What the role is accountable for
The Senior Operations Manager reports to the Service Delivery Manager and provides senior operational leadership across IT, IIT, MES and OT support services. The role is accountable for reliable service execution, SLA performance, customer reporting, contract governance, operational process optimisation and the development of high-performing teams. It also supports proposals, costings, quotations, contract reviews and renewals. The incumbent will travel to client sites as required, may participate in standby arrangements, and will support occupational health and safety responsibilities, including Section 16(2)-related coordination where formally appointed and suitably competent.
Role reporting
Service Delivery Manager
A typical day may include
Service Leadership, SLA Management & Reporting
- Lead multi-site service operations, manage resources and capacity, and ensure safe, stable and quality delivery against contracted scope.
- Own SLA performance management, service reviews, dashboards and accurate operational reporting; identify trends, risks and corrective actions.
Customer, Contract & Commercial Governance
- Build trusted client relationships, lead operational discussions and escalations, and support contract renewal and extension negotiations with the Service Delivery Manager and Customer Success Manager.
- Review quotations, contracts, service schedules, assumptions and obligations; provide operational approval within delegated authority and escalate material commercial or delivery risks.
Proposal & Solution Support
- Develop and review operational content for proposals, including delivery models, staffing, assumptions, risks, governance, SLAs and transition requirements.
- Validate cost inputs, effort estimates and operational supportability in collaboration with the Service Proposal Manager, Sales and technical stakeholders.
ITIL Process Optimisation & Continual Improvement
- Apply ITIL practices to implement, standardise and optimise incident, request, problem, change, configuration, knowledge and service-level management processes.
- Maintain a measurable improvement pipeline and drive automation, governance, reporting quality, cost efficiency and operational maturity.
People Leadership & Succession Development
- Lead, coach and develop Operations Managers and technical teams, including performance, capability, succession and workforce planning.
- Build readiness to develop further and progressively assume broader customer, commercial and service-governance responsibilities.
Operational Resilience, Client Sites & OHS
- Travel to client sites and other company locations as operationally required and participate in standby, escalation or after-hours support arrangements where applicable.
- Support OHS governance, coordinate and implement site safety plans and safety files, and fulfil Section 16(2)-related duties when formally appointed, trained and authorised.
Qualifications we look for
Essential Qualifications:
- Grade 12 or equivalent.
- Relevant diploma or degree in Information Technology, Engineering, Operations Management, Business Management or a related field.
- ITIL Foundation certification with demonstrable practical application of ITIL practices.
- Valid driver’s licence and willingness to travel to client sites.
Preferred Qualifications:
- ITIL Managing Professional, Strategic Leader or equivalent advanced service-management certification.
- Project, commercial, contract-management or financial-management training.
- Relevant OHS training and eligibility to support statutory or delegated safety responsibilities.
Experience we look for
- Functional experience: 10+ years relevant experience, including 5 years in operations or service-delivery management.
- Leadership: 5 years management years
- Extensive experience in IT, IIT, MES or OT operations, including significant leadership responsibility in managed services or complex support environments.
- Proven line-management experience leading managers, technical teams, vendors and geographically distributed services.
- Demonstrated ownership of SLAs, service reporting, service reviews, escalations and continual improvement plans.
- Practical experience reviewing or contributing to proposals, cost models, quotations, contracts and operational solution designs.
- Experience supporting contract renewals, extensions, commercial discussions and customer negotiations.
- Demonstrated use of ITIL practices to implement, govern and optimise operational processes.
- Experience working at a senior management level including EXCO
- Experience coordinating site safety requirements, safety plans, safety files or related OHS activities is advantageous.
How the role raises the bar
Technical, Service & Commercial Skills
- Strong practical command of ITIL practices, SLA governance, service reporting and continual improvement.
- Broad understanding of IT, IIT, MES, OT and IT/OT integrated service environments.
- High-quality proposal writing, service-description development and presentation skills.
- Ability to analyse cost models, quotations, contracts, risks and obligations and make sound approval recommendations.
- Strong process mapping, root-cause analysis, KPI design, automation and operational optimisation capability.
- Working knowledge of governance, risk, financial controls and OHS coordination requirements.
Leadership, Customer & Successor Capabilities
- Senior leadership presence with the judgement and maturity to deputise when required.
- Excellent customer engagement, facilitation, negotiation and contract-renewal discussion skills.
- Ability to translate commercial commitments into practical, measurable and supportable operating models.
- Strong people leadership, coaching, performance management and succession-development skills.
- Calm and decisive under pressure, with effective escalation, incident and stakeholder management.
- Flexible and willing to travel, support standby arrangements and assist with formally assigned safety responsibilities.
