About the job

Job summary

This position is based nationally

Job description

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Grade: G7

(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer) 

Salary: National: £54358 - £61585 (which may include an allowance of up to £2517)

London: £58847 - £66670 (which may include an allowance of up to £4828) 

Working pattern: Full Time, Part Time and Flexible Working 

Contract Type: Permanent 

Vacancy Number: 86016 

*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP

The Role

We’re recruiting for a Senior Service Desk Operations Manager here at Justice Digital, to be part of our warm and collaborative Service Operations team. 

This role aligns against “Head of IT Service Management” from the Government Digital and Data Framework. 

We are recruiting a Senior Service Desk Manager who will report directly to the Head of PICKES (Problem, Incident, CCE, Knowledge, Event and Service Desk). The Senior Service Desk Manager holds overarching accountability for all service desk work streams, ensuring a seamless flow of day-to-day operations and a continual drive towards service enhancement. Leading a proficient Operations Management team. 

The Senior Service Desk Manager will foster a culture of excellence, nurturing a collaborative and performance-driven environment. They will effectively manage through team leadership and strategic vision, enhance user experience, and facilitate meaningful interactions between the service desk, users, and other stakeholders. Through strategic planning, effective team management, and a user-centric approach, the Senior Service Desk Manager is instrumental in advancing the service desk operations to higher levels of efficiency, user satisfaction, and organisational alignment. 

To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital please take a look at our blog and our Digital and Technology strategy 2025

Key Responsibilities:

Service Delivery Oversight:

• Oversee the effective delivery of first line support services, ensuring they adhere to agreed service levels and user satisfaction targets.
• Manage the relationship with the third-party service desk provider to ensure services are delivered as per the contractual agreements.
• Manage the Incident Management and Service Desk Processes, Policies and Procedures ensuring that they remain up to date and efficient.
• Manage service desk risks and issues, ensuring they are identified, documented, mitigated, and appropriately escalated when necessary.

Team Leadership:

• Lead and manage the Operations Management team, ensuring effective delegation and execution of operational tasks.
• Foster a culture of excellence, continuous improvement, and collaborative teamwork within the Operations Management team and the wider service desk staff.

Strategic Planning:

• Lead the development and implementation of strategic initiatives to enhance service desk operations.
• Collaborate closely with the Head of PICKES to set and achieve department objectives aligned with organisational goals.

User Experience Enhancement:

• Promote a user-centric approach within the service desk, ensuring high levels of user satisfaction.
• Oversee the implementation of user feedback mechanisms and ensure actionable insights are derived and acted upon to improve user experience.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Facilitate meaningful interactions between the service desk, users, and other stakeholders to ensure alignment and effective communication.
• Manage operational relationships with numerous suppliers and internal stakeholders, ensuring smooth collaboration and resolution of service issues.

Performance Analysis and Reporting:

• Oversee the regular review and analysis of service desk performance metrics.
• Ensure accurate and timely reporting of service desk performance to the Head of Service Desk and other stakeholders.

Process Improvement:

• Lead initiatives to review and improve service desk processes and procedures to drive higher levels of efficiency.
• Collaborate with the technology teams to leverage ServiceNow and other tools to streamline service desk operations.
• Help to evaluate and establish requirements for the implementation of changes by setting policy and standards

Compliance and Standards:

• Ensure compliance with industry standards, government regulations, and internal policies pertaining to service desk operations.
• Lead preparations for, and responses to, audits of service desk processes and performance.
• Continually stay updated on the Service Desk best practices and ensure that the Service Desk remains at the forefront of new and improved best practices.

Development and Training:

• Oversee the development and training initiatives to ensure the Operations Management team and service desk staff are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in their roles. 

If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply! 

