Senior IT Service Manager (IT Service Design) (3139)

Job summary

Join us as a Senior IT Service Manager (IT Service Design) at Social Security Scotland, where you will help shape and mature our IT service portfolio through strong ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) Service Management practices.

This is a Fixed Term Appointment opportunity for 47 months with the potential to be made permanent, however this cannot be guaranteed and will depend on the needs of the business.

You will apply the ITIL framework to govern and manage our services, ensuring the IT Service Catalogue, IT Service Design documentation and supporting artefacts are maintained to the highest standards to support robust availability, capacity, performance, and service continuity.

As part of expanding our service management maturity, you will also help embed and strengthen key ITIL 4 practices such as Monitoring and Event Management, ensuring services are designed to support proactive detection and improve operational insight.

If you are experienced in IT Governance and are committed to delivering value to customers, colleagues, and stakeholders, we want to hear from you!

DDaT Pay Supplement
This post is part of the Scottish Government Digital, Data and Technology (DDAT) profession and as a member of the profession you will join the professional development system. This post currently attracts a £5,000 annual DDAT pay supplement, applicable after a 3 months competency qualifying period. The payment will be backdated to your start date in the role. Pay supplements are reviewed regularly and there is one currently underway. Changes will be communicated when the review is concluded.

Job description

A Senior IT Service Manager is responsible for service management across platforms, multiple channels and services to ensure service availability, performance and process maturity.

You will be responsible for service management within the ITIL Framework stage of IT Service Design, this covers multiple ITIL processes including but not limited to: IT Service Catalogue management, IT Service Design documentation, Availability management, Capacity management, Service Continuity, and Knowledge Management.

Main Duties:

• Lead and develop a team of experts to deliver service improvements.
• Take accountability for issues that occur and be proactive in searching for potential problems.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the life cycle or capability elements of ITIL, or comparable ITSM Framework.
• Be responsible for overall governance of the management of IT Service Design both through suppliers and in-house.
• Promote, implement and manage ITIL or relevant best practice for the management of all services to protect availability of service i.e. IT Service Design, Availability management, Continuity management, Service Continuity, Service Catalogue.
• Use your data analytics skills to enhance business performance.
• Influence stakeholders and manage relationships effectively.
• Build long-term strategic relationships.
• Define strategies and policies, providing guidance to others on working in the strategic context.
• Evaluate current strategies to ensure business requirements are being met and exceeded where possible.

Person specification

Success Profiles
We use an assessment framework called ‘Success Profiles’ which lists the elements we test and provides detailed descriptions of each. Find out more about the framework here.

For this post, the following Success Profile elements will be assessed:

Experience

1. Experience of leading an IT service delivery function using the practical application of ITIL, or other relevant ITSM Framework, to deliver services that meet customers strategic priorities. Ability to schedule and plan priorities for a large group of technical specialists and the ability to effectively manage diverse teams. Strong demonstrable project management with experience of participation, and or delivery of major IT projects. Practitioner level knowledge of Agile or Prince 2.
   
2. A commitment to continual service improvement; you will be willing to challenge established practices, using evidence to develop and deliver a better service to our customers. This will include streamlining processes to ensure you can focus on delivering support for new business critical technologies.

Behaviours

• Leadership (Level 3)
• Delivering at pace (Level 3)

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here: Behaviour levels - Success profiles: candidate guide - gov.scot

Technical / Professional Skills:

This role is aligned to Senior IT Service manager within the Digital, Data and Technology Profession.

Please review the following to understand the skill expectations: IT service manager - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework

These skills will be tested during the Technical Assessment if you are successful at sift stage. They will be not be assessed at application stage.

Benefits

Annual Leave - You will receive 25 days annual leave on joining us. This will increase to 30 days after four full years of service. You will also have 11.5 public and privilege days of leave every year. We also offer Flexi-time. Any extra hours you've worked can be taken as leave when suitable.

A Civil Service Pension - This job comes with a Civil Service pension. New joiners to the Civil Service will join a career average pension scheme as standard. Read more here - www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk.

Healthy work life balance - We can offer the possibility of full-time, part-time, term-time, and job shares. We also encourage flexible working.

Discounts - You can enjoy a vast range of retail, travel and lifestyle discounts through our benefit scheme.

Personal support for you - Our Employee Assistance Programme gives you confidential, independent information and guidance 24/7.

Volunteering special leave - Up to six days paid special leave a year for volunteering. We support our staff to help causes important to them.

Great locations - Our bright and modern offices in the heart of Dundee and Glasgow have been designed with staff in mind. Both locations are ideal for public transport.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Expected Timeline (subject to change)
Sift – w/c 9th February 2026
Interview – w/c 2nd March 2026
Location – In Person in either Dundee or Glasgow

To apply please submit an application form by clicking on the ‘Apply at Advertisers Site’ button.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Resourcing Team
• Email : recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot
• Telephone : 08001577194

Recruitment team

• Email : Recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot

Further information

https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/working-with-us/help-with-your-application