Service Manager (Northumbria University Digital Services Limited) –

Join us at a pivotal moment

Help lead the largest shared service in higher education, combining people, data and AI-enabled technology to deliver outstanding support at scale.
 

Northumbria University Digital Services Limited is a forward-thinking and growing organisation, delivering 24/7/365 support to students and staff across higher education. We help university communities stay connected, supported and ready to succeed, whenever they need us.

We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Service Manager to join us. This is a fantastic opportunity to play a highly visible role in shaping a modern, high-performing service operation, strengthening the way we work today while helping to build the service model of the future.

As part of a 24/7/365 service operation, this role works 5 days over 7, which may include weekends. Working in a hybrid way, with regular time spent on campus at Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne, you will provide visible leadership, strengthen operational oversight and help improve consistency, efficiency and customer experience as the service continues to grow.

What you’ll do

As Service Manager, you will lead the day-to-day running and performance of our live service desk. You will provide operational control across the service, working through Team Leads to ensure clear standards, strong performance and a consistently positive customer experience.

You will use data and insight to understand demand, monitor performance, identify risks and turn reporting into practical action. You will also drive continuous improvement, finding opportunities to simplify processes, reduce manual effort and make better use of technology, automation and AI.
 

Your day-to-day will include:

• Leading the day-to-day operation of the live service desk, ensuring services remain stable, responsive and aligned to agreed standards.
• Taking ownership of service performance, including service levels, queue health, workload management, quality and customer experience.
• Setting and maintaining clear service standards, KPIs, reporting routines and performance reviews.
• Working with colleagues to improve processes and make better use of tools, automation and AI.

Full details can be found in our job description.
 

About you

You will bring a strong operational background and enjoy bringing focus, structure and momentum to a busy service environment. You may already be managing a service desk, customer support operation, contact centre or live service team, and you will understand what it takes to deliver consistently when demand, priorities and customer expectations are moving quickly.

You will be confident using data to understand performance, identify trends and make informed decisions. This role will suit someone who can turn reporting and analysis into clear management action, whether that means spotting demand patterns, strengthening quality or identifying opportunities to reduce avoidable effort.
 

We’re looking for someone who can bring:

• A strong operational management background, ideally within a service desk, customer support, contact centre or live service environment.
• Confidence using data analysis to understand service performance, spot risks and drive improvement.
• A good understanding of KPIs, service standards, reporting, quality assurance and continuous improvement.
• Confidence managing through Team Leads, with clear direction, support and accountability.
• Experience of workforce planning, demand management or resource planning.
• An interest in how technology, automation and AI can support better service delivery, scalability and customer experience.
 

Why join us

This is a chance to make a real impact in a visible leadership role at an important stage of our growth.

You will help shape how performance is managed, how teams are supported and how customers experience the service. Your work will contribute to a more consistent, resilient and forward-thinking operation, supporting university communities across higher education.

You’ll also benefit from:

• A key leadership role in the largest shared service in higher education.
• The chance to shape a modern service operation combining people, technology and AI.
• A varied role where your decisions and improvements will have a visible impact.
• A supportive, inclusive and collaborative working environment.
• Training and ongoing professional development.

How to Apply

Please send your CV and a covering letter to careers@normanmanagedservices.ac.uk, telling us why you would be a great fit for the role and for Northumbria University Digital Services Limited. For an informal chat about the role, please contact Dan Newton, Head of Service & Technology on dan@normanmanagedservices.ac.uk. Please do not apply through this site using the link below, as your application will not be progressed.