Service Operations Team Leader

Company Information Verisk Specialty Business Solutions (formerly Sequel Business Solutions) (VSBS) is a division of Verisk. Since 1993, we have established a reputation as a market leader in software for the global insurance industry. We provide streamlined, end-to-end management of insurance and reinsurance business for brokers, underwriters and intermediaries through the Sequel product suite. Our customers include Lloyd's and London Market specialists and major participants in the North American general insurance market. To learn more about VSBS, visit https://verisksequel.com/. Role Purpose We place a premium on meeting our customers' high expectations of our products and services. Through contracted support services, Client Support Services plays a key role in delivering reliable, efficient and high-quality service to operationally live clients. The Service Operations Team Leader is a working leadership role, accountable for the day-to-day performance and development of a Service Operations team while retaining sufficient operational expertise to provide practical direction, coaching and escalation support. The role combines people leadership, operational ownership and hands-on Service Operations capability. The Team Leader ensures work is effectively prioritised and allocated, service levels and quality expectations are achieved, operational risks are recognised and escalated, and team members have the skills, knowledge and support needed to perform effectively. The role also drives greater standardisation, automation, data-led decision making and continuous improvement across Service Operations. Measures of Success Service Requests are delivered within agreed service levels and operational targets. Aged, blocked and avoidably delayed work is reduced and actively controlled. Team output demonstrates consistent accuracy, quality and adherence to documented controls. Escalations and operational risks are identified early and managed effectively. Process documentation, knowledge coverage, cross-skilling and team resilience improve. Repeatable activities become more standardised, automated and efficient, with measurable reduction in avoidable manual effort. New activities transition successfully into Service Operations with appropriate readiness and ownership. Team capability, engagement and individual development improve. Continuous Improvement initiatives deliver sustained and demonstrable benefit. Clients and internal stakeholders experience responsive, reliable and professional service. Role Scope and Accountability The Service Operations Team Leader is expected to remain close enough to the operation to understand queue health, challenge processes, resolve escalations, coach Service Operators and actively improve the service. The role is distinguished from a Service Operator II by formal accountability for people, workload, quality, service performance and team development, while the Service Operations Manager retains overall management accountability for the broader Service Operations function. In practical terms, the role is accountable to: run the operation, lead the people, control the service and improve the service. #LI-SD2 #LI-Hybrid Essential Experience Experience in IT service, application support, Service Operations or a comparable operational environment. Experience handling complex Service Requests or operational support activities. Experience coordinating and prioritising operational workloads against service targets. Experience coaching, mentoring, supervising or leading colleagues. Experience documenting, controlling and improving operational processes. Experience using IT Service Management processes and tooling. Demonstrable Continuous Improvement experience and effective collaboration with technical and non-technical stakeholders. Skills Strong people leadership, coaching and feedback skills. Excellent organisation, prioritisation and workload-management capability in a busy operational environment. Strong attention to detail, analytical thinking and problem-solving skills. Ability to identify operational risk, make proportionate decisions and determine when escalation is required. Strong written process and documentation skills. Clear, confident communication with clients and internal stakeholders. Ability to use service data and management information to support decisions. Confidence to challenge inefficient processes and propose practical alternatives. Strong client-service mindset, personal accountability and ability to operate with appropriate autonomy. Qualifications and knowledge ITIL 4 Foundation, or equivalent demonstrable understanding of IT Service Management principles. Understanding of Continuous Improvement methods and principles. Good working knowledge of Microsoft 365, SharePoint and relevant Service Management tooling. Understanding of service-level management, operational risk, quality control and escalation. Desirable Previous formal Team Leader or line-management experience. Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt or an equivalent Continuous Improvement qualification. Experience identifying or implementing operational automation and self-service. Technical support background or experience working closely with engineering and product teams. Knowledge of SQL, scripting or automation technologies. Experience supporting SaaS or hosted software services. Knowledge of the insurance industry and London Market processes. Experience of service transition, operational acceptance or readiness assurance. Experience in a client-facing support organisation.