Service Manager

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity.

Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries.

We connect. We inspire.

British Council Pay band: 8/E
Location: Noida, India
Department: Digital & Technology
Contract type: Indefinite (permanent)
Closing Date: 12 th Oct 2025 at 11:59 PM Local Time

Starting salary:20,80125 per annum (open to discussions), plus a yearly performance-based bonus and additional benefits

This role is open for applications from employees who are currently located and have the right to work in India. The successful candidate will remain in their current location/entity.

There is no relocation or sponsorship support, and you must have the legal right to work in India at the time of application.

British Council supports working in new ways such as hybrid working, subject to full approval by line management and conditional upon our ability to provide the appropriate level of service. This may not be appropriate for all roles but can be explored at interview.

Role purpose

The Service Manager develops and manages operational relationships with suppliers to meet key performance indicators and agreed targets, Is responsible for the liaison between the organisation and designated suppliers.

Carries out benchmarking and makes use of supplier performance data to ensure that supplier performance is properly monitored and regularly reviewed. Is responsible for the management and implementation of supplier service improvement actions and programmes.

The Service Manager works collaboratively with Service Leads who have accountability for their services to deliver joined up operational supplier management.

Role Context

The Digital and Technology Directorate leads the British Council’s digital strategy and transformation. It creates and executes technology initiatives to fulfil the organisation’s mission and corporate priorities.

Key focus areas are:

• Creating digital products that attract and retain customers, delivering business value through digital design and delivery expertise.
• Developing and optimising digital platforms that provide seamless customer interactions and use scalable and secure capabilities.
• Enhancing digital capability across the organisation.
Enabling growth, impact and efficiency through technology.

Digital and Technology is a global Directorate organised into four divisions: Product, Engineering, Operations and Performance which collectively create digital products and services, maintain, and improve products, services and platforms and optimise performance. Areas of responsibility include digital and technology strategy, architecture, infrastructure, software, development, data, innovation, and cybersecurity. It ensures that technology initiatives are customer and value focused, accessible, efficient, and secure.

The Operations division is accountable for the continuing delivery of secure, performant enterprise platforms and applications and the connectivity and modern workplace environment to access those platforms. This is achieved through partnerships with external suppliers and delivery through ITIL based processes. The unit is also responsible for transitioning new products and services into the live environment. It interfaces across the Digital and Technology departments, Suppliers and Managed Services.

Accountabilities/Responsibilities:

Leadership & Management

• Lead operational supplier management to achieve British Council supplier management objectives.
• Drive delivery by third party suppliers to achieve the service levels agreed with the organisation and continual improvement on these service levels.
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive culture with suppliers, promoting knowledge sharing, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Lead operations of Retained Service Desk for Out Of Scope Countries.

Strategy and/or Planning

• Determines the overall operational supplier management strategy, embracing effective management and operational relationships at all levels.
• Aligns supplier performance objectives and relationship management activities with business and commercial objectives and sourcing strategies.
Establishes a framework for supplier governance and to monitor the service provided and deliver commercial value from contracts.

Relationship and Stakeholder Management

• Act as a primary point of contact for managing high level stakeholder relationships that will provide assurance, effectiveness and reliability to the organisation regarding supplier management.
Actively support and engage with subject matter experts, Service leads and stakeholders to ensure continuous improvements are identified through review and benchmarking processes and to gain a wider buy-in into under-performance strategies.

Commercial and/or Financial Management

• Maintains a broad understanding of the commercial IT environment, how the organisation sources, deploys and manages external partners and when it is appropriate to use in-house resources.
• Support Supplier Management in supplier performance reviews and negotiations.
Manages remediation action as needed to ensure suppliers maintain services to meet contractual, financial and performance obligations

Service Improvement

• Performs benchmarking and makes use of supplier performance data to ensure that performance is adequately monitored and regularly reviewed. Use suppliers' expertise to support and inform development roadmaps.
Supports the Service Leads in managing implementation of supplier service improvement actions. Identifies constraints and opportunities when negotiating or renegotiating contracts.

Professional Services Expertise

• Overall responsibility for managing suppliers throughout their entire lifecycle
• Creates and then maintains oversight of supplier Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Operational Level Agreements (OLA) for the British Council
• Ensures the establishment of maintenance of operational and business methods, procedures and facilities in assigned area of responsibility and reviews them regularly for effectiveness and efficiency.
• Overall responsibility for ensuring reliability of supplier services to ensure that British Council can effectively meet service targets in accordance with planned business objectives.
• Provides overall direction and set appropriate governance standards to ensure the supplier services managed remain within British Council risk appetite and adheres to appropriate standards (cyber essentials, ISO 27001).
• Strategically assesses and implement appropriate risk controls, will be accountable for maintaining key risks indicators and ensuring British Council suppliers operate services within the specified risk appetite.
• Overall responsibility with suppliers for ensuring the high level elements required to maintain and restore the services managed are known and in place in the event of a crisis.
Govern the suppliers service management.

Sector/Subject Expertise

• Manages suppliers to meet key performance indicators and agreed targets.
Manages the operational relationships between suppliers and ensures potential disputes or conflicts are raised and resolved.

Consultancy, analysis, and problem solving

• Collaborate with the wider IS Service team and wider British Council stakeholders to identify where supplier changes are required, analyse the impact for the business and/or the procurement element of programmes/projects.
• Provide guidance to the business and other D&T teams in working with the suppliers to ensure adherence to contracts and standards.
Support wider organisational change on working practices with a supplier.

Role Specific Skills

Minimum/essential

• Operational supplier management in a complex global IT environment
Executive level relationship management of internal stakeholders and external suppliers

Role Specific Knowledge and Experience

Minimum/essential

• A proven track record of managing supplier relationships in a complex global IT environment.
• IT market expertise with a good knowledge of suppliers and the competitive environment they operate in.
Experience in service desk management

Education/Professional Qualifications

Minimum/essential

• Degree qualified or equivalent experience.
ITIL V4 Intermidiate

Desirable

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of the community as we believe that a diverse workforce gives added depth to our work. The British Council is a Disability Confident Employer. The Disability Confident scheme helps challenge attitudes, increase understanding of disability and ensure staff are drawn from the widest possible pool of talent. We guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the minimum role requirements. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.

Safeguarding Statement

The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with. We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989. Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.

If you experience any difficulties with submitting your application, please email askhr@britishcouncil.org