Person Specification

Essential

• Strong Leadership & Team Management skills; You are able to lead, energise and manage multifunctional teams to identify high priority problem records to conclusion, with continual service improvements and risks identified and mitigated. You will have proven experience of developing teams and raising performance standards.
• Prior Service Desk contract experience; Experience of governing and overseeing the delivery of a Service Desk contract, managing any issues through remediation, validating performance reporting and invoicing and ensuring budget allocation each year through Finance Service Reviews.
• Experience in managing new business demands of the Service Desk, ensuring it aligns with the Target model and value of the contract.
• Experience in working with commercial teams to implement any new requirements to a contract or manage any disputes to conclusion.
• Strong Service Desk User experience; Able to identify innovative ways to measure User Experience of the Service Desk, understanding how users interact with the Service Desk and the experience they receive. Ensuring that the user’s perception is of high quality, ease of use and efficiency.
• The ability to collaborate with cross-functional IT teams, suppliers, stakeholders and business users to deliver enhanced services.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to diagnose complex issues, identifying and implementing permanent fixes.
• Understanding of ITIL v4 or v3 and ISO20000 lifecycles and the interaction points of key processes such as Major Incident, Problem, and Change Management.

Willingness to be assessed against  the requirements for BPSS clearance. 

We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring and do not discriminate based on culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor. 

Our values are Purpose, Humanity, Openness and Together. Find out more here about how we celebrate diversity and an inclusive culture in our workplace. 

Benefits

• 37 hours per week and flexible working options including working from home, working part-time, job sharing, or working compressed hours.
• A £1k per person learning budget is in place to support all our people, with access to best in class conferences and seminars, accreditation with professional bodies, fully funded vocational programmes and e-learning platforms
• Staff have 10% time to dedicate to develop & grow
• Generous civil service pension based on defined benefit scheme, with employer contributions of 28.97% from April 1st 2024 (Contribution Rates)
• 25 days leave (plus bank holidays) and 1 privilege day usually taken around the Kings’ birthday. 5 additional days of leave once you have reached 5 years of service.
• Compassionate maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave policies, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too!
• Wellbeing support including access to the Calm app.
• Nurturing professional and interpersonal networks including those for Carers & Childcare, Gender Equality, PROUD and SPIRIT
• Bike loans up to £2500 and secure bike parking (subject to availability and location)
• Season ticket loans, childcare vouchers and eye-care vouchers.
• 5 days volunteering paid leave.
• Free membership to BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT.
• Some offices may have a subsidised onsite Gym.

Person specification

Please refer to attached Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £54,358, Ministry of Justice contributes £15,165 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Candidates must submit a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 750 words) which describes how you meet the requirements set out in the Person Specification above. 

Candidates who do not submit both a CV and a separate statement of suitability will not be invited to interview. 

Within your statement of suitability, please focus on demonstrating how you meet the following essential criteria which are being assessed at the pre-sift or sift stages;

• Strong Leadership & Team Management skills; You are able to lead, energise and manage multifunctional teams to identify high priority problem records to conclusion, with continual service improvements and risks identified and mitigated. You will have proven experience of developing teams and raising performance standards.
• Prior Service Desk contract experience; Experience of governing and overseeing the delivery of a Service Desk contract, managing any issues through remediation, validating performance reporting and invoicing and ensuring budget allocation each year through Finance Service Reviews.
• Strong Service Desk User experience; Able to identify innovative ways to measure User Experience of the Service Desk, understanding how users interact with the Service Desk and the experience they receive. Ensuring that the user’s perception is of high quality, ease of use and efficiency.
• The ability to collaborate with cross-functional IT teams, suppliers, stakeholders and business users to deliver enhanced services. 

In Justice Digital, we recruit using a combination of the Digital, Data and Technology Capability and Success Profiles Frameworks. We will assess your Experience, Technical Skills and the following Behaviours during the assessment process: 

• Seeing the big picture
• Changing and improving
• Making effective decisions
• Leadership
• Managing a quality service 

Your application will be reviewed against the Person Specification above by a diverse panel. 

Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a 1-hour panel interview held via video conference. 

Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift based on Service Desk Contract experience will be conducted prior to the sift. 

Should you be unsuccessful in the role that you have applied for but demonstrated the capability for a role at a lower level, we reserve the right to discuss this opportunity with you and potentially offer you the position without the need for a further application. 

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. 

Terms & Conditions

Please review our Terms & Conditions which set out how we recruit and provide further information related to the role and salary arrangements. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact recruitment@digital.justice.gov.uk

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.