Job Description

Salary

Competitive

Location

Warrington

This is a permanent

,

full time vacancy that will close in a month at 23:59 GMT.

The vacancy

Role Profile: ICT Head of Operations

Who we are

In 2021, Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS) was formed as a centre of excellence for nuclear transport, packaging, and logistics expertise, operating Direct Rail Services (DRS) and Pacific Nuclear Transport Ltd (PNTL).

We are the leading global provider of safe, secure, and reliable nuclear transport solutions that make the world safer and more sustainable. As part of the UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, we support the largest environmental restoration programme in Europe and use our specialist transport and logistics expertise to help customers and partners worldwide solve complex challenges.

Role Purpose

The ICT Head of Operations is the second?in?command within the ICT management team, responsible for the operational heartbeat of the department. You will lead ICT Service & Operations across Service Desk, Change Management, Vendor Management, Asset Management, and Acceptance into Service--ensuring stable, secure, and cost?effective delivery.


You will partner closely with the Head of ICT, Cybersecurity, and technical delivery teams to:

Embed strong governance and risk management across all ICT processes Integrate new solutions seamlessly into BAU Maintain financial control and resource allocation Drive continual service improvement (CSI) and embrace AI to increase business efficiency Ensure NTS users have a predictable, reliable, and well?understood ICT service

Key Deliverables (First 12-18 Months)

Operational Excellence

+ Establish and baseline SLAs, OLAs, KPIs, and reporting packs for Service Desk and Operations.
+ Improve availability, reliability, and performance across core services; reduce MTTR and increase first?contact resolution.

Service Definition & Catalogue

+ Publish an ICT Service Catalogue with clear SLAs, lead times, ownership, and request pathways on the ICT intranet.
+ Implement a review cycle and CSI backlog; automate where possible.

Change Management & CAB

+ Embed ITIL?aligned change workflows in the ITSM tool; run weekly CAB with correct stakeholder attendance.
+ Increase change success rate; reduce failed changes and incidents linked to change.

Vendor & Asset Governance

+ Implement robust vendor performance management (SLAs, KPIs, service credits); drive cost optimisation and quality.
+ Achieve full asset lifecycle visibility and WEEE compliance; improve asset accuracy and end?to?end process adoption across ICT.

Acceptance into Service (AIS)

+ Define and enforce AIS criteria, ensuring projects hand over to BAU with documentation, training, support models, and DR runbooks.

Security, Risk & Compliance

+ Partner with Cybersecurity to maintain a strong security posture; align with GDPR and ISO/IEC 27001 controls.
+ Maintain an ICT Risk Register and escalation path; embed BCM/DR readiness and testing cadence.

Financial Control

+ Set and manage the ICT operations budget; deliver efficiencies and cost savings without compromising service quality.

Reporting & Audit Readiness

+ Provide monthly performance reports and dashboards for ICT leadership.
+ Coordinate audit support and deliver remediation actions with documented standards.

Key Accountabilities

Strategic Planning & Digital Enablement

Contribute operational insight to ICT strategy, aligning services to business goals. Actively implement NTS's digital strategy; leverage AI and automation to enhance efficiency, customer experience, and decision?making.

Operational Oversight

Lead day?to?day ICT operations, ensuring reliable service delivery and continuity. Own SLAs, service performance, availability, and incident management; act as senior escalation point and coordinate communications during critical issues.

Team Leadership

Lead, coach, and mentor the ICT Operations team; set performance goals and conduct monthly reviews. Keep skills aligned to demand via a maintained Skills Matrix; foster a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Service Desk

Ensure right?sized, skilled Service Desk delivery that meets business demand and quality expectations. Analyse trends; drive self?service, automation, and knowledge management.

Service Definition

Develop and maintain an internal service definition covering all ICT products and services with SLAs and request routes. Publish and regularly review on the ICT intranet, implementing CSI actions.

Vendor Management

Govern vendor relationships, contracts, SLAs, KPIs, and service credits; optimise service quality and total cost of ownership. Drive supply chain performance and accountability.

Asset Management

Own asset management processes and tooling; ensure adoption across ICT with training and compliance. Manage full lifecycle aligned to WEEE regulations.

Change Management

Operate a weekly CAB; ensure changes are risk?assessed, documented, communicated, and approved by relevant stakeholders. Embed change in ITSM tooling; train ICT and business users; ensure timely and audience?appropriate communications.

Financial Control & Budget Management

Develop, manage, and monitor the operations budget; track expenses and deliver efficiencies. Provide transparent financial reporting and accountability.

Acceptance into Service (AIS)

Ensure projects and major changes go live with full support readiness (documentation, support model, training, DR procedures, handover).

Project Pipeline Support

Collaborate with the Head of ICT and PMO to prioritise, resource, and schedule projects; ensure on?time, on?budget delivery and smooth BAU transition.

Security & Compliance

Work with Cybersecurity to maintain a strong security posture; ensure compliance with GDPR, ISO/IEC 27001, and other applicable standards. Support audits; deliver mitigations and improvements.

Risk Management

Identify, record, and mitigate ICT risks; escalate where needed for timely decision?making and resourcing.

Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery

Develop, maintain, and periodically test BC/DR plans with the wider team to meet business requirements.

Reporting & Documentation

Produce regular packs on service performance, projects, risks, and financials. Maintain accurate, current documentation for processes, procedures, and configurations.

