Principal Service Manager (Standard Support)

About the role

The Principal Service Manager is key to the delivery and optimisation of IT support services to the University. 

With proven success in leading and improving IT service support, they are responsible for the provision of 1st and 2nd line support. 

This includes assistive technology support and incident management. 

Their focus is on optimising the user experience, enabling prompt responses to support requests and minimising escalations through proactive identification of improvement opportunities with associated action. 

The role holder is responsible for operational IT Service Delivery by their teams: ensuring provision of quality services managed in accordance with agreed service levels, standards and policies. 

They are responsible for the day-to-day management of teams including planning the resources and capabilities required. 

Strong working relationships with colleagues across the department is essential to enable collaborative, coherent support services. 

They are accountable for developing and meeting performance targets, identifying areas for improvement and successful implementing approved change initiatives.

This is a fixed-term position until July 2026. 

About you

The applicant will be highly competent and experienced in leading IT support services. 

They will have strong people skills able to lead and motivate staff delivering successful process improvements. 

Competent and effective engaging with customers at all levels including senior leadership.

They will be competent and proactive in planning, managing, reporting, and improving service provision focused on optimising the customer experience. 

The applicant needs to have the agility, flexibility, and ability to manage a high workload with priorities that can change at short notice. 

Strong written and verbal communication are essential. 

The incumbent must have the confidence and capability to utilise their extensive knowledge, skills, and experience plus good influencing skills to deliver the desired impact or promptly resolve an issue, reflecting on action needed to minimise the likelihood of recurrence. 

They will be firm, but fair ensuring empathy tempered with realism and pragmatism. 

What we can offer you:

We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equality and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students, so we encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.

We are very proud to be an autism friendly university and are an accredited Disability Confident Leader; committed to building disability confidence and supporting disabled staff.

• Free counselling services through Health Assured
• Cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
• Staff discount at Team Bath gym
• Staff discounts on postgraduate tuition fees
• Staff discount on language courses
• Generous employer contributory pension schemes
• Generous annual leave allowance with an additional 5 discretionary days so that you can enjoy a positive work life balance
• A wide range of personal and professional development opportunities including Apprenticeships, LinkedIn Learning & more
• Free entry to the Holburne Museum in Bath
• Local discounts and more
• A family-friendly workplace 
• An excellent reward package that recognises the talents of our diverse workforce
• Relocation allowance

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