Service Operations Lead

Service Operations Lead

£60,144 - £63,535

Full Time (Hybrid)

Are you an experienced IT service management professional with a passion for delivering high-quality technology services and driving continuous improvement? Do you enjoy leading teams, managing operational performance and building strong stakeholder relationships? If so, we may have the perfect opportunity for you.

We’re looking for a proactive and customer-focused Service Operations Lead to oversee the delivery, performance and continual improvement of IT services across the Fund’s Systems function. Working in a collaborative and evolving environment, you’ll play a key role in ensuring services are reliable, secure and aligned to business needs, while helping shape and mature our service management capability for the future.

About WMPF

WMPF is one of the UK’s largest pension funds providing local authority pension benefits for employees across the West Midlands. We manage and administer the pension interests of over 330,000 scheme members, 800+ employers and currently have over £21 billion in assets under management.

We are recruiting for Service Operations Lead to join our continually growing Systems Service area. Our brand-new offices are based at the i9 building in Wolverhampton and is an excellent location for transport links by car, bus, train and tram.

What the day will look like

As Service Operations Lead, you’ll play a central role in ensuring the smooth, secure and efficient delivery of IT services that support the Fund’s operational and strategic objectives. Working closely with internal teams, suppliers and stakeholders, you’ll lead a proactive service management function focused on reliability, resilience and continuous improvement.

Your day could include overseeing service performance, leading major incident resolution, managing supplier relationships, improving operational processes and supporting the successful transition of new services into live operation. You’ll also provide leadership to the Service Operations team, helping to build a collaborative, customer-focused and high-performing culture.

Responsibilities include:

• Leading the day-to-day delivery and continual improvement of IT service operations across the Systems function
• Managing and developing ITIL-aligned processes including incident, problem, change, service request and service level management
• Building and maintaining a comprehensive Service Catalogue to ensure services are operationally ready and effectively supported
• Monitoring service performance against SLAs, OLAs and KPIs, identifying opportunities for improvement and reducing operational risk
• Coordinating the response to major incidents and ensuring timely resolution, communication and root cause analysis
• Driving proactive problem management and continual service improvement initiatives
• Supporting effective change and release governance to minimise disruption to live services
• Managing operational relationships with third-party suppliers and key stakeholders, including the Pension Administration provider and City of Wolverhampton Council interfaces
• Producing clear service performance reporting and operational insights for senior management
• Leading, coaching and developing the Service Operations team to deliver excellent customer-focused outcomes
• Ensuring compliance with governance, information security and regulatory requirements within a regulated environment

About you

We’re looking for an experienced IT service management professional with a strong background in leading operational service delivery within a medium-to-large or regulated environment.

You’ll bring excellent leadership, stakeholder management and problem-solving skills, alongside a passion for service excellence and continual improvement. You’ll be confident managing competing priorities, influencing others and driving positive change across teams and suppliers.

You will also have:

• Significant experience in IT service leadership and operational management
• Strong knowledge of ITIL principles and service management best practice
• Experience managing incident, problem, change and service level management processes
• The ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders, suppliers and technical teams
• Experience monitoring and improving service performance using data and reporting insights
• Excellent communication and organisational skills with the ability to work under pressure
• A proactive and collaborative approach with a focus on delivering high-quality services
• Relevant IT qualifications, ITIL qualifications or equivalent experience

Desirable experience includes working within public sector, financial services or other regulated environments, alongside knowledge of cybersecurity, risk and compliance frameworks.

Why choose the West Midlands Pension Fund?

You will receive a generous holiday entitlement (starting with 26 days a year plus bank holidays). We usually work two days a week in the office and three from home.

We have a modern office environment that offers a relaxed working atmosphere with study and breakout areas, meeting rooms and kitchens with free tea and coffee making facilities. There are also cloakrooms, bike stores, showers and lockers available.

