Service Desk Manager (TechShack)

Service Desk Manager (TechShack)

Contract type: Permanent

Location: Hatfield (Apollo Court) / Sunderland (Hybrid working - 3 days in the office, with travel to Sunderland once or twice a month)

Working hours per week: 40 hours

Level: Manager

Reports to: IT Service Operations Lead

Application Closing Date: Monday 5th October

About us

Our mission is to deliver joy in every shop, through unbeatable choice, unrivalled service, and reassuringly good value. We’re also on a mission to empower our business with smart technology; we've recently launched our AI Academy, providing a tailored AI learning journey for every colleague.

We’re Ocado Retail, a market-leading joint venture between Ocado Group and M&S, and the world’s largest dedicated online supermarket, ocado.com. Not only is Ocado the only place to shop a full range of M&S food online, but it’s also the home to the widest online supermarket range in the UK and champion of small, independent brands. We’re also the brains behind Zoom by Ocado, our same-day grocery delivery service.

About this Role

As our Service Desk Manager, you will lead the transformation of our IT support experience. You will have a unique opportunity to shape and optimize our ITIL-aligned processes, master end-to-end ticket management, and drive a service-led culture across multiple key business locations. Operating at the heart of our IT operations, you will develop your leadership capabilities, run high-impact stakeholder communications, and maximise the potential of our modern ITSM tool, Freshservice, utilising modern AI-driven features.

What You'll Do

• Lead the TechShack: Provide inspiring leadership and day-to-day management to our support teams at Apollo Court (Hatfield) and Sunderland, building a cohesive, collaborative, and high-performing unified team.

• Process Ownership & Optimisation: Design, own, and continuously refine our Incident, Request, and Knowledge Management processes, aligning them with ITIL best practices to ensure swift resolutions and an exceptional digital experience.

• Embed a Service-Led Culture: Champion a customer-first, proactive, and "service-led" mindset across both the Apollo Court and Sunderland teams, ensuring a consistent, high-quality, and supportive experience for all IT users.

• Ticket & Quality Management: Introduce and drive rigorous end-to-end ticket management practices, establishing clear Quality of Service (QoS) and operational metrics such as CSAT, First Contact Resolution, and SLA compliance.

• High-Impact Escalation & Communication: Serve as the key coordinator and escalation point for major incidents, managing communications with clarity, empathy, and speed during high-pressure scenarios.

• ITSM Excellence (Freshservice): Act as the subject matter expert for our ITSM platform, Freshservice. You will configure, optimise, and streamline workflows, portals, dashboards, and automations, while experimenting with AI-led capabilities to drive operational efficiency.

Who You Are

Essential Requirements

• Proven People Leader: Strong experience managing, mentoring, and developing IT support professionals, ideally across hybrid or multi-site locations.

• Outstanding Communicator: Highly skilled in stakeholder management, handling complex technical escalations, and translating technical details into clear, business-friendly updates.

• ITSM Tool Expert: Practical experience managing and configuring Freshservice (or a similar modern SaaS ITSM tool like ServiceNow or Jira Service Management).

• Data & Process Driven: A proven track record of optimizing Incident, Request, and Knowledge Management processes, using data to measure and demonstrate continuous improvements.

• Flexibility: Happy to work from the Hatfield office 3 days a week and travel to our Sunderland office once or twice a month (or vice versa).

Desirable Qualifications

• Relevant IT qualifications such as a degree, diploma, or equivalent professional IT training.

• ITIL certifications (v3 or v4), with a keen interest in the full breadth and future evolution of Service Management frameworks.

• Agile/Scrum certifications or experience working within an Agile delivery environment.

What’s in it for you

By joining Ocado Retail, you’ll have the chance to experience life at the world’s largest online retailer, work with an amazing bunch of people who challenge what’s possible each day, and grow your skills and career in online retail. You'll also be part of our AI Academy, a dedicated learning journey designed to empower every colleague with the smart technology skills of the future.

If that’s not enough to tempt you, you’ll also get access to loads of great benefits to sweeten the deal. Here’s a taste of what we offer:

Health & Wellbeing: Private medical insurance with option to add your family, Digital GP appointments, market-leading family policies, mental health support, discounted gym memberships, dental insurance, and more.

Spend & Save: Annual bonus scheme split between personal and business objectives, recognition with reward platform, up to 7% matched pension contributions, 15% Ocado discount, 20% M&S discount, free breakfast every day in the office, electric vehicle leasing scheme, and free shuttle bus from Hatfield station to the office.

Never miss the moments that matter: Hybrid working, 26 days holiday plus 8 flexible bank holidays, options to buy extra holiday, 2 weeks work from anywhere, and lifestyle break opportunities.

Our Hiring Process

Lucky for us, we receive a high volume of applications and genuinely appreciate the time and effort invested by every candidate. To ensure a fair and thorough process, every application is reviewed by a member of our team. If your skills and experience are a strong match, a Talent Partner will contact you to discuss the role and guide you through the next steps of our hiring process.

Your Application and AI

In the spirit of innovation, we welcome you to use AI tools in your application, just as we use them in our own business at Ocado Retail. However, as you leverage this technology, please don't lose sight of the most important element: your unique self. Your experiences, passions, and personality are what truly set you apart. Ensure that your application still authentically conveys who you are and why you're a great fit for us.

Everyone’s welcome

We’re an equal opportunities employer, which means that we make sure all potential colleagues are treated fairly and equally. We want to ensure everyone has a fair chance to apply; if you need this job description in an alternative format (e.g., larger print, different document type, etc.), please reach out to us at careers@ocadoretail.com, and we'll be happy to assist you. If you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know on the application form.