Service Strategy Practice Manager

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients, and communities.

Working at WPP means being part of a global network of more than 115,000 accomplished people in 110 countries. WPP has headquarters in New York, London and Singapore and a corporate presence in major markets worldwide.

We create transformative ideas and outcomes for our clients through an integrated offer of communications, experience, commerce, and technology.

WPP and our award-winning agencies work with most of the world's biggest companies and organisations – from Ford, Unilever and P&G to Google, HSBC, and the UN. Our clients include 61 of the FTSE 100, 307 of the Fortune Global 500, all 30 of the Dow Jones 30 and 62 of the NASDAQ 100. WPP are the leader in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index and 20th in the FTSE 100 rankings for Women on Boards.

WPP is the transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients, and communities.

Working at WPP means being part of a global network of more than 100,000 accomplished people in 110 countries. We create transformative ideas and outcomes for its clients through an integrated offer of communications, experience, commerce, and technology. WPP and our award-winning agencies work with most of the world's biggest companies and organisations – from Ford, Unilever and P&G to Google, HSBC, and the UN. Our clients include 61 of the FTSE 100, 325 of the Fortune Global 500, all 30 of the Dow Jones 30 and 62 of the NASDAQ 100.

WPP has headquarters in New York, London and Singapore and a corporate presence in major markets worldwide. We are quoted on the London Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. Key performance indicators for WPP (2020) include Billings of £46.9bn and Revenue of £12bn.

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Why we're hiring:

WPP IT Service Management governs the services delivered with WPP IT partners to our global business across circa 110 countries. WPP IT is undertaking a transformation to build capability in support of this customer centred business, building best in class organisations. The Service Strategy practice manager works within the WPP IT Service Strategy & Design capability reporting into the Strategy & Design lead, setting the strategic principles and “guard rails” for new products and service solutions on behalf of Service Management.

You will manage and help to build a high performing team to work alongside colleagues in Strategy & Architecture, Transformation and technology towers, at the forefront of emerging business solutions, assuring they are fit for purpose as they move into delivery. You will set the Service Strategies and “guard rails” to ensure new solutions and services are fit for purpose and supportable before they are delivered into live operation.

What you'll be doing:

• You will manage the Service Strategy practice, building a high performance team across our GEC’s.
• You will own and manage the Service Strategy practice for WPP IT Service Strategy & Design, building on a growing capability that will work along side colleagues in Service Management, Transformation and Strategy & architecture.
• You will deliver the principles, process and policies that will provide the ITSM “guard rails” for new solutions and services from strategic programmes and projects.
• You will support the creation and management of Service Continuity strategy working with other tower partners.
• You will assure that finance & cost strategy and controls for service are baked in to solutions.
• Owns ITSM Security strategy, working with SECOPS & Strategy and Architecture colleagues.
• You will assure ITSM tooling & integration choices from Demand partners and define ITSM process & integration approaches.
• You will deliver and own Service Enterprise products which will integrate with Technical and Enterprise architecture.
• Create, owns and manage ITSM Pre-requisites to support new products and services.
• Owns Service Management “Lego-block” services portfolio.
• Manage Service Management roadmaps. (onboard, maintain, retire, decommissioning)
• Jointly own and manage Service delivery model and evolution. Iteratively improving coverage and maturity.
• Support and collaborate with WPP IT partners in Strategy and Architecture, Transformation and Architypes to feed into Service Design ,Service Transitions and Service introduction / SIAM.
• Be a significant influence for change and drive continuous improvement efforts for the successful integration of service strategy into the broad governance framework.
• Onward develop the practice to meet the challenges faced in WPP IT Service Management and for/with colleagues in other towers and capabilities.

What you'll need:

• Team and people leadership in a diverse and broad geographic organisation.
• Deep understanding of the challenges faced by consumers of Enterprise Service Management and the best practice approaches to address.
• Significant experience of Service Management and Service Delivery with a full understanding of ITSM processes, standards and methods.
• Experience of ITSM and Operational tooling, how they would influence and underpin new solutions, services and service providers ; the challenges that this presents to service delivery.
• A background in a technical and strategic setting with demonstrable knowledge of tools and methods and how they may be applied. (Togaf, ITIL, Six Sigma)
• Proven ability to drive success under conditions of disaggregated organisation and competing stakeholder priorities.
• Significant knowledge of Project Management, IT governance, and team management.
• Strong knowledge of IT risk management, IT standards and policies formulation.
• Extensive prior experience delivering on Service Strategy in IT- and/or customer-centric programs at global scale within a global organization
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, IT, Science, or other Technical qualification or equivalent relevant experience e.g. more than 10 years in a corporate IT environment
• Experience of working within complex, matrixed multi-location teams
• Demonstrated capability with managing successful change programs for large organisations.

Who you are:

You're open: We are inclusive and collaborative; we encourage the free exchange of ideas; we respect and celebrate diverse views. We are accepting: of new ideas, new partnerships, new ways of working.

You're optimistic: We believe in the power of creativity, technology and talent to create brighter futures or our people, our clients and our communities. We approach all that we do with conviction: to try the new and to seek the unexpected.

You're extraordinary: we are stronger together: through collaboration we achieve the amazing. We are creative leaders and pioneers of our industry; we provide extraordinary every day.

What we'll give you:

Passionate, inspired people – We promote a culture of people that do extraordinary work.

Scale and opportunity – We offer the opportunity to create, influence and complete projects at a scale that is unparalleled in the industry.

Challenging and stimulating work – Unique work and the opportunity to join a group of creative problem solvers. Are you up for the challenge?

WPP is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion or belief, sex, age, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, military/veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability. We believe in creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion and strives to recruit a diverse slate of candidates to help us achieve that goal.