Service Operations Manager - London Introduction

Saab UK is a British company that is part of Saab Group''s global high-technology operations. Saab offers world-leading solutions and services in defence, aviation, space and civil security. In the UK, we bring together the best of Swedish and British innovation and engineering to provide our customers with products and solutions that push boundaries for what is considered technically possible. Our mission is to help our customers to keep people and society safe. As part of the global entity Saab AB, Saab UK combines the innovative spirit of a start-up with the resources and expertise of a larger corporation. Across the country, we have seven principal sites which focus on software engineering, AI swarming drones, underwater robotics, training services and radars. Globally, we number over 24,000 employees and have operations on all continents. Technologically, we are leaders in many areas and we reinvest a high proportion of our earnings in internal research and development. We collaborate with colleagues around the world who all share our challenge - to make the world a safer place. Saab is a company with opportunities, a company where we see diversity as an asset and where you have both considerable responsibility as well as good opportunities for advancing in your career. Additionally, Saab is a company that respects each person''s needs for a rewarding life beyond work.

The Role

You will be part of Public Safety Solutions (PSS), which develops advanced software applications and solutions (SAFE) for mission-critical control room operations-including for police, fire and rescue, and airports. As Service Operations Manager, you will lead the operations team serving our customers and work closely with engineers in the UK and Sweden. You will be responsible for maintaining and evolving the SAFE platform and its supporting systems, services, and infrastructure. This is a strategic and hands-on role focused on ensuring consistent service quality, smooth delivery operations, and continuous improvement of operational processes. You will work alongside the Client Services and Support Team Manager-who handles frontline support-focusing on the end-to-end service lifecycle, including service design, transition, incident management, change coordination, and operational governance.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership and Strategy

Collaborate with the Head of Operations to develop and implement strategic plans that enhance operational efficiency, service reliability, and customer satisfaction. Lead and coordinate the Service Operations team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. Mentor and develop team members, encouraging professional growth and performance excellence.

Operational Management

Own and manage daily service operations (excluding frontline support), including change enablement, incident coordination, major incident response, service reviews, and reporting. Oversee resource allocation across projects and functions, ensuring optimal use of team capabilities, staffing, and budget. Monitor and analyse SLAs, KPIs, and service metrics, identifying trends and opportunities for improvement.

Service Quality and Governance

Drive governance and best practices across the service lifecycle-covering service design, transition, operation, and continual improvement. Act as a coordination lead for high-impact incidents, manage post-incident reviews (RCAs), and implement corrective actions. Continuously evaluate and refine operational processes (e.g., change management, environment readiness, incident/problem workflows).

Cross-functional Collaboration

Partner with Development, Infrastructure, Product, and QA teams to ensure operational readiness for software releases and services. Ensure operational alignment across teams, facilitating effective cross-team collaboration.

Stakeholder and Customer Engagement

Work with Customer Success Managers (CSMs) and service delivery teams to ensure customer satisfaction and proactive issue resolution. Maintain open communication with customers, addressing service-related concerns and driving service excellence. Communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders, providing insights and updates on service health and operational performance.

Continuous Improvement

Lead initiatives to increase automation, observability, and operational resilience. Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices, fostering a culture of continuous learning within the team.

Requirements

Proven experience in IT Service Operations, ideally within a software/SaaS delivery environment Strong understanding of service management practices (e.g., ITIL, SRE, DevOps) Excellent problem-solving skills and a data-driven approach Strong communication and coordination skills across technical and non-technical audiences Experience managing operational risk and service transitions Familiarity with security, compliance, and business continuity processes

Desirable

ITIL v4 Foundation or similar certification Experience scaling service operations in a high-growth or complex environment Exposure to Agile delivery methodologies Background in software engineering, infrastructure, or DevOps