Group Leader Front Office

Group Leader Front Office

ECDC - European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

Stockholm, Sweden

You will work in the IT Operations section in the Digital Transformation Services unit.

Reporting to the Head of Section IT Operations, you will be part of a team of approximately 40 people (both staff and consultants).

As the Group Leader Front Office, you will lead a team of 4 staff members and 12 consultants responsible for user support, digital workplace and audio-visual services.

In this position, you will have a wide variety of tasks that will give you the opportunity to:

• Line manage staff, lead, plan and organise the work of the team;
• Own and lead the following service areas: User support, Digital Workplace, and Audio-Visual services. Ensure business continuity and disaster recovery solutions;
• Act as Project Manager for relevant initiatives to deliver high-quality results within the identified objectives and constraints, ensuring the effective use of the allocated resources;
• Ensure the following ECDC practices (ref: ITIL 4 practices): Service Level Management, Service Desk, Incident Management, Service Request Management, Problem Management, IT Asset Management and Software Asset Management, Service Design, and Service Catalogue Management. Actively contribute to Information Security Management, and Measurement and Reporting;
• Procure relevant IT equipment, software licenses, and services for the areas and practices listed above in accordance with EU rules and regulations;
• Act as Service Level Manager to negotiate and document Service Level Agreements with relevant counterparts. Monitor the overall performance of ECDC’s external service provider/team of consultants for the service areas and practices listed above against service level targets, in close collaboration with the contractor’s service manager;
• Lead the team’s continual improvement process, reviewing several established metrics and feedback mechanisms. Apply strategic thinking, strong communication and business analysis skills, and a solid understanding of relevant technologies, as well as knowledge of the software development lifecycle. Adapt to changing needs as well as identify new needs and industry trends that may add value to ECDC. Strive towards high satisfaction – both user and customer satisfaction;
• Define standards and guidelines for the service areas and practices listed above, in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders. Lead the “IT User Forum Working Group” with representatives from across ECDC;
• Deputise for the Head of Section when required;
• Contribute to other activities of ECDC as required, within your field of expertise.

What are we looking for?

Formal requirements:

For your application to be considered eligible you must fulfil all the following requirements by the application deadline:

• A level of post-secondary education of at least 3 years attested by a diploma and at least 9 years of professional experience after that diploma; or a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education and at least 12 years of professional experience after that diploma;
• Thorough knowledge of one of the official EU languages and a satisfactory knowledge of another official EU language to the extent necessary for the performance of his/her duties;
• Nationality of one of the EU Member States or of Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and to be entitled to your full rights as a citizen;
• To have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws on military service;
• Meet the character requirements for the duties involved; and
• Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post.

Selection criteria:

For your application to be evaluated further, you will also need:

• At least 6 years, (following the award of the diploma), of recent, hands-on professional experience acquired in positions relevant to the job description;
• Proven experience in managing a team and in coordinating tasks and work areas;
• Financial management experience: preparing forecasts, budgets and the management of supplier transactions, including procurement;
• Proven hands-on experience of IT Service Management;
• Very good knowledge of best practices for IT Service Management (e.g. ITIL certification);
• Good understanding of the functions of Service Management Tools, e.g. ServiceNow IT Service Management (ITSM);
• Excellent command of English, both written and spoken.

Additionally, we will assess the following competencies:

• Ability to empower, motivate and lead others;
• Excellent communication skills and capacity to communicate clearly and present complex matters in a simple way;
• High level of service and customer orientation. Ability to turn a negative situation into a positive perception;
• Capacity to function and manage under crisis situations;
• Project management skills: Ability to plan, coordinate, organise and prioritise;
• Ability to monitor progress of work and organise reviews – both for individual team members as well as for an external service provider;
• Strong sense of initiative, responsibility & integrity, as well as an open, constructive and positive mindset.