Operations Lead

Country: United Kingdom
Req ID: 523344
Job Type : Full Time
Workplace Type : Hybrid
Seniority Level : Mid-Senior Level

About CRH

We are CRH, and we are committed to contributing to a more resilient and sustainable built environment. We understand the wider impact our businesses can make in supporting human activity. We continue to do this through the delivery of unique, superior building materials and products for use in road and critical utility infrastructure, commercial building projects and outdoor living solutions.

CRH (NYSE: CRH, LSE: CRH) is the leading provider of building materials solutions that build, connect and improve our world. Employing c.78,500 people at c.3,390 operating locations in 28 countries, CRH has market leadership positions in both North America and Europe. As the essential partner for transportation and critical utility infrastructure projects, complex non-residential construction and outdoor living solutions, CRH’s unique offering of materials, products and value-added services helps to deliver a more resilient and sustainable built environment. The company is ranked among sector leaders by Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) rating agencies. A Fortune 500 company, CRH’s shares are listed on the NYSE and LSE.

Without you noticing our products, we are everywhere you live, work, and relax.

Our project portfolio includes some of the most sustainable and cutting-edge building projects around the world. Think of the asphalt on the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit, the Paris Metro Rail project, but also the Louis Vuitton Museum in Paris, parts of the Burj Khalifa, and the Kennedy Space Centre .

Learn more about us through the following Link .

Position Overview
The Operations Lead is responsible for the successful integration, governance, and performance management of Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and supporting service technologies across the business.
This role ensures that externally provided services align with internal operational standards, business outcomes, and risk appetite. The focus is on service integration, process governance, measurement, and continuous improvement, rather than direct technical delivery.
The role acts as a key bridge between internal IT teams, vendors, and senior stakeholders, ensuring transparency, accountability, and resilience across critical services.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities
Managed Service Integration
• Lead the integration of MSPs into the organisation’s service delivery model, ensuring alignment with internal processes, tooling, and governance frameworks
• Define and document clear roles, responsibilities, and escalation paths between internal teams and service providers
• Coordinate onboarding, transition, and knowledge transfer activities for new or changing managed services
• Ensure MSP processes integrate effectively with internal Incident, Problem, Change, and Risk Management practices
• Support RFP and vendor selection activities by capturing operational requirements and validating service capabilities

Service Governance & Assurance
• Own and enforce governance frameworks for managed services in line with ITIL and internal standards
• Ensure contractual obligations, service scope, and operational responsibilities are clearly understood and adhered to
• Act as the primary escalation point for service delivery issues involving third-party providers
• Drive structured service reviews, identifying risks, gaps, and improvement opportunities
• Ensure regulatory, audit, and operational risk requirements are met across managed services

Measurement, Reporting & Performance Management
• Define and maintain service performance metrics, KPIs, and SLAs across MSPs and supporting platforms
• Produce regular service performance reports, dashboards, and executive summaries for senior stakeholders
• Track service impact, availability, incident trends, and improvement actions
• Ensure consistent, high-quality documentation and version control for service reports and operational artefacts
• Use data-driven insight to challenge providers, inform decision-making, and prioritise improvements

Incident, Problem & Risk Oversight
• Provide senior oversight for Major Incidents involving managed services, ensuring effective coordination and communication
• Ensure post-incident reviews are completed to a high standard, with clear ownership of actions and measurable outcomes
• Oversee Problem Management activity, ensuring root causes are identified and addressed across organisational and supplier boundaries
• Maintain risk logs and mitigation plans relating to service delivery, capacity, and supplier dependency
• Support transition and capacity planning discussions, ensuring service risks are understood and managed

Stakeholder & Vendor Management
• Build strong, trusted relationships with internal stakeholders
• Manage day-to-day relationships with MSPs, holding providers accountable for service quality and improvement commitments
• Facilitate clear, timely communication during service issues, including senior and executive-level updates
• Represent service delivery interests in internal forums, governance boards, and supplier meetings

Continuous Service Improvement
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across managed services, processes, and tooling
• Identify opportunities to improve service resilience, transparency, and efficiency
• Support the evolution of service management tooling and reporting capabilities
• Encourage consistent adoption of best practice across internal teams and suppliers

Required Experience & Skills
Core Experience
• Proven experience in Service Delivery, Managed Services, or Service Management roles
• Strong background in Major Incident, Problem, Change, and Risk Management
• Experience working with and managing third-party service providers
• Demonstrated ability to operate in business-critical, high-pressure environments
• Experience producing executive-level reporting and service performance dashboards

