IT Applications Service Manager – 3‑Month Contract

About the role

An experienced IT Applications Service Manager is needed to support a housing organisation undergoing transformation. The role is contract‑based (3 months) and requires a hands‑on leader to ensure the applications estate remains stable, reliable and aligned with business needs.

Key responsibilities

• Manage day‑to‑day performance, availability and user satisfaction of business‑critical applications.
• Lead a team of Application Analysts and Senior Application Analysts, providing coaching and development.
• Own application lifecycle management, service performance monitoring and continual improvement initiatives.
• Oversee 2nd and 3rd line support, incident resolution and escalation processes.
• Maintain supplier and vendor relationships, ensuring SLA compliance.
• Support change and release activities to guarantee smooth transitions into live service.
• Establish robust governance, processes and service‑management practices.
• Collaborate with technical and business stakeholders to prioritise improvements.

Required profile

• Proven experience managing enterprise application services in a complex environment.
• Strong leadership with a track record of developing technical teams.
• Background in service operations, application support and continual service improvement.
• Experience managing third‑party suppliers and outsourced service providers.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience with incident, problem, change and release management processes.
• Knowledge of the housing, local government or wider public sector is desirable.

Required skills

• IT service management
• Application lifecycle management
• Incident management
• Change management
• Release management