Service Delivery Manager

Role Purpose

The Service Delivery Manager (SDM) is the single-point owner for end-to-end IT service delivery for Retail, accountable for operational stability, SLA adherence, and business continuity across retail stores, distribution centres (DCs), and corporate IT systems.

The SDM plays a critical leadership role during Priority 1 and Priority 2 incidents, ensuring rapid service restoration, accurate stakeholder communication, and contractual compliance.

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Core Accountabilities

Service Delivery Ownership

Own day to day service delivery across Retail, DC, and Corporate IT environments.

Ensure availability and performance of POS systems, store networks, WMS, logistics integrations, and business critical applications.

Deliver consistent compliance with SLAs, KPIs, and contractual commitments.

Proactively identify risks impacting store operations, order fulfilment, and supply chain continuity.

Major / Critical Incident Management

Act as Incident Commander for all P1/P2 business critical incidents.

Lead major incident bridges, driving structured triage, restoration, and resolution.

Ensure timely engagement of internal teams, vendors, and OEMs.

Translate technical impact into clear business impact (stores affected, DCs impacted, revenue risk).

Provide structured situation updates to IT and business stakeholders.

Own Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Post Incident Reviews (PIR), and Corrective / Preventive Actions (CAPA).

Client & Stakeholder Management

Serve as the onsite face of delivery to Retail leadership.

Build trusted relationships with Retail Operations, DC Operations, IT, and Security teams.

Handle escalations decisively with focus on business outcomes and transparency.

Governance, Audit & Compliance

Lead operational governance through weekly, monthly, and quarterly reviews.

Ensure strict compliance with Incident Reporting Guidelines, MSA clauses, and audit requirements.

Maintain audit ready documentation and service evidence.

Team & Vendor Coordination

Ensure 24x7 operational readiness and on call coverage.

Coordinate onsite and offshore delivery teams.

Manage third party vendors during escalations and outages.

Service Improvement & Stability

Drive Service Improvement Plans (SIP) to reduce outage frequency and MTTR.

Identify opportunities for stability, automation, and proactive monitoring.

Support peak period readiness and continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Experience & Skills

Proven retail or distribution IT service delivery experience.

Hands on leadership of P1/P2 major incidents in business-critical environments.

Strong ITIL Incident, Major Incident, and Problem Management expertise.

Excellent stakeholder communication and crisis management skills.

Strong understanding of retail POS, store infrastructure, and DC systems (preferred).

Certifications (Preferred)

ITIL v3 / ITIL v4

PMP / PRINCE2 / Agile (advantage)

Value to Customer

Improved store and DC uptime

Faster recovery from critical incidents

Predictable, SLA driven delivery

Reduced operational and audit risk

Stronger alignment between IT operations and retail business outcomes