proactive in resolving issues proactively and pragmatically through cross-organisational working
• Good understanding of data management principles and their application
• Good understanding of cloud based applications