IT Operations Manager

Job Title: IT Operations Manager

Location:India

Employment Type: Permanent Full Time (1 FTE)

Reports To: Global Vice President of Information Technology

Herspiegel is a global life sciences consultancy that guides pharmaceutical and biotech companies through their most decisive momentspowering commercial success and expanding patient access. From early asset strategy to launch readiness and market optimization, we help clients navigate complexity and seize opportunity. Our integrated approach brings together scientific insight, evidence strategy, deep market intuition, and executional precision to ensure brands are built to lead.

Position Summary

The IT Operations Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operational execution of corporate IT services across a multi-entity, global organisation.

The role owns operational delivery and BAU execution of service delivery, MSP management, joinermoverleaver (JML) processes, asset and device lifecycle management, SOPs, and operational governance, while strategic ownership, budget authority, enterprise risk acceptance, and executive accountability for IT remain with the VP of IT. This separation ensures strong operational control without diluting strategic leadership or executive accountability.

This role exists to ensure stable, predictable, and well-governed IT operations, while removing day-to-day operational noise from senior IT leadership. It is a critical control point for service quality, cost discipline, and user experience as the organisation scales and integrates multiple entities.

Key Responsibilities

IT Service Operations & Delivery

• Own day-to-day IT operations across end-user computing, SaaS platforms, identity, and collaboration services.
• Ensure consistent, reliable delivery of IT services aligned to agreed SLAs and business expectations.
• Act as the primary escalation point for operational incidents, service degradation, and systemic issues.
• Drive root-cause analysis and permanent fixes for recurring operational problems.

Managed Service Provider (MSP) Management

• Own the day-to-day operational management of MSPs, including ticket quality, backlog health, escalations, and service consistency.
• Enforce SLAs and operational KPIs within vendor strategy, contracts, and escalation frameworks defined by the Global VP of IT.
• Identify performance issues and drive corrective actions, escalating systemic or commercial risks as required.

JoinerMoverLeaver (JML) & Identity Operations

• Own and continuously improve JML processes to ensure timely, accurate, and secure onboarding, role changes, and offboarding.
• Ensure JML workflows are well-controlled, auditable, and aligned with HR systems and security requirements.
• Eliminate delays, rework, and licence leakage caused by weak or inconsistent processes.

Asset, Device & Hardware Lifecycle Management

• Own end-to-end lifecycle management for laptops, peripherals, and IT assets.
• Ensure effective stock management, refresh cycles, and cost control across multiple regions.
• Oversee device provisioning, shipping, replacement, and recovery processes.
• Maintain accurate asset records to support security, audit, and financial reporting.

Operational Governance, SOPs & Documentation

• Develop, maintain, and enforce IT Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for operational processes.
• Ensure operational activities are repeatable, documented, and resilient to personnel change.
• Embed change, incident, and problem management discipline appropriate to organisational scale.
• Support audit, compliance, and risk activities by ensuring operational controls are consistently applied.

Reporting, Metrics & Continuous Improvement

• Define and report on operational KPIs (e.g. ticket volumes, resolution times, SLA adherence, backlog health).
• Provide clear, data-driven insight into operational performance, risks, and improvement actions.
• Drive operational maturity improvements aligned to the IT roadmap and business growth.

Stakeholder & Leadership Responsibilities

• Act as the primary operational counterpart to People, Finance, and Business Operations teams.
• Translate business needs into operational execution without escalating unnecessary issues to ELT.
• Free senior IT leadership to focus on strategy, transformation, security, and risk.
• Provide calm, credible leadership during incidents or periods of operational pressure.

Decision Authority

• The IT Operations Manager is authorised to make operational decisions required to maintain service quality, continuity, and user experience.
• Strategic decisions, including IT roadmap direction, budget approvals, vendor strategy, material architectural changes, and enterprise risk acceptance, remain the responsibility of the Global VP of IT.
• The role acts as the first point of accountability for operational outcomes, with escalation to the Global VP of IT where strategic, financial, or risk thresholds are exceeded.

Required Skills & Experience

Experience

• Proven experience in an IT Operations, IT Service Delivery, or IT Operations Management role.
• Demonstrable experience managing MSPs or outsourced IT service providers.
• Strong background in end-user IT operations, SaaS environments, and corporate IT tooling.
• Experience operating in multi-entity, fast-growing, or post-integration environments strongly preferred.

Technical & Operational Competence

• Strong understanding of ITSM processes (Incident, Problem, Change, Request).
• Practical experience with JML processes, identity operations, and licence management.
• Experience managing endpoint environments (Windows/macOS), hardware logistics, and asset lifecycle.
• Familiarity with Microsoft 365centric environments is advantageous.

Leadership & Behavioural Attributes

• Operationally minded, detail-oriented, and highly organised.
• Comfortable taking ownership and accountability for outcomes.
• Calm under pressure; able to manage incidents and escalations professionally.
• Strong communicator, able to challenge MSPs constructively and represent IT credibly to the business.

Education, Qualifications & Certifications

Education

• Degree in Information Technology, Information Systems, or a related discipline (strongly preferred).
• Equivalent professional experience will be considered.

Certifications (Desirable)

• ITIL v4 Foundation or equivalent ITSM certification strongly preferred.
• Relevant vendor or service management certifications considered advantageous.

Why This Role Is Required

As the organisation scales and integrates multiple entities, operational complexity increases materially. Without a dedicated IT Operations Manager, senior IT leadership is drawn into daily firefighting, MSP escalations, and transactional issues, reducing capacity for strategic delivery and risk management.

This role provides a single point of operational accountability, ensuring predictable service delivery, improved MSP performance, and a more professional IT operating model.