Senior IT Service Manager

About the job

Job summary

Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you're seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it's really like to work at HMRC.

Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.

As an IT Service Manager within CDIO, you will be working on services that are actively being modernised, including moving away from legacy systems towards more flexible, cloud-based solutions. There is real opportunity to be involved in improving live services while they are evolving, not just maintaining them. The environment is increasingly data-led and technology-driven, giving you exposure to modern tools, automation, and new ways of working.

You'll gain experience in complex, high-volume services (like Corporation Tax) that have a direct impact on HMRC operations. CDIO offers the chance to develop service management skills in a large-scale, nationally critical environment.

You'll be part of a culture that encourages continuous improvement, innovation, and learning as transformation progresses.

Job description

Working as part of the Business Tax team, you will operate within CDIO's Live Service function, supporting incident response, change delivery, and service improvement activities across complex, high-volume services.

Person specification

• Strong analytical and problem solving skills, especially under operational pressure.
• Confidence engaging at senior stakeholder level, including clear written and verbal communication.
• A proactive, accountable mindset with a focus on service reliability and user impact.
• Ability to operate effectively in environments with legacy technology, complex dependencies and external suppliers.

Essential Criteria:

• Experience working in an IT Service Management Function, in particular practical knowledge of managing risks, continual improvement, incident management including business critical issues, and understanding their impact.
• Shows aptitude for analysing and managing problems arising from incidents in the operation of information systems.
• Experience of understanding the principles and processes of implementing, delivering and decommissioning of IT services.
• Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy and resilience, under ambiguous and fast paced circumstances, with the ability to manage the priorities of services, stakeholders and suppliers.
• Shows experience of understanding services and products, and the tools, methods, procedures, equipment and software used in the operation and management of the service.
• Experience of managing stakeholders at all levels, clear understanding of roles and responsibilities within a service management function. Dealing with competing priorities, resource constraints, and managing expectations.
• Experience of using your expertise to manage your services through suppliers enabling high availability and performance.
• Demonstrable experience of applying structured governance, risk and assurance, reporting practices, within a live service and delivery environment. Including maintaining service documentation, managing risks and issues, producing clear management information, and supporting senior leaders in effective decision making across service, delivery and commercial stakeholders.

Desirable Criteria:

• ITIL v4 certification (or willingness to work towards).

Further Location Information

Please ensure that you only apply for a location that you are willing and able to work from, as we will only make one offer of employment. Any additional notes included in a 'Further Location Preferences (optional)' field within the application form, will not be considered. Please be aware that you cannot change your location preference after submitting your application.

Office closures

For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.

If your location preference is for one of the following sites, it's important to note that these are not long-term sites for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time.

This site is:

• Telford Plaza, Telford - moving to Parkside Court, Telford

You will be given more information about what this means at the job offer stage.

Leeds Locations

Moves Adjustment Payment will be available for this role, provided the successful applicant is a current HMRC colleague in Bradford and meets the eligibility requirements outlined in the HMRC's Moves Adjustment Payment guidance.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £45,544, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £13,194 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

• Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues' Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.

To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it's really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:

• A name-blind CV detailing up to your last three roles. For each role, please provide no more than 250 words summarising your responsibilities, key activities and accomplishments.
• A 750-word Personal Statement. Your Personal Statement should be used to describe how your skills and experience would be suitable for the advertised role, and how they meet the essential criteria outlined in the advert.

Please evidence any Desirable Criteria where applicable, up to 250 words max. This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy holder where candidates have the same score at interview.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Sift

In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial sift may be held on the CV.

At full sift your CV and your Personal Statement will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.

We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.

Interview

During the panel interview, your experience will be assessed, you will be asked behaviour based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of, and you will be asked strength-based questions to also explore what you enjoy and your motivations relevant to the job role.

This is an example of a strengths-based question:

"It is often said that the customer's needs should come first. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?"

There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.

Interviews will take place via video link. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed. Please note that circumstances may arise that require the planned interview format to change. We will endeavour to provide you with as much notice of any change as possible.

Eligibility

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. Mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we may not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, or have withdrawn yourself in error and need your application reinstated whilst the campaign is still live, please contact us via: . click apply for full job details