Service & Process
• Strong working knowledge of ITIL processes and service governance
• Experience designing, implementing, or improving service management processes
• Familiarity with service integration models (SIAM principles desirable)
• Experience supporting RFPs, service transitions, and supplier onboarding

Communication & Leadership
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
• Confident engaging with senior leadership and C-level stakeholders
• Experience mentoring or managing team members
• Strong facilitation skills for incident bridges, service reviews, and governance forums

Qualifications
• ITIL Foundation (required)
• ITIL V3 Operational Support & Analysis (OSA)
• ITIL V3 Release Control & Validation (RCV)

Personal Attributes
• Calm and structured under pressure
• Detail-oriented with strong documentation discipline
• Commercially aware and risk-focused
• Assertive but collaborative when managing suppliers
• Improvement-driven, with a strong sense of ownership

Key Characteristics
For this role you should be/have:
• Leader – Strong leadership and interpersonal skills to manage and mentor a team.
• Visionary Moderniser – able to think outside the situation on the ground and drive toward best-in-class modern technology and practice.
• Critical thinker – is a problem solver and resolves conflicts.
• Customer Focused – Looks for ways to innovate to improve the focus on the customer.
• Motivated – stays motivated and can deal with resistance.
• Coaches others to build on strengths and improve on weakness; listens to and encourages regular honest feedback.
• An inclination to drill into detail and to take corrective action early and decisively.

Key Functional Competencies
You possess the following:
• Strong ability to govern and integrate managed services, ensuring consistent service delivery across multiple providers
• Deep understanding of service management disciplines from a governance and assurance perspective
• Advanced capability in SLA, KPI, and service performance management, including trend analysis and improvement planning
• Strong proficiency in ServiceNow or equivalent ITSM tooling, particularly reporting, dashboards, and data quality governance
• Ability to interpret service data and translate performance insight into clear actions and decisions
• Strong vendor management and influencing skills, able to challenge suppliers constructively using evidence and contractual obligations
• Commercial awareness, including understanding of service credits, remediation plans, and contractual accountability
• Ability to identify service risks early through trend-based analysis, not just reactive reporting
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with confidence engaging at operational, senior, and executive levels
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, particularly in explaining service health, risk, and performance to non-technical audiences
• Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining governance

Experience / Education
You are/have:
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in Managed Services, Service Delivery Management, Service Integration, or MSP Operations roles
• Proven experience working within an MSP environment or governing MSPs on behalf of an enterprise customer
• Demonstrated ownership of service outcomes, including SLA performance, service quality, and continuous improvement
• Strong experience operating within ITIL-aligned service management frameworks, including Incident, Problem, Change, and Risk Management
• Hands-on experience managing Major Incidents, including coordination, escalation, and post-incident review
• Proven experience producing executive-level service performance reporting, dashboards, and written summaries
• Experience supporting service transitions, supplier onboarding, and operational readiness activities
• Experience working in federated or matrix organisations, balancing local and central service requirements
• Experience operating in business-critical, high-pressure environments, with a calm and structured approach
• College diploma or university degree in business, information systems, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience

Other (Key) Dimensions
• Number of Managed Users: 33k+
• Geographies Supported: 20+ Countries
• Headcount within the IT Operations team: 60+
• Headcount across European IT teams: 450+

What CRH Offers You

• A culture that values opportunity for growth, development, and internal promotion

• Highly competitive salary package

• Comprehensive secondary benefits

• Significant contribution to your pension plan

• Health and wellness programs

• Excellent opportunities to develop and progress with a global organization

Connect your future to CRH

We are curious to learn more about you. At CRH, we believe our mutual differences contribute to the healthy, productive, and enjoyable workspace we create. Please introduce yourself and send us your application.

Is this role not for you, but do you know someone who would love to join the team? Please let us know!

CRH finds it important that vacancies are shared to individuals that may find them interesting and/or could be suitable for the role

Please contact our recruitment team at [email protected].

CRH is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive work environment for all employees and actively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.

Benefits/perks listed above may vary depending on the nature of the employment with CRH and the country where you work.

Please note that we cannot accept any applications submitted through email for GDPR purposes. Candidates must apply through our job portal.

We do not accept candidate introductions for this position from recruitment agencies, unless you have been instructed to do so by our recruitment team.