Senior Service Assurance Manager

Summary

The Senior Service Assurance Manager ensures effective Service Management delivery across assigned D&T products, platforms, or infrastructure Tribes. Embedded within Tribes, the role acts as the key link between Service Management practices and teams, ensuring compliance, full integration, and delivery of IT services that meet business and store service levels.

As a Service Management ambassador, you promote ITIL4, Dev Ops, and Sec Ops as complementary frameworks, helping teams balance speed and throughput with standardisation, risk reduction, and operational stability.

You will proactively monitor performance, identify trends, risks, and issues, and work with Tribe leaders to generate insights, determine root causes, and drive continuous improvement initiatives. Accountable for Tribe performance, you will demonstrate measurable gains in service quality and maturity over time. The role also requires regular engagement with Tribe leadership and business stakeholders to align on priorities, address challenges, and secure support for Service Management improvements.

• Drive Service Management excellence by assuring quality, performance, and compliance of key practices across the Tribe.
• Champion adoption and awareness of Service Management, communicating its value and embedding consistent ways of working.
• Coach and support teams through training, guidance, and targeted interventions to meet service standards and SLAs.
• Monitor performance and manage risk by analysing trends, identifying issues, and leading root cause analysis with actionable improvements.
• Lead continuous improvement and stakeholder engagement by reporting insights, scaling best practices, and collaborating with leadership to enhance service outcomes.

• Deep Service Management expertise with strong knowledge of ITIL4, Dev Ops, Sec Ops and governance best practices (retail experience advantageous).
• Analytical and data-driven, with proven ability to monitor performance, interpret metrics, assess risks, and drive informed decision-making.
• Continuous improvement mindset, experienced in optimising processes and delivering measurable service quality enhancements.
• Strong communicator and influencer, able to engage stakeholders at all levels, manage change effectively, and handle conflict with professionalism.
• Commercially and strategically aware, with solid understanding of IT operations, service tools, and how service delivery impacts business outcomes in fast-paced environments.

• 20% colleague discount on all M&S products and many third‑party brands for you and someone in your household, available once you’ve completed your probation
• Competitive holiday allowance with the option to buy more
• Discretionary bonus schemes linked to your performance and ours
• Strong pension and life assurance to help plan for the future
• Tailored induction and training to support your development from day one
• Exclusive perks and savings through our M&S Choices portal
• Market‑leading family policies, including parental, adoption and neonatal leave
• 24/7 wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services
• One paid volunteer day a year to support a cause that matters to you