Lead Service Manager - Life Services

Lead Service Manager – Life Services
£60,000 - £70,000 plus private healthcare, pension with up to 10% employer contributions and many more great benefits (Work Level 5) 
Manchester city centre - in this role you’ll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home and the office a couple of days per month, (find out more about our hybrid working policy at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy).  

We’re open to applications from people who may require flexible working arrangements. There’ll be an opportunity to discuss your flexible working requirements during the interview process, and at offer stage.

We’re reshaping our Digital, Technology and Data function for the future, creating new opportunities, strengthening our capability, and building clearer, more resilient ways of working so we can deliver even better services for our Co-op, our colleagues, members and customers.

We're looking for a Lead Service Manager to join our Technology team and help us deliver reliable, high-performing services that support colleagues, customers and members across our Co-op. You'll lead the management, performance, stability and continuous improvement of business-critical technology services, working with technical teams, suppliers and stakeholders to ensure we deliver great outcomes across some of Co-op's most important technology platforms.

Why this role matters

Technology is critical to the services we provide in Funeralcare, supporting everything from arranging and planning funerals to managing operational processes and colleague collaboration. As Lead Service Manager, you'll be responsible for ensuring these services are trusted, reliable and continually evolving to meet the needs of the business. You'll lead service excellence across a complex technology landscape, working closely with stakeholders and suppliers to improve performance, manage risk and deliver meaningful change that helps our colleagues provide outstanding support to clients and their families.

What you’ll do

•    Lead the end-to-end management of Funeralcare technology services, ensuring they remain stable, secure and high 
•    Develop and maintain strong relationships with technical teams, business stakeholders and third-party suppliers
•    Drive service improvement initiatives, identifying opportunities to enhance service quality, performance and user experience
•    Use service data, trends and insights to inform decision-making, prioritisation and continuous improvement activity
•    Provide leadership and oversight across incident, problem, change and risk management processes
•    Ensure service governance, operational controls and reporting are effective and aligned with organisational standards
•    Support strategic planning and roadmap development for your services, balancing operational performance with future business needs
•    Work closely with Funeralcare teams to understand business priorities and ensure technology services continue to meet evolving needs

What you’ll bring

We’re committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria. To thrive here, you’ll need to bring:

•    Significant experience in IT Service Management, including ownership and leadership of complex business-critical services
•    A strong track record of building effective relationships and influencing stakeholders at multiple levels across an organisation
•    Experience driving service improvement initiatives and delivering measurable outcomes for customers or colleagues
•    Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use data and insight to support decision-making
•    Experience working with suppliers and managing service performance against agreed expectations and outcomes
•    A good understanding of service management frameworks, principles and best practice (such as ITIL, ITIL 4 or equivalent)

We know some people may hesitate to apply if they don’t meet every requirement. At Co-op, we’re committed to building diverse and inclusive teams, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly, we still encourage you to apply.

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

•    An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
•    28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays 
•    A pension with up to 10% employer contributions 
•    Private healthcare
•    Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ) 
•    30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands 
•    Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it 
•    Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice 
•    24/7 colleague support service 
•    Training and support for your development and career progression
•    Cycle-to-work scheme

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.

We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.

Learn more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion