Service Manager

Sheffield City Council is on an exciting digital transformation journey, changing how we deliver services through innovative digital solutions, automation and emerging technologies.

As we modernise our services and create simpler, more accessible and efficient ways for residents and colleagues to interact with the Council, this is an excellent opportunity to take a senior leadership role in shaping the future of digital public services in Sheffield.

The role

The Service Manager will provide strategic and operational leadership across defined areas of Digital Innovation and Access, ensuring services are well managed, high performing and continuously improving.

You will be responsible for the overall delivery and development of your service areas, setting direction and priorities, managing performance, people and resources, and ensuring services respond effectively to changing organisational and customer needs.

Working closely with the Assistant Director, other managers, service areas, suppliers and partners, you will help translate the Council's strategic digital ambitions into practical delivery. You will lead teams through change, support innovation and transformation, and ensure digital services deliver strong customer outcomes, value for money and sustainable benefits.

You will also contribute to the wider leadership of Digital Innovation and Access, deputising for the Assistant Director where required and working collaboratively across the Council to deliver corporate priorities.

Key responsibilities

• Provide visible leadership and overall accountability for the effective delivery and continuous improvement of defined digital service areas.
• Develop and implement service strategies, plans, priorities and standards aligned to wider Council objectives.
• Lead and develop multidisciplinary teams, creating a positive culture focused on performance, collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Manage budgets, resources, contracts and suppliers effectively, ensuring value for money and delivery within agreed financial controls.
• Lead service transformation and change, including the adoption of new digital technologies, automation and improved ways of working.
• Own and develop the Councils CRM roadmap, translating Council and service priorities into a clear programme of platform development and improvement.
• Lead the CRM development and improvement pipeline, establishing priorities and balancing transformation activity with essential maintenance, support and technical debt.
• Lead the development of end-to-end digital customer journeys, including online forms, My Account, case management, workflow, notifications and integration with other Council systems.
• Work across digital channels, ensuring CRM development aligns with the Council's website, My Account, contact centre, telephony, automation and wider digital services
• Contribute to the wider strategic leadership of Digital Innovation and Access and deputise for the Assistant Director where required.

Skills and knowledge we are looking for

• Significant experience of leading and managing services within a large and complex organisation.
• Proven experience of leading multidisciplinary teams, developing people and creating a culture of high performance and continuous improvement.
• Experience of developing and implementing strategic and operational plans and translating organisational priorities into effective delivery.
• Strong understanding of digital service delivery, transformation and the opportunities created by emerging technology.
• Experience of leading significant change and service improvement while maintaining effective day-to-day service delivery.
• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to operate confidently with senior leaders, Elected Members, suppliers and partners.

Expected level of responsibility

The Service Manager operates with a significant degree of autonomy within the strategic direction set by the Assistant Director and the Council.

The postholder is expected to determine priorities across their service area, make strategic and operational decisions, manage resources and performance, and provide leadership through complex service and organisational change.

They will be accountable for the performance and development of their service areas and for ensuring that risks, significant issues and decisions requiring wider organisational authority are identified and escalated appropriately.

The role requires the postholder to look beyond immediate operational delivery, anticipate future service requirements and help shape how digital capabilities, technology and new ways of working can support the Council's longer-term priorities.

Our values

People are at the heart of what we do.

Openness and honesty are important to us.

Together we get things done.

Informal discussion

For further discussion about this opportunity, please contact simon.gunnell@sheffield.gov.uk to arrange an informal discussion.

We are investing in our workforce and are promoting opportunities to our under-represented groups. We value equality, diversity and inclusion and are focused on increasing the diversity of our workforce, particularly the number of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Disabled and LGBTQ+ people, so that our teams reflect the communities in the city we serve. We are also supporting staff with unpaid caring responsibilities to work flexibly.

It is a great time to join us and we welcome your application.

Under the Guaranteed Interview scheme, applicants who are disabled, care leavers, or armed forces veterans will be guaranteed an interview if they meet the essential criteria and indicate their eligibility on the application form. Sometimes, if lots of people apply, we might not be able to interview everyone who qualifies for the Guarantee. In these cases, we’ll interview the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job.

Full-time employees work 37 hours for 52 weeks of the year and we offer a generous holiday entitlement. We are open to discussions about a wide range of flexible working opportunities which benefit you and the Council, including reduced hour contracts, working part time or as a job share.

If you are appointed to this role, your starting salary will be at the bottom of the grade. If you provide payslip evidence that your basic pay is greater than the bottom of the grade, we will consider starting you at the point of minimum advantage within the grade.

Equality of pay is extremely important to us. All roles at Sheffield City Council are going through an evaluation process which may result in changes to some pay arrangements from 2026. Read about the new job evaluation process to be introduced at Sheffield City Council.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all individuals, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for everyone and where appropriate to the role the successful applicant will be required to undertake relevant safeguarding checks.