Job Type : Permanent
Hours of Work : Full-time
Location : Hybrid/remote with access to our office locations in Abingdon, Portchester and Wootton Bassett
Department : Managed Services/Delivery
Reporting to : Services Director
About Conscia
Conscia is a leading provider of cybersecurity, networking, hybrid cloud, and observability solutions for mission-critical IT infrastructure in large European organisations. Conscia’s experts design, implement, and run innovative, customised IT solutions across cybersecurity, networking, hybrid cloud, and observability, supporting our customers throughout their technology lifecycles. Founded in 2003, Conscia is owned by private equity investor Nordic Capital. With around 1,500 employees, Conscia serves large organisations in finance, healthcare, manufacturing, utilities, retail, and the public sector from offices in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the UK.
People and Culture
We believe our company culture is part of what makes us special: it’s part of what people love about working here. We’re dedicated to nurturing this positive and inclusive culture, so that people are empowered to bring their whole selves to work each day. Our goal is to foster an environment where people feel valued, heard, and supported, and where they can thrive and succeed. This is reflected in our company values: Inspire Trust, Commit to Collaborate, Deliver on Promise, Learn for Life and Embrace Sustainable Change.
The Head of Service Governance is accountable for establishing and leading a new Managed Services governance function that ensures all service contracts are commercially viable, contractually robust, operationally deliverable, and continually improved over their lifecycle.
This role acts as the commercial and operational gatekeeper for Managed Services, ensuring the business only enters into service contracts that can be underpinned profitably, sustainably, and in line with the agreed service catalogue and operating model.
The role owns service contract management excellence, service onboarding governance, service catalogue adherence, and in-life service improvement, while managing a team that includes the Service Operations Manager, Lifecycle Services Managers, and Service Delivery Managers.
Required skills, experience and effective behaviours
Essential
- Demonstrable experience setting up or materially improving a Managed Services contract governance function.
- Hands-on ownership of medium to large, complex IT Managed Services contracts, including multi-year agreements, bespoke service models, and strong SLA and KPI frameworks.
- Proven experience delivering Service Improvement Plans to correct underperforming services.
- Deep understanding of contractual risk management, margin protection, change control, and cost-to-serve modelling.
- Strong background operating in customer-facing, contractually complex IT services environments.
Nice to have
- Experience working within ITIL-aligned service organisations.
- Involvement in service catalogue design and lifecycle management.
- Exposure to private equity-backed or high-growth IT services environments.
- Experience influencing sales behaviour and deal qualification processes.
Managed Services Contract Ownership & Governance
- Own the end-to-end contract management of Managed Services agreements, from mobilisation through to renewal or exit.
- Act as the primary authority on contractual obligations, service scope, risk, SLAs, KPIs, penalties, and margin protection.
- Ensure contracts are operated with robust governance frameworks, including service reviews, commercial governance, escalation models, and change control.
- Hold customers and internal stakeholders to clear contractual accountability, preventing scope creep and unmanaged risk.
- Lead contract performance remediation, including Service Improvement Plans (SIPs) where services fall below contractual or commercial expectations.
Service onboarding and Transition Governance
- Define and own the Managed Services onboarding and transition framework, ensuring consistent, low-risk mobilisation of new services.
- Ensure all new service contracts are fully aligned to the approved service catalogue, have clear operational acceptance criteria, and are supported by appropriate tooling, resourcing, and financial models.
- Govern service readiness reviews prior to go-live, covering operational capability, financial underpinning, contractual clarity, and resource and tooling readiness.
- Prevent premature or under-designed service onboarding that places margin, service quality, or customer satisfaction at risk.
Service catalogue & Commercial Gatekeeping
- Act as the final authority on whether the business can responsibly accept new Managed Services opportunities.
- Ensure no Managed Service is contracted unless it aligns to the agreed service catalogue (or has appropriate executive approval with a bespoke costed service model), can be delivered profitably, and all risks are understood, priced, and contractually mitigated.
- Partner with Sales, Presales, and Finance to challenge assumptions, pricing models, and service designs.
- Stop unviable or under-funded service contracts from entering delivery.
Service Performance and Continuous Improvement
- Lead the definition and execution of Service Improvement Plans (SIPs) to improve service quality, customer satisfaction, and margin.
- Own performance analysis across SLAs and service credits, cost-to-serve, margin erosion, and recurring incidents or operational inefficiencies.
- Use data and trend analysis to drive proactive service optimisation.
- Ensure services evolve in line with commercial objectives, customer needs, and operational scalability.
- Deliver proactive lifecycle management across the managed service client base, ensuring clients are regularly advised on end-of-life, end-of-support, and technology refresh planning, and that refresh activity is factored into contract and commercial planning.
Team Leadership & Function Build
- Build and lead a team comprising the Service Operations Manager, Lifecycle Services Managers, and Service Delivery Managers.
- Define clear roles, operating rhythms, and accountability within the function.
- Set standards for service reviews, customer communications, reporting, and escalation.
- Coach team members to operate confidently in commercially assertive, contract-led service environments.
- Embed a culture of ownership, transparency, and outcome-driven service management.
Stakeholder & Executive Engagement
- Act as a trusted adviser to senior leadership on Managed Services risk, performance, and scalability.
- Provide strategic direction and oversight to the Service Operations Manager, ensuring day-to-day operational delivery is aligned with client contracts, the service catalogue, and the commercial objectives of the function. Partner closely with Sales & Presales, Finance, and Solution Design.
- Provide clear, evidence-backed recommendations on contract renewals, investment requirements, and service exit or renegotiation scenarios.
Success Measures
- Managed Services contracts operating within agreed commercial and contractual boundaries.
- Reduction in unmanaged scope, margin leakage, and service credits.
- Consistent, controlled onboarding of new Managed Services.
- Improved customer satisfaction driven by predictable, well-governed service delivery.
- Clear executive confidence in the viability and scalability of Managed Services offerings.
- Proactive lifecycle management evidenced by client engagement on end-of-life and technology refresh planning ahead of contractual or vendor deadlines.
We constantly review our benefits package to ensure our people are enabled to effectively fulfil their roles. Our current benefits package includes:
- 25 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays and a buy/sell holiday scheme where you can buy/sell up to 5 days each year
- A day off for your birthday
- Flexible working
- Up to 40 days of occupational sick pay
- Life assurance
- Private healthcare
- Electric vehicle lease scheme
- Bicycle purchase scheme
- Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
- Voucher rewards through YuLife
- A positive and supportive culture to help you bring your best self to work
- Ongoing support for your professional development
