Head of Operations - MSP

Head of Operations - MSP

Job title: External title: Head of Operations, Internal title: Operations Manager

Department: Operations / Service Delivery

Reports to: Owlis Management and CenCom MD

Location: Wadhurst (TN5 7JR), hybrid, with a minimum of 3 days per week in the office. During probation, full-time in the office.

Role Purpose

The Head of Operations is responsible for the day-to-day running of CenCom's operational functions, ensuring that the service desk, technical project delivery, procurement and finance teams work to clear structures, standards and priorities, and that CenCom consistently delivers what has been agreed with its clients. The role provides the operational leadership that allows the Managing Director to focus on client relationships, business growth and technical direction.

The role owns operational planning, resource allocation, service performance, project delivery oversight and management information across CenCom. It is responsible for building a structured first, second and third line service desk, maintaining a clear view of project workload and engineer capacity, embedding consistent processes and systems usage across the team, and ensuring people have clear objectives, KPIs and development support. The role works closely with Owlis management (group) to provide accurate and timely reporting and to support group-wide operating standards.

Working Pattern and Core Systems

Working hours: Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 17:30, with flexibility required for service escalations, project milestones and operational priorities.

Core systems: Microsoft Dynamics 365 for case, project, service and customer records; N-able for monitoring and endpoint management; operational reporting and management information used by CenCom and Owlis.

Other systems: Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Teams, documentation systems, supplier portals, purchasing and finance tools, and other group systems.

Operational focus: Service desk performance, project delivery oversight, resource planning, operational process, management information, people management, client service escalations, procurement oversight and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operation of CenCom, ensuring service, project and operational commitments made to clients are resourced, delivered and followed through to a high standard.
• Line manage the managers of the service desk and technical project delivery functions, and provide operational leadership to the wider service desk and project teams.
• Line manage the procurement and finance teams alongside the operational teams, with both holding a dotted reporting line into the Owlis finance team for financial process, standards and reporting.
• Establish and maintain a structured first, second and third line service desk model with clear ownership, escalation routes and handover standards between support and project teams.
• Ensure tickets are logged, prioritised, progressed and closed within agreed service levels, and that backlogs and aged tickets are actively managed and reduced.
• Maintain a single, accurate view of project workload, resource allocation and engineer capacity, ensuring client commitments can be delivered and conflicts are identified early.
• Oversee project delivery against the agreed CenCom project framework, including discovery, customer sign-off, delivery checkpoints and closure, ensuring projects are delivered to agreed scope, timescale and quality.
• Hold delivery engineers accountable for clear project plans, status updates and customer communication, and step in where projects are at risk.
• Ensure a clear separation between service desk and project work, so that project engineers are not diverted from planned delivery and support demand is handled at the appropriate line.
• Act as the operational escalation point for clients on service and project matters, ensuring issues are acknowledged, owned, communicated and resolved.
• Manage client onboarding and offboarding processes, including the correct handling of notices, contract changes and handovers, in coordination with the Managing Director.
• Ensure Microsoft Dynamics 365 and supporting systems (Halo) are used consistently for cases, projects, time and documentation, so that work is visible, measurable and auditable.
• Develop, document and embed operational processes, templates and standards that reduce reliance on individual knowledge and informal practice.
• Set clear objectives, KPIs and performance expectations for managers and team members, and review performance against them through one-to-ones, probation reviews and regular check-ins.
• Work with Owlis People on recruitment, onboarding, probation, performance management and any formal people processes within the operational teams.
• Ensure training and CPD time is planned, used and recorded, and that skills gaps across the team are identified and addressed.
• Produce weekly operational reporting covering ticket volumes, SLA performance, backlog, project status and capacity, and monthly reporting on utilisation, chargeable time and cost of delivery.
• Oversee the day-to-day financial operations of the business, including purchasing, supplier invoices, client billing, chargeable time, expenses and cost control, working with Owlis finance on month-end, management accounts and financial planning.
• Oversee hardware logistics and stock, ensuring orders are tracked and aligned with project and client requirements.
• Manage operational supplier and vendor relationships, including escalations with Microsoft, distributors and connectivity providers.
• Identify operational, delivery, people and client risks early and ensure they are communicated to the Managing Director and Owlis management with clear mitigation actions.
• Support Owlis group initiatives, shared systems and operating standards, contributing to the consistent operation of CenCom within the group.
• Ensure confidential company, client, employee and group information is handled in line with company policies and contractual obligations.

