Director - IT Service Management

Role - Director- ITSM

Experience- 20+yrs

Key Skills - ITIL V4, ITSM, Automation, Knowledge on Gen AI.

Job Location - Chennai

This critical leadership role will be responsible for overseeing, optimizing, and continuously improving our Incident, Problem, and Change Management processes, along with driving data-driven insights through robust ITSM Reporting and a dedicated Rapid Automation Program (RAP) team. The successful candidate will be a strategic leader who champions ITIL best practices, leverages deep expertise in the ServiceNow platform, and possesses a forward-thinking approach to harness emerging technologies, including Generative AI, to streamline processes and enhance service delivery. This individual will play a pivotal role in ensuring the efficient and effective delivery of IT services, minimizing disruption, enhancing service quality, and directly supporting strategic objectives and our commitment to operational excellence. They will lead and mentor multiple track leads, fostering a culture of high performance and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities:

This role will lead dedicated teams and track leads for the following critical areas, ensuring their strategic alignment and operational effectiveness:

1. Incident & Major Incident Management:

• Strategically define, implement, and rigorously enforce Incident and Major Incident Management processes, procedures, and policies in strict alignment with ITIL best practices (v4 preferred).

• Provide overarching leadership and mentorship to the Incident Management track lead and their team, guiding them in all aspects of incident resolution and continuous improvement.

• Ensure the timely identification, accurate logging, precise categorization, appropriate prioritization, thorough diagnosis, efficient escalation, and swift resolution of IT incidents, minimizing business impact.

• Develop, maintain, and regularly test robust critical incident response plans, sophisticated communication protocols, and dynamic escalation matrices to manage high-severity incidents effectively.

• Facilitate and lead major incident bridges with executive presence, ensuring flawless communication, precise coordination, and rapid resolution across all stakeholder groups.

• Proactively monitor and analyze incident trends to identify patterns, root causes, and opportunities for proactive problem prevention and significant service improvement.

• Establish, monitor, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) for incident resolution, mean time to restore service (MTTRS), and overall service restoration effectiveness, driving accountability and performance.

2. Problem Management:

• Elevate and mature the Problem Management process, with a relentless focus on identifying the true root causes of recurring incidents and implementing permanent solutions to prevent future occurrences.

• Lead and guide the Problem Management track lead and team in conducting thorough Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for complex and high-impact problems, collaborating closely with technical and application teams.

• Proactively analyze incident data, trend reports, and performance metrics to identify potential systemic problems and initiate comprehensive problem investigations.

• Collaborate strategically with development, operations, and architecture teams to implement effective preventative measures and long-term solutions.

• Track and report on the effectiveness of problem resolutions, contributing directly to continuous service improvement and reduction in incident volume.

3. Change Enablement (Change Management):

• Oversee and optimize the entire Change Enablement lifecycle, from initial request and meticulous impact assessment to review, formal approval, seamless implementation, and thorough post-implementation review.

• Ensure strict adherence to established change management policies, procedures, and industry standards (ITIL), promoting a controlled yet agile change environment.

• Chair or actively participate in Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings, facilitating informed decision-making and balancing risk with business innovation.

• Strategically minimize the risk of service disruption caused by IT changes through comprehensive impact assessments, robust planning, and effective communication.

• Develop and implement advanced strategies for managing emergency changes, standard changes, and complex releases, ensuring process efficiency and control.

• Maintain a dynamic and comprehensive change schedule, communicating upcoming changes transparently to all relevant stakeholders.

• Conduct rigorous post-implementation reviews to assess the success of changes, identify lessons learned, and drive continuous refinement of the change process.

4. ITSM Reporting Center of Excellence (COE) & Analytics:

• Lead the ITSM Reporting COE, responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining comprehensive, actionable ITSM reporting dashboards, metrics, and scorecards across all service management domains.

• Guide the team in performing advanced analysis of ITSM data (Incidents, Problems, Changes, Service Requests, etc.) to identify critical trends, patterns, and areas for strategic improvement.

• Generate regular, ad-hoc, and executive-level reports for diverse stakeholders, including IT leadership, business unit heads, and operational teams, translating data into compelling narratives.

• Provide incisive, actionable insights and strategic recommendations based on data analysis to significantly improve service quality, operational efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

• Expertly utilize ITSM tool - ServiceNow to extract, transform, visualize, and present data effectively, ensuring data integrity and accessibility.

• Contribute significantly to the definition, establishment, and rigorous tracking of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Operational Level Agreements (OLAs), ensuring performance alignment.

5. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Team & Gen AI Integration:

• Lead and mentor the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) team, focusing on identifying and implementing automation opportunities within ITSM processes to enhance efficiency and reduce manual effort.

• Act as a key driver for the strategic integration of Generative AI capabilities (e.g., ServiceNow's Now Assist, custom AI solutions) into existing ITSM workflows across Incident, Problem, and Change Management.

• Proactively identify and champion initiatives to leverage Gen AI for intelligent routing, automated resolution suggestions, predictive problem identification, enhanced knowledge management, and expedited change impact analysis.

• Develop business cases and proposals for new Gen AI-driven solutions, demonstrating clear ROI and operational benefits.

• Collaborate with architecture and data science teams to ensure proper governance, ethical considerations, and data privacy are maintained when implementing AI solutions.

• Foster a culture of innovation and continuous exploration of emerging technologies within the SMO.

General ITSM Leadership & Strategic Responsibilities:

• Act as principal subject matter expert and advocate for ITIL best practices and frameworks (v4 preferred), driving adoption and maturity across the organization.

• Champion and lead Continuous Service Improvement (CSI) initiatives across all ITSM processes, ensuring a proactive approach to service excellence.

• Strategically manage and optimize the ITSM toolset - ServiceNow to maximize its utility in supporting process execution, comprehensive data collection, and automation.

• Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies (especially in AI/ML for ITSM), and competitive landscapes in IT Service Management, bringing innovative solutions.

• Responsible for defining, tracking, and reporting on key performance indicators (KPIs) and critical success factors (CSFs) for all managed tracks, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and expected outcomes.

• Provide strong leadership and guidance to direct reports (track leads), including performance management, career development, and fostering a collaborative team environment.