Associate, IT Service Delivery & Vendor Manager

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Associate, IT Service Delivery and Vendor Manager

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Knight FrankWho Are We

At Knight Frank, we work responsibly in partnership to enhance people’s lives and environments. Knight Frank is a leading independent real estate consultancy with a global network across 60 territories.At the heart of all we do are our Clients. A relationship built on trust is vital. We act with integrity and care, understanding our clients’ needs and providing personalised, clear and considered advice across all areas of property. We are committed to inclusivity and diversity and empower our people to perform at their best.About The RoleScope

Established in 1896, Knight Frank is the leading independent property consultancy. We are seeking a highly talented, motivated and experienced IT Service Delivery and Vendor Manager to support the evolution of our IT Transformation. This is a senior leadership role within the Group IT department, responsible for the effective delivery of IT Services to the Knight Frank business across the UK and globally. The role will be the face of IT Services to the business, partnering with stakeholders to ensure services are optimised and meet business needs. The role is the escalation point for IT Services and owns business incident communications and the major incident management process. The IT Service Operations team includes outsourced IT Service Desk, EUC Operations, Infrastructure and Information Security, and in-house Application Support and Microsoft Power Platform support. The Service Delivery and Vendor Manager manages day-to-day relationships with technology vendors and owns relationships with non-strategic vendors unless defined otherwise. They ensure vendor service delivery aligns with contractual expectations, service levels, business needs and expectations. The role reports to the Head of Technology Projects and Operations and is responsible for the delivery of IT Services to the business, acting as the IT Service conduit and escalation partner. The role includes reporting IT department and vendor performance, driving continual service improvement, IT service communications, and managing the Major Incident Management process.ResponsibilitiesVendor Relationship Management – Develop, manage and maintain tactical and strategic outsourcing vendor relationships and ensure service obligations and performance levels are met.Provide vendor service management for all third parties supplying underpinning services or technology to Knight Frank. Build relationships with key partners to extend technology services and drive value-added outcomes.Commercial Vendor Management – Ensure the IT Services vendor portfolio is managed and optimised for appropriate sizing and capability breadth.Identify service improvements and potential financial opportunities and benefits.Collaborate with the wider IT team and support IT Procurement in onboarding and managing new vendors, including creating contract service schedules and IT service non-functional requirements.Service Reporting and Performance - Conduct regular service performance reviews with key Vendors to ensure delivery against contracts and quality.Create metrics around IT Services’ performance, reliability and availability to enable better decision making, financial planning and resource allocation; deliver, improve and report on SLAs.Define metrics aligning business targets with IT service performance for each service in the Service Catalogue.Design a framework for Live Service reporting with the Microland partner to deliver dashboards that visualise key metrics and insights.IT Services Business Partnering - act as the main interface for Live Services offered to the business, representing Digital and Data as a supplier of technology services and ensuring performance and availability.ITSM Excellence – improve customer experience by building relationships across the business and continuously enhancing IT services.Understanding the Organisation – interpret organisational structure and business/user requirements to deliver optimal service.Vendor Problem Management – lead the IT Service Operations team to identify and manage recurring problems, perform proactive trend analysis and post-incident reviews to prevent recurrence.Major Incident Management – ensure timely identification and effective resolution communication during major incidents.Continual Service Improvement - identify and implement SIPs to improve service delivery and drive larger-scale improvements.Commercial and Contractual Management – understand vendor contracts and maximise value for Knight Frank.Senior Management Team – contribute to IT Service Operations management and challenge ideas constructively.Service Assurance - chair regular service assurance and performance reviews with stakeholders to transparently present performance.Projects and Initiatives - work on ad-hoc projects related to service offering and maturity as required.SkillsStrong leadership and coaching; experience maturing an IT Service Operations team with internal and external vendors.Knowledge of IT infrastructure and interest in technology trends.Commercially aware, forward-looking, detail-oriented.Ability to manage complex vendor contracts including SIAM.Understanding of Critical Service Levels and KPIs and how to measure them.Ability to work independently, own activities and resolve issues.Proven track record of delivering against commitments and deadlines.Promotes standardisation and continuous improvement.Presentation and reporting skills to demonstrate service performance to SIAM ecosystem and management.Financial management including forecasting and budgeting.Excellent written and verbal communication with stakeholders at all levels.Ability to foster collaboration and strong stakeholder management.Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities;Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills; strong analytical and reporting capabilities.Willingness to take charge and provide direction.KnowledgeAn ITIL expert with experience managing vendor performance and contracts.Technical knowledge in Networks, Infrastructure, Applications and Information Security.Experience managing an IT Service Operations run environment with 10+ years leading IT operations across Incident, Problem, Release and Change management.Understanding of Cloud and Digital Transformation technologies and transition to such services.Experience with Service Design, Transition and Continual Service Improvement.Ability to manage customer and SIAM ecosystem relationships.Knowledge of IT control frameworks (e.g., COBIT, ITIL, ISO27001).Knowledge of commercial and financial management techniques and tools.Knowledge of vendor procurement, team management, recruitment, training and motivation.Knowledge of business continuity planning and IT service continuity planning techniques and tools.Strong verbal and written communication skills; ability to explain technology in business terms and build rapport.QualificationsMasters/Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, computer engineering, or related field.ITIL V3/4 qualified; Service Operations and Service Transition as a minimum.Professional certifications such as COBIT, Prince II, Lean, Six Sigma desirable.ExperienceMinimum of 10 years of experience in IT Service Management.Experience in vendor management and managing service delivery of outsource partners.Experience acting in a business partnering capacity.Experience managing vendor contracts and supporting commercial conversations.Experience in IT Service infrastructure, EUC services and application/product support.Experience in people management with strong interpersonal and leadership skills.Experience in service level management and reporting performance to stakeholders through SLAs, KPIs and reviews.Experience with stakeholder management in a complex partner-based organisation.Experience embedding and validating the SIAM operating model to enhance service integration and management processes.Property business knowledge is a plus.Please note: this is a Direct Search led by Knight Frank. 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