Service Transition Specialist

THE NEXT CHAPTER STARTS WITH YOU

Service Transition Specialist

Level: 10

Work Pattern: As a team, we work hybrid – attending the office 1-3 days a week to collaborate and stay connected  

Closing Date: 30th October  
Please note: In line with our Recruitment & Selection Procedure, the hiring team may close this vacancy early. If you're interested, we recommend applying as soon as possible. 

Help make sure technology services are ready for what comes next

When a new or changed technology service goes live, being technically complete is only part of the story. It also needs clear ownership, effective support arrangements, appropriate controls and confidence that it can operate successfully from day one.

As our Service Transition Specialist, you’ll plan, coordinate and assure the transition of new, changed and retiring technology services into live operation. You’ll engage early with projects, business owners, technical teams, suppliers and operational stakeholders, helping to identify requirements, manage dependencies and make sure services are genuinely ready for go-live.

Reporting to the IT Change Manager, you’ll provide a clear, evidence-based view of readiness, residual risk, early-life support and handover into business-as-usual operations. You’ll also make sure the information and evidence needed for Vanquis Service Acceptance into Live (SAIL) is complete, coherent and ready for stakeholder approval.

How you’ll make an impact:  

You’ll…  

So that…

Own integrated transition plans covering milestones, dependencies, acceptance criteria, evidence, approvals and handover

Everyone has a clear and joined-up view of what is needed to move a service safely into live operation

Engage during discovery and design to identify operational, support, resilience, security, data and supplier requirements

Readiness requirements are considered early rather than becoming late barriers to delivery

Coordinate stakeholders across delivery, architecture, engineering, security, operational resilience and service management

Technical delivery and operational readiness remain connected throughout the change

Apply and assess service acceptance and operational-readiness criteria

Go-live decisions are supported by current, traceable and appropriate evidence

Identify transition risks, issues, assumptions and dependencies, establishing clear owners and due dates

Gaps are understood, managed and escalated through the appropriate governance process

Plan operational-readiness reviews, service rehearsals, go-live assessments and handover checkpoints

Stakeholders can make informed acceptance and go-live decisions

Confirm early-life support arrangements, including monitoring, support coverage, escalation routes and exit criteria

Services receive the right support after launch and move effectively into business-as-usual ownership

Maintain transition management information and support post-transition reviews

Progress, blockers and outcomes are visible, and lessons learned strengthen future transitions

Create and maintain SAIL records, evidence and approvals

Service acceptance is clear, controlled and auditable

Why this role matters:

This role creates the essential bridge between technology delivery and live operations. You’ll help ensure that services enter production with clear ownership, workable support models, appropriate documentation and a shared understanding of any remaining risks.

By identifying readiness gaps early and bringing the right people together, you’ll help reduce avoidable early-life incidents, delays and unplanned support effort. Your work will also give decision-makers a transparent, evidence-based view of whether a service is ready to go live and what needs to happen next.

You’ll build relationships across project and programme delivery, architecture, engineering, infrastructure, cloud, applications, data, Information Security, Privacy, Risk, Compliance and Operational Resilience. You’ll also work with service-management teams, Procurement, Finance, supplier-management colleagues and external service providers

 Our service-transition approach:

We believe in 

What that means 

Engaging early

Operational and support requirements are included from discovery and design, rather than identified shortly before go-live

Evidence-based readiness

Acceptance decisions are supported by evidence that is current, owned, traceable and proportionate

Joined-up delivery

Projects, technology teams, business owners, suppliers and operational teams work towards a shared transition plan

Clear ownership

Risks, actions, approvals and ongoing responsibilities have identified owners and agreed due dates

Proportionate control

Transition requirements support Agile, phased and iterative delivery while maintaining the required governance and control outcomes

Learning and improvement

Lessons from previous transitions, incidents and problems are used to strengthen future service readiness

Essential experience

• Previous experience in Service Transition, Service Readiness, Service Design or Service Management within a complex enterprise environment.
• Experience owning multiple concurrent service transitions from discovery or design through to go-live, early-life support and business-as-usual handover.
• Strong working knowledge of ITIL 4 service-management practices and service acceptance principles.
• Experience creating transition plans, operational-readiness criteria, support models, service documentation, evidence packs and go-live recommendations.
• The ability to understand solution designs and turn technical, supplier and project information into practical operational requirements.
• Experience working with architecture, engineering, security, resilience, operations, suppliers and project-delivery teams.
• Confidence identifying and managing transition risks, dependencies, evidence gaps and competing stakeholder requirements.
• Strong stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to challenge constructively, build agreement and communicate clearly with technical and non-technical audiences.
• Practical experience of Agile, Waterfall or hybrid delivery approaches.
• Confidence using IT service-management, reporting, workflow and document-management tools.

Useful, but not essential

• Knowledge of operational resilience, technology risk, information security, data protection, third-party management or audit evidence.
• An understanding of service architecture, applications, integrations, infrastructure, CMDBs and configuration relationships.
• ITIL 4 Managing Professional, Practice Manager or relevant advanced ITIL modules.
• Qualifications or demonstrable experience in project delivery, Agile, risk management, business analysis or Lean Six Sigma.

The Interview Process 

Our recruitment process typically includes:  

•  up to 45 minutes with the hiring team

Our average process takes around 4 weeks, though we’ll work around your availability. You’ll be supported throughout by our Talent Acquisition team.  

Your Key Contacts 

Talent Acquisition Operations Manager: Samantha Mackay  
Hiring Manager: Simon Wright

Internal candidates are encouraged to reach out informally before applying. A conversation with the Hiring Manager or Talent Acquisition team can help you understand the role, expectations and development opportunity.  

A Few Things to Remember  

• Please apply even if you don’t tick every box – curiosity, learning mindset and transferable skills matter.  

• Your current flexibility matters. We aim to match your existing working arrangements where possible, so concerns about losing flexibility shouldn’t hold you back.   

• Remember to discuss your application with your line manager before applying.  

• Include an up-to-date CV – this helps us understand your experience and achievements.  

• If you need any adjustments or support to apply or interview at your best, contact careers@vanquis.com and we’ll be happy to help.  

The Next Chapter Starts With You.