The University of Warwick is one of the UK’s leading research-intensive universities, recognised globally for academic excellence, innovation and collaboration. With a thriving community of over 40,000 students and staff, the University continues to invest in its digital capabilities to support world-class education, pioneering research and an exceptional campus experience.
The University of Warwick’s Information and Digital Group (IDG) has partnered with WEG Senior and Leadership / WEG Executive Search and Selection, formerly known as SearchHigher, on this exciting search for an IT Service Director.
About the Role
The IT Service Director is a senior leadership role within the Information & Digital Group (IDG), responsible for shaping and delivering a high-performing, user-centred IT service experience for a diverse community of more than 42,000 students and staff. You will lead the University’s customer service strategy, stakeholder engagement model and IT service delivery capability, ensuring services are reliable, accessible, resilient and aligned with the University’s strategic ambitions for education, research and growth.
This is a pivotal role in building trust and confidence in IT, embedding ITIL best practice and driving a culture of service excellence, continuous improvement and value for money. You will oversee the University’s IT service management framework and end user support services, ensuring effective delivery across incident, problem, change, request and service level management. You will also champion improvements in digital experience, self-service, automation and AI-assisted support, using data, insight and user feedback to continually improve services and outcomes.
You will build strong relationships with academic, professional services and senior leadership stakeholders, acting as a strategic interface between IT and the wider University. You will ensure service performance, major incidents and improvement activity are communicated effectively, while establishing robust governance, reporting and assurance frameworks.
About the Ideal Candidate
We are looking for an accomplished and inspiring IT leader with significant senior leadership experience in IT service management or IT operations within a complex organisation. You will have strong ITIL expertise and a proven track record of delivering customer-centric services at scale, including the leadership of large, multi-channel support operations.
You will combine strategic thinking with a strong focus on customer experience, using data, performance measures and insight to drive service improvement and inform investment and prioritisation. You will be confident building trusted relationships at senior and board level, developing compelling business cases and managing budgets to deliver clear organisational value.
You will have experience creating high-performing, customer-focused cultures and developing senior teams to achieve organisational goals. A degree or equivalent experience and ITIL certification are essential. Experience within higher education or a similarly federated environment would be advantageous, alongside knowledge of digital experience platforms, automation and AI-enabled service delivery. A relevant project or programme management qualification would also be desirable.
Above all, you will be a collaborative, credible and forward-thinking leader who understands that excellent IT services are about people as much as technology, and who can inspire teams and stakeholders to deliver a trusted, accessible and continually improving service for the whole University community.
Benefits
- 30 days annual leave, plus 8 statutory days and 4 shut down days over Christmas
- A competitive pension scheme
- Staff training
- Free eye care vouchers
- Discounts at Warwick Arts Centre and Warwick Sport Membership
- Access to our Employee Assistance Programme, a complete support network that offers expert advice and guidance 24/7
For more information, visit the benefits page here.
For further information to shape your application, the Job Description and Person Specification can be viewed click here.
How to apply
The University of Warwick has appointed WEG Senior and Leadership / WEG Executive Search and Selection, formerly known as SearchHigher, on this exciting search for an IT Service Director.
as their recruitment partner for this campaign; apply by submitting a cover letter and CV in Word Document format via email to enquiries@searchhigher.com
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role, please submit your application as early as possible.