Other benefits whilst working for the fund include the employee awards scheme and on-the-job development where you will be provided with comprehensive study support for professional exams, formal education & structured training and the potential to advance within a growing organisation.

Working at the fund is a great way to start or develop your career and will give you the opportunity to explore, question and collaborate. You will build your skills and knowledge but also a network where everyone is here to help support you learn and develop in a place where you can thrive both professionally and personally making a shared impact.

We are delighted to have been accredited PASA, Investors in People, customer service excellence and we have Bronze Organisational Membership with the British Dyslexia Association and are working towards their Smart Award, which further underlines our commitment to diversity and inclusion.

How we support our colleagues

In addition to our comprehensive benefits package, we encourage a diverse workforce. Plus, our agile, inclusive environment allows you to manage your wellbeing and work/life balance. You also have 24-hour access to an employee assistance programme.

As a new employee of our Systems team, you will receive a robust interactive 6-week induction plan providing you the opportunity to engage with key stakeholders across the fund. You will also be enrolled onto a range of professional training courses including an introduction to the LGPS and team building to encourage collaborative working, allowing you to thrive in your new role.

For more information, please email WMPFRecruitment@wolverhampton.gov.uk or to apply for this post please visit the following website:-

www.wmjobs.co.uk

For full details of the responsibilities and requirements of this role please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification.

Interviews will be commencing on 18th and 19th June 2026

NJC Pay Award for 2026 / 2027:

The annual pay increases for 2026/27 for NJC Local Government Employees are currently being negotiated and, once agreed, will be effective from 1 April 2026.

Our working arrangements

All council roles are allocated to either a fixed, field or flexible work style. Some roles are agile which enable and empower employees to maximise their performance and productivity, whilst maintaining a healthy work life balance. Roles with a fixed workstyle work in a fixed permanent council location. Roles with a field workstyle are usually allocated where employees are required to be out working in the community with a minimum requirement for 'touch down' space at any council location. Roles with a flexible workstyle have a flexible base location to meet the needs of the business and employees can work from a mixture of home or any council office, partner/client, or external location, as required to meet service requirements.

Please refer to the Job Description for further information on the workstyle assigned to the role you are applying for.

For more information about working for our organisation including the culture of the Council, the Council plan and vision, staff equality forums, core HR policies, employee benefits and much more please click here.

Diversity

We are committed to building a workforce that is reflective of the diverse community we serve. We want to attract the best applications from people of all backgrounds and underrepresented groups because we strongly believe in adding value through diversity, inclusion, and equality. Our employees enable us to deliver services that are accessible, inclusive, and reflective of Wolverhampton residents.

Our status as a Disability Confident Employer showcases our commitment to people with disabilities or health conditions, advocating for their opportunities and potential.

We've received the Stonewall Gold Award, emphasising our dedication to the LGBT+ community by nurturing an inspiring, inclusive, and equal workplace.

As of March 2023, the RACE Code Quality Mark signifies our active engagement with racial equality. These recognitions validate our continuous efforts towards fostering an inclusive work environment that respects and values our diverse employees.

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the essential criteria for the post.

We encourage, inspire and value an inclusive culture here at the council where employees can flourish, thrive and be themselves. We have four staff equality forums for employees to join. These help to ensure our employees have a voice, they feel empowered to speak up and where everyone is treated with respect - Learn more about the staff equality forums here

Recruitment of Ex-Offenders

We are committed to the fair treatment of all our employees, potential employees, or users of our service regardless of offending background. The Council uses the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for any vacancies that require a DBS check to obtain information about applicants to assess their suitability for employment in positions of trust. We do not discriminate unfairly against any individual on the basis of a conviction or any other information revealed as a result of a DBS disclosure - Learn more here

Employment Information & Support

If you are considering applying for an apprenticeship or a role where the salary is (Grade 2-5), and would like to visit us to learn about the application, interview process and what it is like to work for the council, please click on this link to find out more - Learn more here