Senior Service Manager

Job summary

At FCDO Services we protect the UK’s interests at home and overseas. We design and construct secure government buildings and courier diplomatic packages worldwide, safeguard government tech and a whole lot more. Our work is as varied and vital as it gets, but we never lose sight of our people. Their skills, aspirations and growth mean as much as the global mission we’re on. In our world, it all matters.

Job description

Our Service Management community works with global customers, delivery experts and other stakeholders to ensure our services are of the very highest quality. Committed to meeting agreed outcomes, offering great value for money and aligning with business needs, we’re flexible, efficient and always ready to listen and adapt to the needs of our customers. Now, you’ve got the opportunity to join them.

Supporting customers globally.

Developing new ways of working.

Making an impact internationally.

It all matters.

Deliver the great value services our global customers need

When you join us as Senior Service Manager, you’ll lead and manage delivery across a defined portfolio, working collaboratively with your colleagues as you promote consistency, resilience, knowledge sharing and best practice. Acting as the main contact and escalation point for your assigned services, and balancing customer requirements, performance, operational constraints and organisational priorities, you’ll establish, maintain and review expectations, requirements and outcomes while ensuring we deliver great value and agreed outcomes. Monitoring, reviewing and managing the performance, risks, issues and dependencies across your portfolio, we’ll also expect you to guarantee that reporting is accurate, timely, consistent and supports effective decision-making.

You’ll have a wide range of additional tasks – these include using data, insights and feedback to lead improvement opportunities, and ensuring lessons learned are captured, shared and applied to improve the future performance of our services. Committed to operating as an active, motivated member of a resilient and high-performing Service Management community, and always ready to adapt to organisational priorities and business needs, we’ll expect you to support service validity, customer outcomes, governance and financial integrity. Working with your colleagues to support positive delivery and contributing to the creation, maintenance and continual improvement of documentation, reporting and management information, you should also be ready to represent our organisation’s interests at governance forums, workshops and stakeholder meetings.

Use all your management skills as you help to keep our nation safe and secure

To be a success in this significant senior role you’ll have well developed experience of managing services within a complex operational or customer-facing environment, the ability to build strong relationships with a diverse range of colleagues and stakeholders, and be capable of using reporting, KPIs and customer insights to manage service performance. Committed to inspiring and leading improvements, change initiatives and operational enhancements, we’ll expect you to have the skills to produce high-quality reports and briefings for presentation to our senior stakeholders. And in addition to being a collaborative and flexible worker with experience of supporting organisational resilience, knowledge sharing and capability development, we’ll also look for strong literacy, numeracy and digital skills.

When it comes to formal qualifications you should hold ITIL Foundation status or equivalent Service Management certification, and be ready to work towards achieving ITIL Practitioner, ITIL Managing Professional, ISO/IEC 20000 Foundation or a similar advanced qualification. With proven evidence of continuous professional development and good knowledge of all the relevant principles, practices and lifecycle concepts, you should also have well developed understanding of Service Management governance, assurance, risk and compliance requirements, and performance management, service reporting and KPI development. In addition, a Lean Six Sigma, Agile, PRINCE2, APM or equivalent qualification would be desirable, as would practical knowledge of digital service tools, workflow management systems and operational platforms.

Discover the support you need to grow your career further

But we’re always looking to improve – just like you. That’s why when you join us, expect to receive a competitive salary, generous holiday entitlement and a Civil Service Pension. Along with this, you’ll also have access to training and other development opportunities to help grow your career with us. Our offices have an on-site gym, nursery, café, and restaurant, and we offer interest-free loans on season tickets and bikes to help you get there. It's a great set of benefits made to support all you do, and all you need.

