There are many ways to build a career in IT service management (ITSM), depending on your experience and expertise. While jobs will vary between employers, you should be able to get an idea for the types of activities people do on a daily basis and the skills you will need.
Our ITSM Careers Path resource helps you research and navigate the main ITSM job areas in today’s marketplace, and to map out the path you want to follow.
What they do:
Business Relationship Managers (BRM) are senior roles responsible for building relationships between the IT organisation and one of more business units, and for ensuring IT services meet the needs of the business customers they represent.
Successful BRMs have an excellent understanding of their customer's business, how it works and the type of problems and opportunities to which it must respond. They use their deep knowledge of the corporate IT strategy to explain the services and capabilities available to business customers and to act as advisor on how IT can improve their operation.
What they do:
Cyber Resilience consultants work with clients across a wide range of areas relating to cyber resilience and information security. The role can encompass strategy and framework development, conducting cyber risk assessments to identify key business risks, and engaging with IT teams to enhance capabilities to mitigate those identified risks. They also provide advice to prioritise activities that build cyber resilience and mitigate the key cyber risks facing the business.
What they do:
Service Level Managers are effective negotiators with responsibility for agreeing service levels and key performance indicators for IT services with the business (e.g. for system availability and performance). They document these in a set of service level agreements (SLAs) and contracts against which they monitor performance.
On the supply side, the Service Level Manager ensures the various IT support teams understand the capabilities they need to deliver effective services, and draws up operational level agreements (OLAs) defining the services that each area is responsible for. This can include managing contracts with third party/cloud services.
What they do:
The architect title is used extensively in the IT industry, with jobs varying significantly in scope and responsibilities. Collectively the Architect team is responsible for developing, maintaining and governing the ICT solutions across the organisation, and for making sure they meet the current and emerging needs of the business. They do this in consultation with key stakeholders in the organisation.
What they do:
IT Security Architects are technical specialists responsible for designing cyber resilience solutions and experts in security models, software, tools and standards (e.g. RESILIA, TOGAF, COBIT). They advance organisational cyber resilience through solutions that allow for secure but convenient access to information, and which comply with best practices and any regulatory mandates. Solutions include for example, identity and access management, threat and vulnerability management, mobile security and encryption technologies. Security Architects will stay abreast of industry security trends and developments, as well as applicable government regulations.
What they do:
The Business Continuity Manager is responsible for ensuring that there are plans in place for an organization to continue to function in the event of a disaster or catastrophic event.
The Business Continuity Manager leads key stakeholders through the process of identifying IT risk and vulnerabilities, anything ranging from natural and environmental risks through to technological failures and security breaches, and putting in place the plan to deal with these.
What they do:
Supplier Relationship Managers procure IT products and services on behalf of the IT function and the wider business, using their networks and negotiation skills to achieve best value and service levels.
The scope of the role varies from organization to organization, and can include everything from sourcing suppliers, to negotiating contracts, managing delivery and acting as a conduit between the business and the supplier when there are performance issues.
What they do:
IT professionals in this area specialise in planning and managing the release of new or changed software and hardware into test and live environments.
While some releases are self-contained, many need items from other products in order to work effectively. Producing a new payroll system for example might involve updating software modules and changes to the operating procedures.
What they do:
IT change is constant and if poorly managed can be disruptive and result in significant loss of productivity for the business. The IT Change Manager is at the centre of addressing the challenge with responsibility for standardising the methods, tools and procedures for proficient and prompt handling of all changes to the IT infrastructure.
What they do:
One of the most vital jobs in the IT industry is the Configuration Manager. Being able to provide 100% accurate information about the IT configuration is critical for planning, for resolution of incidents and to ensure continuity of service with recovery plans.
What they do:
Cyber Resilience Managers lead the roll-out of cyber resilience policies and working practices to ensure protection and security of information assets. They interface with colleagues in the IT and network teams as well as with leaders in the business to share the corporate cyber resilience vision and solicit their collaboration in achieving higher levels of enterprise security and resilience.
