Service Assurance Specialist

Title: Service Assurance Specialist

Contract Length: 3 Months ASAP Start

Day Rate: £500 pd to £550 pd (Inside IR35)

Hybrid: 2 days on site (Cambridge)

Overview

Experienced IT Service Management professional responsible for leading service assurance and transition processes, ensuring new and evolving services meet high-quality standards and are delivered effectively into live operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Primarily focused on BAU service assurance and transition activities
• Involvement in features and product support within live environments
• Lead the design, governance, and continuous improvement of service assurance and transition processes.
• Define and track performance metrics to drive efficiency, quality, and process maturity.
• Support delivery teams and stakeholders in applying ITSM best practices across projects.
• Ensure services are production-ready through collaboration, validation, and effective Early Life Support (ELS) planning.
• Support the process of accepting services into live environments, ensuring all entry criteria are met.
• Work closely with Project Managers (PMs), who own the service design, to validate readiness for go-live.
• Review and assure go-live checklists provided by PMs, confirming all requirements are completed.
• Verify that service readiness and ELS criteria are fully met before transition into live.
• Provide Level 1 support and contribute to ongoing service stability post go-live.
• Focus on business-as-usual (BAU) activities, supporting live services, features, and products.

Experience & Skills

• 10+ years’ experience in IT Service Management, with leadership in service design, transition, or assurance.
• Strong background in service assurance and transition, with proven ability to deliver smooth go-lives.
• Experience in governance, compliance, and large-scale IT environments.
• Solid understanding of IT infrastructure, SDLC, and project delivery frameworks.
• Ability to ensure service readiness and seamless transition into live environments.
• Strong stakeholder collaboration skills, particularly working alongside Project Managers and delivery teams.
• ITIL 4 certification (preferred).

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