IT Operations Manager

We’re determined to make a difference and are proud to be an insurance company that goes well beyond coverages and policies. Working here means having every opportunity to achieve your goals – and to help others accomplish theirs, too. Join our team as we help shape the future.

This role will be based in London, UK and you are required to have the necessary right to work details prior to application.

We're seeking an experienced IT leader to oversee the delivery, stability and continuous improvement of critical business systems and IT services across The Hartford International. Leading multi-disciplinary teams, you will ensure high-quality operational support, drive system enhancements and partner closely with business stakeholders to align technology solutions with business needs.

This role combines people leadership, service delivery and strategic technology planning, providing the opportunity to influence technology operations, strengthen governance and contribute to wider Group technology initiatives. You'll play a key role in ensuring our technology environment remains resilient, secure and capable of supporting business growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery and continuous improvement of IT operations and support services across key systems within The Hartford International.

• Manage and prioritise the system enhancement pipeline in partnership with business stakeholders, balancing operational requirements with available resources.

• Provide subject matter expertise on core business systems, their functionality and the data held within them.

• Establish and monitor operational performance metrics, including service response times, system performance and user satisfaction, and recommend improvements where required.

• Take local ownership of infrastructure and desktop support services, working with Group IT and shared-services teams to maintain effective service delivery.

• Manage the IT operational budget and provide appropriate reporting and insight.

• Deliver BCP and DR services by working with colleagues across Group IT, Operations and Cyber teams Cyber.

• Oversee IT production deployments and ensure that appropriate release, testing and reconciliation processes are followed.

• Coordinate the delivery of IT security and training services in partnership with Group IT functions.

• Manage IT vendors, contracts and service performance to ensure the organisation receives value from its contractual arrangements.

• Coordinate and support IT risk, audit and other regulatory requirements, ensuring compliance with The Hartford’s policies, procedures and SOX controls.

• Coordinate local infrastructure projects within the Group Infrastructure function.

• Align service management processes and standards with the Group shared services teams.

• Implement and develop effective software development, application support and operational support frameworks.

• Maintain responsibility for producing high-quality and accurate solutions by implementing robust testing and reconciliation processes.

• Maintain comprehensive documentation covering application environments, dataflows, support processes, roles and responsibilities.

• Act as a senior escalation point for business-critical production incidents and ensure issues are managed through to resolution.

• Lead and develop IT teams, including recruitment, objective setting, coaching, training, performance management and workload prioritisation.

• Ensure applications are transitioned effectively into the production environment, with clear maintenance and support arrangements, escalation processes and vendor accountability.

• Develop and maintain a subject matter expert across internal systems, third party systems and relevant market platforms.

• Build effective relationships with business stakeholders, Group technology teams, software vendors and external service providers.

• Remain informed about relevant technology, industry and regulatory developments, sharing and implementing appropriate ideas and best practice across the IT department.

Technical Skills

• IT operations leadership and service delivery.

• Business systems support and enhancement delivery.

• Prioritisation and management of enhancement pipelines.

• Operational metrics, performance monitoring and continuous improvement.

• IT risk, audit, security and regulatory compliance.

• Vendor, contract and budget management.

• BCP, DR, cyber and production incident management.

• Software deployment, testing and production transition processes.
• Working knowledge of infrastructure and desktop support services.

Behavioural Skills

• Strong people leadership, coaching and resource-management skills.

• Effective stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration.

• Ability to prioritise competing operational and business requirements.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills.

• Clear written and verbal communication.

• Ability to remain calm and provide direction during business-critical incidents.

• Commercial awareness and effective vendor management.
• A proactive approach to continuous improvement and service quality.

Experience & Qualifications

• Significant technology experience, preferably in the insurance industry.

• Substantial experience leading IT operations, application support or service-delivery teams.

• Demonstrable people-management experience, including objective setting, coaching and performance management.

• Experience managing IT vendors, contracts and operational budgets.
• Experience of IT risk, audit, security, regulatory and control environments.