Service Manager

About Us

HMRC is one of the UK's largest government organisations, delivering critical services that support millions of customers and businesses. Our digital services and technology platforms enable the effective collection of revenues that fund public services across the UK.

As a Service Manager, you will play a key role in ensuring that digital services remain secure, resilient, user-focused and aligned to business objectives. You will work across multidisciplinary teams and suppliers to support and improve live services, helping ensure they meet customer needs and performance expectations.

Job Description

This is an exciting opportunity to join HMRC CDIO Business Tax as a Service Manager, responsible for the live operation, performance, and continuous improvement of digital services.

Working in a multi-disciplinary environment, you will collaborate with Product Managers, Delivery Managers, architects and operational colleagues to ensure services are stable, compliant and delivering value.

You will contribute to the effective running of services across the lifecycle, supporting governance, managing risk, and embedding continuous improvement based on user insight and data.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage and maintain live service performance, including monitoring KPIs and SLAs.
• Manage incidents, problems, and risks, ensuring timely resolution and mitigation.
• Support service governance and assurance processes.
• Collaborate with product, delivery and technical teams to maintain service quality.
• Engage with stakeholders to ensure alignment with business and policy outcomes.
• Drive continuous improvement using service data and user feedback.
• Support release and change management, minimising service disruption.
• Contribute to service lifecycle decisions, including readiness and transition.

Person specification

• Proven experience in managing or supporting live digital or IT services, including handling incidents, risks, and service issues, with familiarity in service management frameworks such as ITIL.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication abilities, with experience collaborating in multidisciplinary teams.
• Skilled in leveraging data and metrics to drive improvements in service performance.

Essential Criteria

Applicants must demonstrate:

• Demonstrated experience in supporting or managing live operational, business, or digital services, including monitoring performance and reporting on service metrics.
• Proven ability to identify, track, and manage risks, issues, and actions, while driving service improvements and operational efficiencies.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills, alongside collaborative working across multiple teams.
• Skilled in prioritising tasks and consistently delivering outcomes within fast-paced environments.

Desirable Criteria

It would be beneficial if you have:

• Experience in government or regulated sectors, with knowledge of service standards and the service lifecycle.
• Proven ability in continuous improvement and service optimisation, including familiarity with Agile, DevOps, and ITIL4 practices.
• Understanding of modern service management methodologies and approaches within regulated environments.

Further Location Information

Please ensure that you only apply for a location that you are willing and able to work from, as we will only make one offer of employment. Any additional notes included in a ‘Further Location Preferences (optional)’ field within the application form, will not be considered. Please be aware that you cannot change your location preference after submitting your application.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £45,544, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £13,194 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.

• Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
• Family friendly policies.
• Personal support.
• Coaching and development.

To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:

• A name-blind CV including your job history, qualifications and previous skills and experiences.

We would like to see your title and employment/study details and dates included. Feel free to provide success after each role section you list, showing us what you achieved in this role.

Please keep it recent and to be relevant to the Responsibilities and Person Specification part of this advert.

Please keep this experience to no more than 500 words

• A 500-word personal statement.

Your personal statement should show how you meet the person specification and essential criteria.

• Separate 250 word statements for the following behaviours:-

• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service

Please complete a separate statement (Max 250 words) for the Desirable Criteria where applicable. This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy-holder where candidates have the same scores at interview.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Sift

In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial sift may be held on the CV.

At full sift all behaviour statements, your CV and your Personal Statement will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.

We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.

Interview

During the panel interview, you will be assessed on Experience and Behaviours.

Interviews will take place via video link.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.