Specialist, Service Management

Specialist, Service Management

Division: Assessment & Qualifications Delivery
Location: Manchester or Rotherham – Hybrid
Job Level: IC20 (Specialist)

This role aligns with positions typically advertised in the external market as IT Service Management Specialist, IT Service Delivery Analyst or IT Service Management Analyst

About Pearson

At Pearson, we add life to a lifetime of learning so everyone can realise the life they imagine.

We create vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. Our colleagues are passionate about delivering accessible, sustainable and high-quality learning experiences that make a meaningful difference to people around the world.

About Assessment & Qualifications Delivery

Our Assessment & Qualifications teams support the delivery of high-stakes qualifications and assessment services across the UK and internationally.

Operating in a highly regulated environment, our technology services support everything from learner registration and assessment delivery through to marking, results and certification.

We're continually evolving our technology platforms to deliver more scalable, resilient and cost-effective services.

About the Role

We're looking for a proactive, adaptable and customer-focused Service Management Specialist to join our Assessment & Qualifications Delivery team.

This is an exciting opportunity to play an important role in supporting the technology services behind a major UK government contract, ensuring our systems remain reliable, secure and continuously improving.

Working closely with technical teams, delivery partners, suppliers and business stakeholders, you'll help maintain high-quality live services, resolve operational challenges and identify opportunities to improve performance.

You'll be involved throughout the service lifecycle, from onboarding new services and ensuring operational readiness through to incident management, service reporting and continuous improvement.

If you enjoy problem-solving, collaborating with different teams and finding smarter ways to deliver technology services, we'd love to hear from you!

Key Responsibilities

As a Service Management Specialist, you will:

• Manage and resolve service tickets and operational issues, investigating root causes and coordinating appropriate technical support.
• Monitor the performance and reliability of applications and infrastructure, ensuring services meet agreed service levels.
• Support Incident, Problem, Change, Request and Major Incident Management processes, including coordinating activities during significant service disruptions.
• Build strong relationships with technical teams, suppliers and business stakeholders to understand service requirements, priorities and dependencies.
• Identify recurring service issues and recommend practical improvements to strengthen reliability and reduce incidents.
• Support the onboarding and transition of new or updated technology services, ensuring appropriate documentation, support arrangements and service acceptance criteria are in place.
• Produce and maintain service reports and dashboards, tracking key measures including availability, uptime, SLAs, SLOs and incident trends.
• Support improvements to monitoring and observability capabilities to enable earlier identification and resolution of service issues.
• Contribute to supplier performance reviews, monitoring service delivery against agreed commitments.
• Maintain accurate service documentation, knowledge articles and operational procedures to support effective service management and audit readiness.
• Apply information security, data protection and governance requirements when managing operational risks and service information.
• Explore opportunities to use AI, automation and analytical tools to improve service management efficiency and decision-making.
• Share knowledge and best practices with colleagues, supporting continuous improvement across the wider Service Management function.

About You

We're looking for someone who combines technical understanding with strong communication, problem-solving and stakeholder management skills.

You'll be comfortable working in a fast-paced technology environment, managing competing priorities and collaborating with different teams to maintain reliable services.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Experience working in IT Service Management, Service Delivery, Application Support or Technical Support.
• Practical experience investigating and resolving technical or operational service issues.
• Good understanding of ITIL practices and service management frameworks.
• Experience using IT Service Management (ITSM) tools.
• Knowledge of Incident, Problem, Change and Request Management processes.
• Ability to analyse service performance data, identify trends and recommend improvements.
• Experience creating or maintaining operational documentation, reports, dashboards or knowledge articles.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work effectively across technical and non-technical teams.
• Excellent organisational skills, attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• A proactive, collaborative and solutions-focused approach to problem-solving.
• Awareness of information security, operational risk and governance requirements.

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Experience using ServiceNow or similar ITSM platforms.
• ITIL certification, although equivalent practical experience will also be considered.
• Experience supporting technology services within a regulated or complex operational environment.
• Exposure to service monitoring, observability tools or supplier performance management.
• Interest in using AI and automation to improve service management processes.

Location & Working Arrangements

This role is based in the United Kingdom and can be aligned to a Pearson UK office, depending on business requirements and the candidate's location.

We operate a hybrid working model in line with Pearson's current company policy.

Occasional travel to other UK offices may be required, along with some out-of-hours support during agreed business-critical periods.

Why Join Pearson?

At Pearson, you'll have the opportunity to work with talented colleagues, contribute to technology services that support important national assessment programmes and help shape how we deliver reliable, high-quality services.

You'll join a collaborative environment where continuous improvement, innovation and professional development are encouraged.

If you're passionate about technology, service excellence and making a meaningful impact, we'd love to hear from you!