Service Management Lead

Job Title: Service Management Lead
Location: Mancehster 3 days onsite per week
Job Type: 3 month contract
Rate: £750 to £850 dependant on experience via umbrella company

Job Overview:
My client is seeking a dynamic and experienced Service Management Lead to drive service excellence within a product-led environment. This role requires a strategic thinker with strong leadership and matrix management capabilities who can collaborate across teams to deliver outstanding service outcomes. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in service management, ensuring seamless operations, continuous improvement, and stakeholder alignment.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Service Strategy & Execution: Define and implement service management frameworks, ensuring alignment with business objectives and customer needs.
2. Product-Led Environment: Work closely with product teams to ensure service strategies support product lifecycle management and customer experience.
3. Leadership & Matrix Management: Lead cross-functional teams within a matrix organization, influencing and driving service improvements across departments.
4. Outcome Delivery: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and service level agreements (SLAs) to measure and improve service performance.
5. Stakeholder Engagement: Partner with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring service delivery meets business and customer expectations.
6. Incident & Problem Management: Oversee incident resolution processes, driving root cause analysis and continuous improvement initiatives.
7. Process Optimization: Identify and implement best practices in ITIL and service management to enhance efficiency and reduce risks.
8. Change Management: Lead and support change initiatives, ensuring minimal disruption to business operations while maximizing value delivery.
9. Risk & Compliance: Ensure service management processes adhere to regulatory and security requirements.

Required Skills & Experience:

1. Proven experience in service management leadership, preferably within a product-led environment.
2. Strong understanding of ITIL principles and best practices in service management.
3. Experience in matrix management, leading cross-functional teams to achieve service excellence.
4. Ability to deliver measurable outcomes, demonstrating impact on business operations and customer experience.
5. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively.
6. Strong problem-solving and analytical abilities, with a proactive approach to continuous improvement.
7. Experience working with service management tools (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, etc.).
8. Familiarity with Agile methodologies and DevOps principles is a plus.

Preferred Qualifications:

1. ITIL certification (Foundation or higher) preferred.
2. Project management experience (PMP, PRINCE2, or Agile certifications are a plus).