What’s it all about then?

Your job as an IT Service Manager means you’ll be leading the IT team for your company (or perhaps a business unit or site), so this is a senior role.

You’ll design, develop and oversee the maintenance of all of your company’s IT services.

The job is very pro-active and you’ll have to be able to identify possible problems before they arise; if this isn’t possible then a suitable effective trouble shooting programme is yours to manage as well.

What might I be doing?

You’ll be leading a team of specialist IT professionals who will cover all aspects of IT within the food company that you work for; these will include attributes from some of the other IT roles on this website and you should visit them for more details.

On a day-to-day basis you’ll find yourself with at least some of the following duties:

• Leading and managing the company team of IT specialists
• Enhancing the company IT infrastructure via design and implementation of improvements or purchase of new systems
• Overall oversight of IT projects in conjunction with IT Project Manager(s)
• Implementing relevant policies and procedures for the identification and resolution of relevant problems
• Evaluating new systems and procedures which will improve company IT functions
• Providing the high level link to external partners and ensuring that this works effectively.

What will be expected of me?

The simplest way of considering what will be expected of you is to disassemble the role into its three components as follows:

You’ll be expected to have a lot of experience and expertise in the field of IT – of course this doesn’t mean that you are the company expert on all matters IT, rather that the members of your team are, and that they have your trust and respect.

In terms of your service skills you’ll have to be very focused on the needs of your customers, whether these are internal company colleagues, or external partners along the company supply chain.

This also means that your communication skills will be expected to be of the highest order as you deal with your team plus involving company management and ensuring they remain onside with your ideas

The third component is of course management and, as an IT Service Manager you’ll have to be an excellent leader and manager of people.

What can I expect?

You can expect to be working office hours i.e. between 8am and 6pm from Mondays to Fridays – although in a senior role such as this, the requirement is to get the job done so extra hours will be the norm.

You’ll also have some travel, depending on the IT structure of your company and the breadth of your responsibilities.

What about the pay?

This is a senior role so the salary will reflect this and is likely to be well in excess of £50,000.

What qualifications do I need to get in?

It is most unlikely that you’ll commence your career in a managerial role; rather you’ll have started as a trainee having achieved the relevant IT qualifications, and then worked your way up as your experience and expertise developed.

Examples of  relevant computing type qualifications these include  BSc degrees in Computer Science, Information Technologies, Computer Engineering, Business Information Technology.

If you have commenced your career as an IT Technician or a similar role you may have entered you post with Level 3 or Level 4 type qualifications and you should check the IT Technician role for more details.

What about further training?

To secure the job of IT Service Manager, you’ll very likely carry IT industry specific qualifications on top of your degree.

You might also consider qualifications gained through membership of a professional body such as the Chartered Institute for IT.

The type of training that you will need will depend on your levels of experience in IT and also non-related IT management roles.

Anything else I might need to know?

Yes, as the IT service manager you’ll likely be a member of the company’s senior management team, possibly even holding a director’s position, so all of the IT responsibility lies with you!

With IT becoming ever more important to all companies in the food sector, the possibilities for your career development are practically limitless!