Fulltime
Location : Chicago, IL / Dallas, TX
100% onsite
Experience
12–16+ years in IT Service Delivery / Operations / Program Leadership
7+ years in Banking, Financial Services, Leasing, Asset Management, or Capital Markets
Role Overview
The L4 Service Delivery Manager (SDM) is a senior leadership role responsible for end-to-end service delivery, operational excellence, governance, and financial oversight across multiple enterprise IT services and vendors.
This role owns service performance, SLA adherence, risk management, regulatory compliance, and customer satisfaction across mission‑critical platforms supporting financial operations and customer-facing services in the US market.
Key Responsibilities
End-to-End Service Delivery Ownership
- Own full lifecycle service delivery across multiple IT services and portfolios
- Ensure high availability, performance, and reliability of business‑critical applications and infrastructure
- Drive continuous service improvement aligned with business objectives
- Act as the single point of accountability for service outcomes
Governance, SLA & Performance Management
- Define, review, and enforce SLAs, OLAs, KPIs, and service maturity metrics
- Lead monthly/quarterly service reviews with senior leadership and vendors
- Proactively manage service risks, issues, and improvement plans
- Establish governance frameworks aligned to ITIL and enterprise service management standards
Financial & Commercial Management
- Own service budgets, forecasting, cost optimization, and financial governance
- Manage vendor commercials, invoicing validation, and cost controls
- Drive value realization, productivity improvements, and service efficiency
- Partner with finance teams on OPEX/CAPEX planning and tracking
Stakeholder & Executive Management
- Serve as a trusted partner to US business leaders, CIO office, and senior stakeholders
- Communicate service health, risks, and remediation plans to executive & CXO forums
- Manage high-impact escalations with urgency and transparency
- Align IT service delivery with regulatory, operational, and business priorities
Risk, Compliance & Regulatory Management
- Ensure service delivery compliance with US regulatory, audit, and security requirements
- Support SOX, SOC, internal/external audits, and regulatory assessments
- Ensure adherence to information security, data protection, and operational risk controls
- Proactively mitigate service continuity, operational, and regulatory risks
Vendor & Multisourcing Management
- Lead multi-vendor service delivery models, including managed service providers
- Own vendor performance, governance cadence, and contractual obligations
- Drive accountability, continuous improvement, and service quality across partners
- Lead contract reviews, renewals, and vendor rationalization initiatives
Leadership & Organizational Excellence
- Lead and mentor L2/L3 SDMs, service managers, and operations leads
- Build high-performing, customer-focused delivery teams
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement, resilience, and accountability
- Drive adoption of ITIL, automation, and digital service management practices
Key Skills & Competencies
Service & Operations Management
- Strong expertise in IT Service Management (ITIL), Service Governance, and Operations
- Proven experience managing large, complex, and regulated IT environments
- Deep understanding of incident, problem, change, release, and availability management
Financial Services Domain
- Strong exposure to US Banking / Financial Services / Leasing / Asset Management
- Experience supporting core financial systems, customer platforms, and regulatory workloads
- Familiarity with audit, compliance, and operational risk management
Tools & Platforms
- ServiceNow or equivalent ITSM platforms
- Strong reporting and dashboarding skills (Power BI, Excel, Service dashboards)
- Understanding of cloud, infrastructure, and application support models
Leadership & Communication
- Exceptional executive communication and stakeholder management
- Strong negotiation, escalation handling, and decision‑making skills
- Ability to operate in high‑pressure, business‑critical environments
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
- ITIL Expert / ITIL Managing Professional – Strongly preferred
- PMP / Agile / ServiceNow certifications – Preferred
MBA or leadership certification – Advantage