Key Skills & Competencies

Leadership & People Management:

Coaching, performance management, mentoring, and building high?performing teams.

Service Management:

ITIL?aligned operations, SLAs/OLAs, CSI, incident/problem/change, service catalogue, knowledge management.

Operational Governance:

Risk, controls, compliance, audit readiness, documentation discipline.

Financial Acumen:

Budget planning, cost control, vendor commercial management, identifying efficiencies.

Stakeholder Engagement:

Clear communication, expectation management, executive reporting, crisis communications.

Technical Integration:

Coordinating with engineering teams to transition solutions into BAU; understanding of enterprise IT (cloud, network, endpoint, collaboration tools, identity, security operations).

Automation & AI Mindset:

Using digital tools and AI responsibly to streamline processes and enhance outcomes.

Vendor & Asset Management:

Contract negotiation, performance management, lifecycle control, WEEE compliance.

Resilience & Continuity:

BC/DR planning, testing, and improvement.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required to Excel

Strong Management & Team Culture:

Ability to lead, motivate, and inspire teams, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture.

Service Design & Process Ownership:

Skilled in designing, writing, implementing, and maintaining robust processes, ensuring full adoption and embedding changes in working practices.

Cross-Business Collaboration:

Proven ability to work across the organisation to ensure alignment with business objectives and priorities.

Attention to Detail & Work Ethic:

Highly self-motivated, organised, and able to prioritise workload for efficient delivery.

ITIL Expertise:

Excellent knowledge of ITIL principles and ITIL-aligned service management tools.

Leadership in Change & Innovation:

Ability to manage innovation and change resulting from new ICT implementations, with an appreciation of working across public/private/regulatory interfaces.

Service Desk Experience:

Previous experience in a Service Desk environment, ideally in a senior role with supervisory or management responsibilities.

Customer Service Leadership:

Ability to manage and motivate staff to deliver exceptional customer service outcomes.

Interpersonal & Communication Skills:

Strong ability to negotiate, influence, and persuade at all organisational levels, including managing challenging personalities.

Business & ICT Understanding:

Good understanding of NTS operations and ICT processes to ensure strong BAU support from a service perspective.

Results Orientation:

Ability to drive results within tight timeframes and negotiate changes effectively.

Technical Proficiency:

Strong PC skills, particularly with Microsoft 365 and its evolving capabilities.

Technology Awareness:

Ability to interpret and apply advice from technical specialists and stay current with technology developments.

Project Delivery:

Experience delivering service and BAU projects/programmes to agreed targets and priorities.

Relationship Building:

Skilled at engaging and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders.

Guiding Culture Principles:

Freedom:

Create an environment where people have the freedom to perform.

Helpfulness:

Work together to help each other and our customers.

Drive:

Be confident, curious, and innovative.

Qualifications & Experience

Essential

Degree in Computer Science (or HNC/NQF Level 4/5 equivalent). GCSE Grades A-C (or equivalent) in Maths and English. ITIL Foundation certification. Current/relevant ICT certifications. Demonstrable governance and management experience within ICT. Proven experience in managing, mentoring, and leading teams. Financial management experience (budgeting, cost control). Full, valid driving licence.

Desirable

Environmental knowledge/qualification related to

WEEE

management. Experience with ISO/IEC 27001, GDPR compliance and audit cycles. Experience implementing Acceptance into Service and running effective CAB. Experience with enterprise ITSM tooling (e.g., Service Desk platforms). Experience in vendor performance frameworks and supply chain governance.

NTS Values & Behaviours

Safety & Security First:

You make safe, secure, and compliant operations the non?negotiable foundation of ICT.

Reliability & Accountability:

You deliver predictable outcomes and take responsibility for quality and performance.

Sustainability & Stewardship:

You manage assets responsibly and ensure environmental compliance (including WEEE).

Collaboration & Respect:

You work constructively with colleagues, partners, and suppliers to solve complex challenges.

Continuous Improvement & Curiosity:

You seek better ways of working--embracing digital and AI to serve NTS more effectively.

Integrity:

You uphold high ethical standards in governance, financial control, and data handling.

KPIs & Measures of Success

SLA attainment (availability, response, resolution) and CSAT/NPS. Mean Time to Acknowledge/Resolve (MTTA/MTTR); First Contact Resolution rate. Change success rate; reduction in change?related incidents. Vendor performance against SLAs/KPIs; cost optimisations achieved. Asset accuracy, lifecycle compliance, WEEE adherence. Audit findings closed; maturity uplift in control environment. Delivery against AIS criteria; number of successful handovers to BAU. Budget variance within tolerance; documented efficiency savings. Frequency and outcomes of BC/DR tests; readiness metrics. Regularity and quality of reporting; stakeholder satisfaction.

Additional Information

Travel:

Occasional travel to NTS sites and supplier locations may be required.

Working Pattern:

[Insert working hours/hybrid guidelines].

Right to Work & Vetting:

Proof of right to work in the UK and relevant security vetting may be required.

The company

We are the leading global provider of safe, secure and reliable nuclear transport solutions that make the world safer and more sustainable.


As part of the UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, we support the largest environmental restoration programme in Europe, and we use our specialist transport and logistics expertise to help customers and partners around the world solve their own complex challenges.

Benefits

Attractive

salary

Fantastic

pension scheme

Training and

development

Generous

leave entitlements

Flexible

working

Healthcare

scheme