With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world. At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our inclusive, collaborative, and flexible working environment. We don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.
ABOUT GDT:
GDT is the global digital and technology engine of Unilever offering business services, technology, and enterprise solutions. GDT serves over 190 locations and through a network of specialized service lines and partners delivers insights and innovations, user experiences and end-to-end seamless delivery making Unilever Purpose Led and Future Fit.
About the Role
The Hyper Automation Platform (HAP) Service Assurance Team is responsible for ensuring the stability, security, performance, compliance, and operational excellence of Unilever's automation ecosystem. The platform supports key automation and intelligent workflow technologies including Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Advanced Cognitive Services (ACS), ServiceNow, Pega, and Aera. As the IT Manager – Service Assurance, you will lead the end-to-end service assurance agenda across critical automation platforms, ensuring service reliability, cyber compliance, vendor governance, financial accountability, and continuous improvement of platform operations. You will collaborate closely with business stakeholders, product teams, vendors, cyber security teams, and procurement functions to deliver resilient and cost-effective automation services.
Key Responsibilities
Platform Ownership & Governance
- Own end-to-end service assurance for Hyper Automation platforms including RPA (Blue Prism), ACS, Pega, ServiceNow, and related automation capabilities.
- Govern platform health, availability, and operational readiness across production environments.
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- Ensure adherence to enterprise architecture, cyber security, and operational risk standards.
Service Performance & Operational Excellence
- Monitor and manage service performance against agreed KPIs, SLAs, and operational targets.
- Ensure automation services achieve high reliability and operational stability, with bot performance targets of 98% or higher.
- Drive proactive incident, problem, and risk management practices.
- Lead operational governance reviews with platform teams, service providers, and business stakeholders.
- Establish continuous improvement initiatives to enhance service quality and reduce operational risk.
Cyber Security, Risk & Compliance
- Ensure timely remediation of platform vulnerabilities and security findings.
- Maintain compliance with Unilever cyber security policies, ISA standards, and regulatory requirements.
- Support internal and external audits by maintaining accurate evidence, controls, and documentation.
- Conduct periodic risk assessments and lead mitigation plans with relevant stakeholders.
- Drive compliance adherence across all supported automation platforms.
Financial Management & Cost Optimization
- Manage operational budgets supporting run and innovation activities across HAP services.
- Lead cross-charge processes, expenditure planning, and financial approvals.
- Review and approve Change Requests (CRs) and Service Requests (SRs) within governance guidelines.
- Drive cost optimization initiatives through effective vendor and contract management.
- Partner with procurement teams to improve service efficiency while maintaining service quality.
Vendor, Licensing & Contract Management
- Govern strategic technology partners and managed service providers.
- Monitor vendor performance against contractual commitments and SLAs.
- Manage licensing compliance, usage optimization, and renewals across supported platforms.
- Lead contract negotiations, purchase order (PO) management, and commercial discussions.
- Facilitate contract execution activities including Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM), cyber schedules, and procurement approvals.
Stakeholder Management
- Build strong partnerships with business functions, platform teams, cyber teams, and external vendors.
- Support new automation demand intake, service introductions, escalations, and issue resolution.
- Provide clear executive-level reporting on operational performance, risks, compliance status, and improvement opportunities.
- Influence senior stakeholders to drive service excellence and platform maturity.
Skills & Experience Essential
- Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline.
- Proven experience in IT Service Management, Service Assurance, Operations Management, or Platform Support leadership roles.
- Strong stakeholder management and business partnering capabilities.
- Sound understanding of cloud technologies, particularly Microsoft Azure.
- Experience managing budgets, forecasting, cost controls, and financial governance.
- Strong project and program management skills.
- Knowledge of Cyber Security, IT Controls, Compliance, and Risk Management frameworks.
- Experience managing global vendors and outsourced service providers.
Preferred
- Experience managing enterprise automation platforms such as Blue Prism, ServiceNow, Pega, Aera, UiPath, or Intelligent Automation solutions.
- Understanding of ITIL Service Management processes including Incident, Problem, Change, and Release Management.
- Experience with Hyper Automation, Intelligent Document Processing (IDP), Workflow Automation, and AI-enabled operations.
- Knowledge of enterprise operational excellence and continuous improvement methodologies.
Leadership Expectations
- Customer and service-focused mindset.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to lead through influence across global teams.
- Drives accountability, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.
- Effective communication and executive stakeholder engagement capabilities.
- Demonstrates ownership, resilience, and delivery focus.
CORE SKILLS
- CARE DEEPLY: We care about how consumers experience our brands, the growth and development of our people, and their impact on the planet. We emphasize the importance of performance and care, moving from ambiguity about success to fairness and transparency.
- FOCUS ON WHAT COUNTS: We prioritize what truly matters, setting clear and stretching goals. We aim to shift from having everything as a priority to focusing on fewer, bigger things that are delivered to conclusion and are being rewarded.
- STAY THREE STEPS AHEAD: We encourage bold and creative thinking to make breakthroughs in performance. We focus on anticipating and staying ahead of consumer needs and external trends, shifting from reacting to leading, shaping, and disrupting the market.
- DELIVER WITH EXCELLENCE: The emphasis is on delivering everything with excellence and pace, taking personal ownership, and holding each other accountable. We aim to shift from pride in thinking to pride in execution, developing breakthrough solutions and ensuring the best outcomes.
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
- Unilever embraces diversity and encourages applicants from all walks of life! This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity.
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