Service Assurance Manager

Service Management is the guardian of end-to-end technology service performance and compliance across the Partnership. Ensuring our IT services operate successfully and align with business requirements, this role acts as a key driver in delivering the Partnership Plan while assuring services operate within our risk appetite.

As the Service Assurance Manager, you will own, lead, and assure the design, execution, and quality of vital IT operational processes—including IT Operational Risk, Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity, Capacity, Service Level Management, Service Performance Insight, Service Design/transition and Knowledge Management. You will directly lead a dedicated team (including Service Assurance Leads and Service Design & Transition Leads) to embed robust governance, drive continuous improvement across Value Streams, and hold strategic third-party vendors accountable to high delivery standards.

At a glance

• Expected Salary: £75,600 - £115,000 (depending upon experience)
   

• Hybrid Working - This is a hybrid working role, therefore your time will primarily be split between working from home and the Bracknell Head Office. However, there will also be an expectation to visit other locations as the need arises. 
   

• Our team currently works from the office around twice a week to connect and on a more ad-hoc basis to attend key meetings, but again the frequency is dependent on the business needs.
   

• Contract type - Fixed-Term Contract up to 12 months.
   

Key Responsibilities

• Own IT Operational Risk & Continuity: Accountable for the design, performance, and maturity of the IT Operational Risk management and IT Service Continuity (DR/BCP) processes, ensuring coherent plans across end-to-end services.
   

• Manage Capacity & Service Levels: Lead end-to-end Capacity Management and Service Level Management processes to ensure clear visibility of business capacity drivers and optimal service performance.
   

• Drive Insight & Knowledge Management: Own the IT Knowledge Management and Service Performance Insight processes, delivering timely reporting to Service Management, technology owners, and senior leadership.
   

• Lead Service Design & Transition: Directly manage the Service Design & Transition Team, ensuring all key deliverables are met prior to project go-live and driving governance across Value Streams.
   

• Vendor & Partner Governance: Hold operational Service Management partners and strategic third-party vendors accountable to contractually and operationally meet high delivery standards.
   

• Process Integration & Escalation: Drive integration across SIAM processes and act as a senior point of escalation, liaising with senior IT and business leadership when required.
   

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• Senior IT Leadership: Proven track record of leading IT operations, service management, or delivery at a senior level.
   

• ITIL Mastery: Practical experience in ITIL frameworks (v3 and/or v4).
   

• Outsourced & Vendor Management: Demonstrated ability to operate and lead effectively within a large-scale, outsourced environment.
   

• Risk Management: Robust experience managing risk within complex, enterprise IT environments.
   

• Senior Stakeholder Communication: Excellent ability to translate complex messages, report effectively, and influence senior stakeholders inside and outside of IT.
   

• People & Team Leadership: Proven success in managing teams, setting priorities, and driving process maturity goals.
   

Desirable skills/experience you may have

• Retail Industry Knowledge: Understanding and experience of retail business capabilities, processes, and technology patterns.
   

• Modern Delivery Environments: Experience operating within DevOps, CI/CD and Agile delivery models.

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We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.