Service Delivery Manager

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced, customer-focused, and results-driven Service Delivery Manager to oversee the successful delivery of services to clients and ensure agreed service standards, performance targets, and business objectives are consistently achieved. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in service operations, client relationship management, performance management, stakeholder communication, and process improvement.

The Service Delivery Manager will act as a key point of contact between clients, internal teams, and service providers, ensuring services are delivered efficiently, issues are resolved promptly, and customer expectations are consistently managed.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the end-to-end delivery of services to ensure agreed requirements, service levels, quality standards, and contractual commitments are achieved.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for clients regarding service delivery, operational performance, escalations, and ongoing requirements.
• Build and maintain strong professional relationships with clients, stakeholders, internal teams, and external service providers.
• Understand client requirements and translate business needs into clear operational service objectives.
• Establish and monitor Service Level Agreements (SLAs), Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), service standards, and performance targets.
• Track service performance and ensure agreed targets are consistently achieved within required timelines.
• Prepare and present regular service performance reports, operational updates, KPI dashboards, and management summaries.
• Analyse service performance data to identify trends, recurring issues, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Monitor customer satisfaction, service quality, response times, resolution times, availability, and other relevant performance indicators.
• Coordinate daily service operations and ensure resources are appropriately allocated to meet customer and business requirements.
• Lead and coordinate service delivery teams, including assigning responsibilities, managing workloads, and monitoring team performance.
• Coach, support, and develop team members to improve productivity, service quality, technical capability, and customer service.
• Conduct regular team meetings and communicate operational priorities, service requirements, performance expectations, and customer feedback.
• Manage escalated incidents, service issues, complaints, and operational risks through to successful resolution.
• Coordinate incident management activities and ensure critical issues are communicated to the appropriate stakeholders.
• Conduct or support root-cause analysis for recurring service problems and ensure appropriate corrective and preventive actions are implemented.
• Develop and maintain service improvement plans to increase efficiency, reliability, customer satisfaction, and overall service quality.
• Work closely with IT, Operations, Technical Support, Infrastructure, Customer Service, Sales, Finance, and other departments to resolve service-related issues.
• Coordinate with third-party vendors, contractors, suppliers, and external service providers to ensure agreed services are delivered effectively.
• Monitor vendor performance against contractual requirements, SLAs, KPIs, quality standards, and agreed deliverables.
• Escalate vendor performance issues and coordinate corrective actions where required.
• Review service processes and identify opportunities to streamline workflows, reduce delays, improve productivity, and minimise operational costs.
• Support service transition activities when introducing new services, systems, processes, customers, or operational changes.
• Ensure new services are properly documented, resourced, tested, and prepared for ongoing operational support.
• Maintain accurate service documentation, procedures, operational records, escalation matrices, service reports, and customer information.
• Ensure appropriate processes are in place for service requests, incidents, changes, complaints, and other customer requirements.
• Monitor operational risks and develop appropriate mitigation and contingency plans.
• Support business continuity, disaster recovery, and service resilience initiatives where applicable.
• Ensure service operations comply with company policies, contractual requirements, security standards, quality procedures, and applicable regulations.
• Manage customer expectations by providing clear, timely, and accurate communication regarding service status, incidents, changes, and improvement activities.
• Conduct regular service review meetings with clients and provide updates on performance, challenges, achievements, and planned improvements.
• Gather customer feedback and convert relevant insights into practical service improvements.
• Support contract reviews, service renewals, scope changes, and commercial discussions where required.
• Assist with resource planning, budgeting, forecasting, and operational cost management related to service delivery.
• Identify opportunities to improve service efficiency, automation, customer experience, and operational performance.
• Maintain awareness of industry trends, service-management practices, technology developments, and emerging customer expectations.
• Provide regular updates and recommendations to senior management regarding service performance, operational risks, customer relationships, and improvement initiatives.
• Take ownership of service delivery outcomes and ensure issues are followed through until an appropriate resolution is achieved.

Requirements

• Proven experience as a Service Delivery Manager, Service Manager, Operations Manager, IT Service Manager, or similar role.
• Strong understanding of service delivery, operational management, customer relationship management, and performance monitoring.
• Demonstrated experience managing SLAs, KPIs, service quality, operational targets, and customer expectations.
• Strong experience managing client relationships and communicating with internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent leadership and team-management skills with the ability to motivate, coach, and develop service delivery teams.
• Strong problem-solving, decision-making, and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to manage escalations and resolve complex service issues in a calm and structured manner.
• Strong understanding of incident management, root-cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous improvement.
• Experience working with service-management platforms, CRM systems, ticketing systems, reporting tools, or enterprise systems is an advantage.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint, with the ability to prepare professional reports and presentations.
• Strong ability to analyse service performance data and translate findings into practical improvement initiatives.
• Experience managing third-party vendors, suppliers, contractors, or outsourced service providers is an advantage.
• Strong organisational and time-management skills with the ability to manage multiple clients, priorities, deadlines, and operational issues.
• Customer-focused mindset with a strong commitment to service quality and client satisfaction.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and manage high-priority incidents or escalations.
• Strong commercial awareness and understanding of service contracts, operational costs, and resource management.
• High level of accountability, professionalism, integrity, and attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively across multiple departments and organisational levels.
• Experience with ITIL, service-management frameworks, quality management, or similar methodologies is an advantage.
• Relevant qualifications in Business, Information Technology, Operations Management, Service Management, or a related field are preferred.