Network Service Manager

The Role

Working location: London, White City, hybrid 1-2 days a week on site

Contract Type: Permanent

The team

You'll be joining the Network Engineering & Delivery function within Group Technology's Architecture & Networks team, reporting to the Head of Architecture & Solutions. This team is responsible for building and operating ITV's enterprise data network — from core infrastructure through to broadcast media transport and cloud connectivity. We're evolving towards a NetDevOps operating model where automation, infrastructure-as-code, and engineering-led service management are central to how we work.

The role

The Network Service Manager is a pivotal leadership role responsible for the operational excellence, service delivery, and continuous improvement of ITV's network platform. You'll own the end-to-end network service — driving supplier performance, managing operational budgets, and ensuring the network delivers reliable, secure, and cost-effective connectivity across all ITV sites and cloud environments.

This role is key to our transition to a NetDevOps-focused operating model. You'll work at the intersection of service management and engineering, ensuring that automation, observability, and modern delivery practices are embedded into how we run and improve the network. You'll partner closely with the Principal Network Engineer, Principal Network Architect, and Delivery Managers to align service operations with our engineering roadmap.

You'll lead relationships with our managed service partners, set and maintain service standards, and use data-driven insights to identify improvement opportunities. You'll also play a critical role in shaping how we source and integrate network operations — balancing internal capability with external partnerships to deliver an efficient, modern network service.

Skills you’ll need (minimum criteria)

Service Management & Operations

• Own and drive the operational performance of ITV's network service, setting clear SLAs, KPIs, and reporting against them.
• Manage relationships with network managed service providers and key suppliers, holding them accountable for delivery and driving continuous improvement.
• Develop and execute the sourcing strategy for network operations — ensuring the right balance of in-house engineering capability and partner support.
• Lead incident management escalation for major network events, ensuring swift resolution and robust root cause analysis.
• Manage network operational and change budgets, making sound investment decisions that balance cost, risk, and capability.

NetDevOps & Modern Operations

• Champion the adoption of NetDevOps practices within service operations — promoting automation, self-healing infrastructure, and reduced manual toil.
• Partner with network engineers to embed observability, telemetry, and automated alerting into the operational framework.
• Drive the use of infrastructure-as-code and CI/CD pipelines for network changes, reducing risk and accelerating delivery.
• Use network performance data, customer feedback, and market insights to inform service strategy and improvement roadmaps.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Build and maintain strong relationships across Group Technology, ITV Studios, and broadcast operations — understanding their needs and translating them into network service requirements.
• Lead, motivate, and develop the network operations team and its supplier ecosystem, fostering a culture of collaboration, ownership, and engineering excellence.
• Partner with the Principal Network Engineer and Principal Network Architect to ensure the service model evolves in lockstep with the technical architecture.
• Support the Delivery Managers in planning and executing network change projects, ensuring operational readiness and minimal service disruption.
• Provide clear, accurate reporting on service performance, risks, and improvement initiatives to senior stakeholders.

Other things we’re looking for (key criteria)

Essential

• Proven experience managing network services in a complex, multi-site enterprise environment.
• Strong supplier and vendor management experience, particularly in the networking/telecommunications space.
• Demonstrable understanding of modern network technologies: routing/switching, firewalls, SD-WAN, wireless, and cloud networking.
• Experience working in or transitioning to a NetDevOps/DevOps operating model — familiarity with automation tools (Ansible, Terraform, Python), CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure-as-code concepts.
• Strong commercial acumen — experience managing operational budgets and making cost-effective sourcing decisions.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage credibly at senior leadership level.
• Experience with ITIL or similar service management frameworks, applied pragmatically in a modern engineering context.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Desirable

• Experience in the media, broadcast, or entertainment technology sector.
• Familiarity with network observability platforms (e.g., Nautobot, SolarWinds, ELK stack, Splunk).
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and hybrid networking.
• Relevant certifications in service management, delivery or networking (ITIL, Prince, Agile, Cisco or equivalent).
• Line management experience or experience leading cross-functional virtual teams.
• Experience with multi-vendor network environments including Cisco, Palo Alto and Juniper.