Head of IT Services - AJ Bell : Job Details

We are pleased to announce a new senior manager position, Head of IT Services, in the Manchester Technology Services area.

What does the role involve:

Leadership and Team Management:

• Lead, mentor, and motivate a diverse team of IT support professionals.
• Set clear objectives and provide regular feedback.

Strategic Planning and Execution:

• Develop and execute strategic plans, in alignment with organisational objectives.
• Define service level agreements (SLAs), key performance indicators (KPIs), and operational metrics.

Service Management and Continuous Improvement:

• Establish and maintain IT service management processes and frameworks, such as ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library), to standardise service delivery practices.
• Implement proactive monitoring and incident management procedures.
• Lead root cause analysis efforts to identify underlying causes of recurring incidents and implement corrective actions.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across IT service delivery processes.

Stakeholder Engagement and Relationship Management:

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including business leaders, department heads, and external vendors.
• Act as a primary point of contact for IT service-related inquiries.

Budgeting and Resource Allocation:

• Develop annual IT service budgets, forecasts, and resource plans.
• Monitor expenditure against budgetary targets, identify cost-saving opportunities, and optimise resource utilization.

Risk and Audit:

• Own and facilitate internal and external audit reviews as required.
• Identify and implement any gaps or improvement areas.

What you'll already have:

Essential

• Broad experience in technical Service Desk and support teams, with an enthusiastic interest in current and modern technologies.
• 10+ years working within Technology with a mixture of hands on technical and IT Service Management responsibilities.
• Strong understanding of ITIL framework and best practices for IT service delivery, incident management, Change Management, problem resolution and service transition.
• In depth expertise in some underpinning technologies such as Active Directory, networking (LAN, WAN), Backup, Exchange, automated user provisioning.
• Experienced at managing Major Incidents at senior levels.
• Able to evidence acting as the sponsor or project lead.
• Experience of acting within mature ITIL and agile processes.
• Line management experience of Service Desk, 2nd Line or Infrastructure support teams.
• Proven track record of developing and implementing strategic IT initiatives.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.

Desirable

• Experience working in a Financial Services role and/or responsibility for supporting a financially regulated platform.
• Evidence of commercial ability in negotiation and partnership with suppliers.
• Certification in ITIL, PMP (Project Management Professional), or other relevant certifications is desirable.
• Technical or related IT certification.

About us:

AJ Bell is one of the fastest-growing investment platform businesses in the UK offering an award-winning range of solutions that caters for everyone, from professional financial advisers, to DIY investors with little to no experience. We have over 503,000 customers using our award-winning platform propositions to manage assets totalling more than £80.3 billion.

Having listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange in December 2018, AJ Bell is now a FTSE 250 company.

Headquartered in Manchester with offices in central London and Bristol, we now have over 1,400 employees and have been named one of the UK's 'Best 100 Companies to Work For’ for six consecutive years.

Our perks and benefits:

• Starting salary of £80,000 - £90,000 DOE
• Starting holiday entitlement of 28 days, increasing up to 31 days with length of service
• Holiday buy and sell scheme
• A choice of pension schemes with matched contributions up to 8%
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Annual free share awards scheme
• Buy As You Earn (BAYE) Scheme
• Health Cash Plan - provided by Medicash
• Discounted private healthcare scheme and dental plan
• Free gym membership, with an on-site gym providing a wide range of free classes
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Bike loan scheme
• Sick pay+ pledge
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave
• Discounted nursery fees at Kids Planet on Exchange Quay
• Loans for travel season tickets
• Death in service scheme
• Paid time off for volunteer work
• Charitable giving opportunities through salary sacrifice
• Calendar of social events, including monthly payday drinks, annual Christmas party, summer party and much more
• Parking at Exchange Quay
• Personal development programmes built around you and your career goals, including access to personal skills workshops
• Ongoing technical training
• Professional qualification support
• Talent management programmes
• Peer recognition scheme, with rewards including restaurant and shopping vouchers or time off
• Monthly leadership breakfasts and lunches
• Casual dress code
• Access to a range of benefits from our sponsorship deals

Hybrid working:

At AJ Bell, our people are the heart of our culture. We believe in building strong connections by working together. That's why we offer a hybrid working model, where you’ll spend a minimum of 50% of your working time per month in the office. For new team members, an initial period will be full-time in the office to help you immerse yourself in our business and build valuable relationships with your colleagues.