ICT Operational Team Leader

About Us

Scottish Canals are the custodians of the nation’s canal network and surrounding estates. Our vision is to invest in the canal network to generate lasting benefit for people and communities; celebrating their industrial heritage, ensuring they offer quality green and blue spaces for people and communities and contribute to Scotland’s resilience in tackling climate change.

Our success is rooted in valuing the contributions of our entire team - we care, we create, and we collaborate to continue to deliver a whole range of activities and services, from boating, and mooring, paddling, walking and wheeling, to living and playing and improving what the canals have to offer to our visitors and communities. We also work collaboratively with our partners and stakeholders to contribute to a wealthier, fairer, greener and more resilient Scotland.

As an employer we offer a truly unique opportunity to be part of our team, help us realise our vision and contribute to safeguarding our heritage and ensuring our canals flourish now and in the future.

About the Role

• We currently have an exciting opportunity for an ICT Operational Team Leader to join our Digital Services team in Glasgow.
• The ICT Operational Lead is responsible for managing and developing the ICT Operations team to deliver a high‑quality, customer‑focused service that supports the organisation’s digital and business objectives.
• The role oversees the day‑to‑day performance of the ICT Service Desk, ensuring all incidents, requests, and problems are resolved within agreed SLAs and that service performance is continuously monitored, analysed, and improved. The postholder ensures operational stability, security, and compliance across ICT services, provides clear reporting and insight to the Head of Digital Services, and contributes to the effective planning and delivery of digital initiatives across Scottish Canals. It is expected that the ICT Operational Lead will also function as a technical support escalation point for the team.

The role is offered on a PERMANENT basis, working 35 hours per week.

Primary responsibilities of the role:

• Lead, manage, and develop the ICT Operations Team, ensuring effective workload management, skills development, and a strong customer‑service culture.
• Oversee the ICT Service Desk, ensuring adherence to SLAs, high first‑time‑fix rates, and consistent delivery of a quality service.
• Monitor, analyse, and report on service performance, trends, and risks, providing regular updates to the Head of Digital Services.
• Ensure operational stability and security of ICT systems, networks, cloud services, and end‑user devices.
• Maintain compliance with relevant security and data protection standards, including Cyber Essentials Plus and GDPR.
• Oversee ICT asset management and lifecycle planning.
• Support digital and technology projects, ensuring operational readiness and smooth transition into live service.
• Contribute to digital governance, risk management, and business continuity planning.

About the Reward

This role offers a progressive starting salary of £42,709 per annum.

Scottish Canals offer a generous annual leave entitlement of 224 hours and 6 bank holidays, along with enhanced sick pay, discounted shopping vouchers, health cash plan and a contributory pension scheme with up to 10% employer contribution.

About You

Qualifications and knowledge required:

• Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
• Evidence of continuous professional development in ICT operations, service management, or digital technologies.

Skills and experience required:

• Strong leadership and people‑management skills, with the ability to motivate, coach, and develop a high‑performing ICT operations team.
• Excellent communication skills, able to explain technical issues clearly to non‑technical stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities, with a focus on root‑cause analysis and continuous improvement.
• Effective prioritisation and organisational skills, able to manage competing demands in a fast‑paced environment.
• Ability to build strong working relationships across teams, suppliers, and senior stakeholders.
• Proven experience managing ICT operations or service desk functions in a complex or regulated environment.
• Demonstrable track record of meeting or exceeding SLAs, improving service performance, and managing operational KPIs.
• Experience leading and developing technical teams, including performance management and skills development.

Qualities & abilities required:

• Commitment to delivering a high‑quality, customer‑focused ICT service that supports organisational priorities.
• Commitment to fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive team culture.
• Commitment to public‑sector values, transparency, and responsible stewardship of resources.

Scottish Canals reserve the right to close this vacancy before the closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received.