SAP and Non-SAP Operational Service Manager - MHCLG - G7

Location

Bristol, Darlington, London, Manchester, Wolverhampton

About the job

Job summary

Here at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), we work on things that make a real difference to people’s lives.  

Whether it's through the homes we live in, the work of our local councils, or the communities we’re all part of, our work is at the top of the political agenda. We have ambitious and far-reaching outcomes to achieve this year and, if you’re thinking of joining us, there’s never been a more exciting time.  

We have over 3,500 staff who are based in 20 offices across the UK.  

The Operational Service Manager is a key role within the UNITY Programme. The UNITY Cluster is a cross-departmental UK government initiative involving HMRC, the Department for Transport (DfT), and MHCLG. Its goal is to modernise and unify back-office operations specifically finance, procurement, HR, and payroll - through a shared cloud-based ERP platform powered by SAP and delivered in partnership with Deloitte. The UNITY Cluster represents a significant digital transformation effort, impacting over 100,000 civil servants and aligning with the Shared Services Strategy. 

The successful candidate will be responsible for designing, managing, and supporting case management processes that fall outside SAP core workflows. This includes overseeing service models, escalation paths, and platform configurations across HR, Finance, Procurement, and Digital transactions. 

You will lead the integration and configuration of platforms such as ServiceNow and Identity Access Management systems, ensuring business continuity and operational resilience during and after the transition to Unity. This role requires a strong understanding of service management frameworks, technical platforms, and user-centric operations design. 

As the escalation point for complex issues outside SAP, you will collaborate with technical teams, support functions, and retained business units to ensure seamless service delivery and continuous improvement across non-SAP services. 

We particularly welcome candidates from an ethnic minority background and other underrepresented groups to apply, as we work to continually improve our ability to represent the places and communities we support through our work.  

Find out more about what it's like to work in a digital, data and technology role at MHCLG  including our culture, ways of working, career progression and staff benefits. You can also read the MHCLG Digital blog to learn about the work we're doing.  

Job description

As the SAP and Non-SAP Operational Service Manager, you’ll:  
 

lead the design and management of case handling processes outside SAP core workflows 

define support and escalation models across HR, Finance, Procurement and Digital transactions 

oversee configuration and integration changes to ServiceNow and Identity Access platforms. 

ensure business continuity for non-SAP services during and post-transition to Unity 

collaborate with technical teams to implement end-to-end service monitoring and support metrics 

define operational KPIs and drive service improvements across retained function support teams 

establish user-centric service models for case tracking, ticket resolution and escalation 

act as the escalation point for complex operational issues that fall outside Unity SAP processes. 

Person specification

As the SAP and Non-SAP Operational Service Manager, you’ll have: 

proven experience in technical service management and operations leadership within large-scale transformation programmes 

strong understanding of ITIL or equivalent service management frameworks 

experience designing and managing case handling workflows and escalation model 

hands-on experience with ServiceNow or similar service management platforms 

familiarity with identity access management systems and integration principles 

ability to define and monitor operational KPIs, and drive service improvements 

strong stakeholder engagement and issue resolution skills across technical and business teams 

experience ensuring business continuity during system transitions or service migrations.

Behaviours

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

Seeing the Big Picture
Delivering at Pace
Managing a Quality Service
Working Together