Back Office Service Manager

MS667 - Back Office Service Manager

Location: Watford 

Salary: £70,000 - £80,000 per annum + package 
 
Overview:  First Military Recruitment are currently seeking a Back Office Service Manager on behalf of one of our clients.

You will be responsible for the end-to-end management, delivery and continual improvement of IT services supporting back office business functions. This includes oversight of infrastructure, hosting, networks and core enterprise technologies in a primarily outsourced, multi-vendor environment.

You will ensure that these foundational services deliver measurable business outcomes and value enabling stability, performance and scalability across the enterprise. Although often not directly visible to end users, these services are critical to the success of business-facing IT operations.

Our client encourages applications from ex-military personnel however all candidates will be given due consideration.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• You will be responsible for the delivery and management of the following back office IT services:
• Management of user access, permissions and data security for shared drives and core systems.
• Lifecycle management and operational support for enterprise applications, including Microsoft 365 (evergreen) and other COTS platforms.
• Oversight of servers, networks, storage, databases and active directory services.
• Management of on-premises, private and public cloud hosting environments, ensuring resilience, scalability and security.
• Operational alignment with cyber security for controls, tools and compliance requirements.
• Planning, setup, change management, ramp-down, decommissioning and archiving of site-based infrastructure.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records in the service catalogue and CMDB, ensuring visibility of service scope, ownership and dependencies.
• Align service delivery with business goals, demonstrating measurable outcomes such as improved stability, cost efficiency or risk reduction.
• Conduct quarterly value reviews with stakeholders to evidence business impact and drive continuous improvement.
• Benchmark services and costs against market standards to ensure efficiency and value for money.
• Apply SIAM principles to coordinate internal teams, global IT and external suppliers under a unified governance model.
• Conduct structured service reviews, presenting performance insights and agreed improvement plans. Drive operational excellence by implementing ITIL aligned best practices across incident, problem and change management.
• Ensure adherence to IT policies, cybersecurity standards and relevant regulatory requirements.
• Manage risks associated with back office services, maintaining audit readiness and operational resilience.
• Oversee the transition and introduction of new or changed services, ensuring stability and minimal disruption.
• Work closely with other Service Managers to align processes and deliver a consistent IT service experience across all domains.
• Partner with Product Management, Architecture and Vendor & Contract Management to ensure strategic alignment and effective resource use.
• Promote a culture of accountability, service ownership and customer focus across teams and suppliers.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Demonstrable experience in service management and delivery of IT infrastructure services (e.g., servers, storage, networks, databases, hosting, active directory and data centres).
• Experience managing IT services in a multi-vendor, outsourced environment.
• Experience supporting key applications (Microsoft 365).
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• Experience with ITIL and SIAM methodologies.
• Experience in incident, problem and change management.
• Experience managing budgets and cost allocation.
• Business-focused, service-driven mindset.
• Familiarity with back office business processes and systems.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to produce high-quality documentation and reporting.
• Self-motivated, results-oriented, able to work independently and in teams.
• IT service management (ITIL, SIAM).
• Competent in incident, problem and change management.
• Stakeholder engagement and communication.
• Service portfolio and catalogue management.
• Budget and financial management.
• Vendor management.
• Process improvement and governance.
• Business analysis and requirements gathering.
• Technical knowledge of infrastructure and hosting.
• Security clearance may be required.
• Willingness to work flexibly, including outside normal working hours if required.
• Willingness to travel to other locations, suppliers or vendors as needed.