What they do:
Cyber Resilience Auditors play an independent and impartial role, typically working in larger organisations and with external auditors to check compliance with cyber resilience policies, standards and processes, and advise whether resilience and security objectives are being achieved. They focus on planning and conducting audits, and are skilled in being able to gain an understanding of the activities they are auditing and in applying appropriate auditing techniques.
What they do:
The Service Desk Technician is a pivotal role, providing technical support to end-users who need assistance with their computer hardware or software. This could involve fixing a technical fault, answering a query, fulfilling a service request – anything that is needed to allow the users to return to work satisfactorily. Many service desk staff also assist with user rights, passwords, user accounts and basic level security administration.
What they do:
In organisations with more significant size service desks, a dedicated Service Desk Supervisor or Manager will manage the desk day-to-day operations, coaching team members in understanding how to address various types of questions from users who are experiencing difficulties.
What they do:
IT Support Technicians help to find and fix software and hardware problems, or any incident that is disrupting the IT systems or services that business users depend on. Usually they will work on incidents that have been escalated from front line support on the service desk. Crucially the systems are live, and so the issues usually need prompt attention. Being able to stay calm and work under pressure is vital.
What they do:
Individuals specialising in application support provide support for the live application software that business users are dependent on.
Responsibilities vary, but typically a support specialist will concentrate on a specific application, or group of applications. They may be responsible for advising and guiding users directly, but more usually they are responsible for diagnosing the root cause of issues referred from the service desk, and either fixing the problem or managing it through to resolution within defined service levels.
What they do:
Hardware Support Specialists provide front-line support to end users, troubleshooting and repairing a varied range of hardware including desktops, laptops, printers and tablet computers. They may also be responsible for server or mainframe applications and hardware. As with other support roles, their aim is to minimise disruption to the business and restore operation with the service levels agreed with the business.
What they do:
Network Support Specialists are responsible for designing, installing and maintaining the local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), various segments of network systems, and other computing environments used across an enterprise.
They manage the network hardware, software, and equipment used within a company or organisation, and work to ensure network availability to all users. They monitor and analyse the performance and speed of the network and make sure that it is meeting the needs of the users.
What they do:
Security Analysts play a key role in preventing unauthorised access or deliberate cyber-attack on an organisation’s networks and information systems.
Using diagnostics and automated software, they monitor network traffic and servers for signs of unusual activity and intrusion. Security analysts may also carry out audits on the organisation’s networks and information systems to locate vulnerabilities, and may develop solutions for security issues, or investigate security breaches.
What they do:
An Incident Manager establishes the policies, processes and systems for the delivery and implementation of a quality incident management process, and then takes the lead to ensure that these are adopted and adhered to across the business. In addition, they monitor and reporting trends in incidents, issues and risks and compliance with ITIL best practice, as well as provide input to the service improvement roadmap.
What they do:
The IT Operations Manager fills a pivotal role in the IT organization with responsibility for the effective delivery of a live service operation that meets the expectations and service levels agreed with customers. This is a broad leadership role and the precise responsibilities will depend in large part upon the nature and size of the enterprise.
What they do:
For those new to project management, the support role offers a possible first step. As the name implies, the role is responsible for supporting a project / programme team in all areas of a project’s activities.
Working as IT Project Support provides opportunity to build familiarity with project tools and the project environment, and how to work successfully in the project environment. The role is likely to combine general administration with basic project management.
What they do:
IT Project Managers lead the planning and implementation of IT projects. They identify requirements and develop budgets and schedules for the IT projects of their businesses or organisations. They work with internal and external clients, specialists, consultants, and suppliers to organise a project from initial planning and development through to implementation and maintenance.
What they do:
An IT Programme Manager is responsible for providing leadership, management, coordination, and direction to teams delivering IT projects as part of a programme of change. By managing the projects as part of a coordinated programme, the aim is to achieve synergy, maximise productivity and reduce duplication of effort. The IT Programme Manager is responsible for leading and managing the setting up of the programme through to the delivery of the new capabilities and realisation of benefits.