KPIs and Performance Expectations

• Service performance: Response and resolution SLAs are met across first, second and third line, and ticket backlog and aged tickets are reduced and held at agreed levels.
• Project delivery: Projects are delivered to agreed scope, timescale, quality and client expectation, following the agreed delivery framework.
• Resource planning: A current and accurate view of workload and capacity is maintained and used to plan work and identify constraints early.
• Operational visibility: Cases, projects and time are recorded consistently in core systems, and the status of work is visible without reliance on individual knowledge.
• Management reporting: Weekly and monthly operational reporting is accurate, delivered on time and used to inform decisions.
• Chargeability: Chargeable time is recorded accurately, utilisation is monitored and completed work is passed for invoicing promptly.
• Client service: Service escalations are acknowledged and owned promptly, and client concerns are resolved and communicated clearly.
• People performance: Managers and team members have clear objectives, KPIs and development plans, and performance concerns are addressed promptly and fairly.
• Training and development: Training time is planned and used, and team capability improves in line with agreed development objectives.
• Process improvement: Repeat issues, unclear ownership and weak handovers are identified and resolved through documented process.
• Operational control: Procurement, logistics and supplier activity are controlled, tracked and aligned with delivery requirements.
• Owlis alignment: Operational reporting, standards and systems usage meet Owlis group expectations.
• Compliance: Operational activity complies with data protection, confidentiality, contractual and group policy requirements.

Core Competencies

• Proven operations or service delivery leadership within a managed service provider or comparable IT services business, covering both service desk and project delivery.
• Experience of building or restructuring a tiered first, second and third line service desk, with measurable improvement in performance.
• Strong resource planning and capacity management across multiple concurrent client projects.
• Strong people management, including setting objectives, managing performance and developing managers and team members.
• Numerate and data-led, with the ability to build and interpret operational reporting and turn it into action.
• Working understanding of infrastructure, networking, Microsoft 365 and cloud migration and integration projects, sufficient to challenge estimates and priorities without performing the engineering.
• Experience of administering or configuring PSA and RMM tooling, preferably Microsoft Dynamics 365 and N-able or equivalents.
• Understanding of ITIL-aligned service management practices, applied proportionately to a small business.
• Calm and credible communication with clients during escalations and major incidents.
• Ability to introduce structure and process without unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Commercial awareness of utilisation, chargeability and cost of delivery.
• Ability to work effectively alongside a Managing Director and group management, maintaining clear priorities and offering constructive challenge.
• Development Expectations
• CenCom and Owlis expect the Head of Operations to continue developing operational leadership, people management, financial awareness and service management capability as the business grows.

The role holder is expected to build the capability of the operational management team, reduce reliance on informal processes and individual knowledge, and establish an operation that can scale with CenCom's client base. Progression should be evidenced through improved service and project performance, reliable management information, stronger accountability within the teams and effective collaboration with Owlis.

Our recruitment process

Our process usually has three to four stages:

• A short pre-screening call with our HR / Recruitment team.
• An experience interview with the hiring manager, likely to be held on site, which will include technical and scenario-based questions.
• A conversation with a senior member of the team, joined by a colleague from the Owlis Group management team.
• A final call with an Owlis Group executive/s, after which we aim to make an offer.

Any offer is conditional on two satisfactory professional references from employers named on your CV (with a work email address for each), proof of your right to work in the UK and, where required, a DBS check. We are unable to offer visa sponsorship.

Please note that this is a job advertisement rather than a full job description. The complete job description will be shared with you alongside your contract of employment.

Equal opportunities

The Owlis Group is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from everyone and make recruitment decisions on the basis of skills, experience and potential, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. If you need any adjustments to take part fully in the recruitment process, please let us know and we will be glad to help.