Want to see your future team’s work in action? Step into our Virtual Embassy and select a guide to take you round to see how we deliver for government customers and how you could help. Explore the embassy now at virtual-embassy.fcdoservicescareers.co.uk

Every single colleague must be security cleared before joining us. If you’re successful in your application, we’ll ask you to undergo our vetting process. You can find out more about this at fcdoservicescareers.co.uk/how-to-apply/

To find out more about our benefits and our organisation, please visit fcdoservicescareers.co.uk

It takes a diverse team to protect a diverse world

The vital work we do takes an incredible community of colleagues, with different skills, backgrounds, cultures and identities. We support every individual, so that you always know you’re welcome and valued. It’s what makes us a Disability Confident employer. And why we’re recognised as a ‘Carer Confident’ workplace. And it’s how you know you’re joining an inspiring, inclusive organisation.

Person specification

We are looking for people with:

Qualifications

• ITIL Foundation qualification or equivalent Service Management certification.
• Demonstrable commitment to achieving ITIL Practitioner, ITIL Managing Professional, or an equivalent advanced Service Management qualification.
• ISO/IEC 20000 Foundation qualification, equivalent experience or willingness to achieve within an agreed timeframe.
• Evidence of continuous professional development relevant to Service Management, operational leadership or organisational delivery.
• Strong literacy, numeracy and digital capability.

Knowledge

• Service Management principles, practices and lifecycle concepts.
• Service Management governance, assurance, risk and compliance requirements.
• Service performance management, service reporting and KPI development.
• Customer and stakeholder relationship management.
• Continual Service Improvement methodologies and techniques.
• Service review processes and service improvement planning.
• The application of Service Management standards, templates and ways of working.
• Working within complex operational or customer-facing environments.

Experience

• Significant experience managing services within a complex operational or customer-facing environment.
• Demonstrated ability to build and influence stakeholder relationships across teams and organisational boundaries.
• Experience managing service performance through reporting, KPIs and customer insight.
• Experience leading service improvements, change initiatives or operational enhancements.
• Experience producing high-quality reports, briefings and service performance information for senior stakeholders.
• Experience working collaboratively across service teams and organisational functions.
• Experience operating flexibly across multiple services, customer groups or business areas.
• Experience supporting organisational resilience, knowledge sharing and capability development.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Evidence of continuous professional development relevant to Service Management, operational leadership or organisational delivery.
• Significant experience managing services within a complex operational or customer-facing environment
• Experience supporting organisational resilience, knowledge sharing and capability development
• Customer and stakeholder relationship management
• Service Management principles, practices and lifecycle concepts
• Continual Service Improvement methodologies and techniques
• Demonstrated ability to build and influence stakeholder relationships across teams and organisational boundaries.

We only ask for evidence of these technical skills on your application form:

• Evidence of continuous professional development relevant to Service Management, operational leadership or organisational delivery.
• Significant experience managing services within a complex operational or customer-facing environment
• Experience supporting organisational resilience, knowledge sharing and capability development
• Customer and stakeholder relationship management

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £47,611, FCDO Services contributes £13,792 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• Annual leave starting at 25 days.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service pension.
• Free shuttle bus available between central Milton Keynes and Hanslope Park

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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

To apply for this role, you will be asked to provide your CV, a personal statement, and provide answers to some job specific/technical skills.

Your CV and personal statement will not form part of the assessment they will provide an insight into your work history and experience.

Your CV should include:

• no personal identifying details
• career history with key responsibilities
• achievements
• qualifications

Your personal statement should outline your interest in the role.

Candidates will only be sifted on answers provided to the technical/ job specific questions which are outlined in the application form.

Those that are successful will be invited to a Face to face interview.

At the interview you will be asked a blend of questions on technical/job specific skills and behaviours.

Candidate will need to complete a presentation along with the interview questions.

Candidates who are judged to be close to meeting the criteria may be considered for other positions in FCDO Services which may be at a lower grade, but have a potential skills match.

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

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

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.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

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.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 : Fcdoservices.recruitment@fcdo.gov.uk
• Email : Fcdoservices.recruitment@fcdo.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Fcdoservices.recruitment@fcdo.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact FCDOServices.Recruitment@fcdo.gov.uk in the first instance.
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from FCDO Services, you can contact the Civil Service Commission. For more information, please visit their website.

Attachments

Candidate pack - Senior Service Manager Opens in new window (pdf, 2066kB)