Rodeo
Get started

Hays

IT Production and Operations Manager

Cardiff
£65k – £75k/yr
Posted about 23 hours ago
Sign up to applySee more jobs like this

How your CV stacks up

1Upload CV
2Analyse CV
3Improve CV

Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role

?%

Your New Company

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join a well-established and highly respected financial services organisation that is committed to delivering exceptional customer service through reliable, secure and innovative technology operations. The organisation fosters a collaborative and inclusive working environment where employee wellbeing, professional development and continuous improvement are at the heart of its culture.

This role is hybrid, 8 days per month, based in central Cardiff.

Your New Role

As IT Production Operations Manager, you will take ownership of the production environment, ensuring critical systems, platforms and workloads operate reliably, securely and efficiently.

Reporting to the IT Service Operations Manager, you will play a key leadership role within the Service Operations function, overseeing production operations, enterprise scheduling, production control and operational automation. You will be responsible for ensuring operational readiness across supported services while providing leadership during incidents and major incidents to support effective service recovery.

You will drive continual service improvement by identifying root causes of recurring issues, implementing robust operational controls and enhancing production resilience. Working closely with technology teams and third-party suppliers, you will manage production risks, dependencies and service restoration activities whilst ensuring governance standards are maintained.

The role will also focus on developing automation capabilities to improve operational efficiency, reduce manual effort and increase service stability. In addition, you will lead, coach and develop a high-performing team, creating a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.

Reasons to use Rodeo

I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?

Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.

Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.

Start with a chat, not a search bar

Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.

P

Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme

PwC·London, UK
£35,000/yr

Why you're a good match

Strong

Your economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.

See breakdown
Save jobNot relevant
View details

It searches the market for you

Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.

Why you're a good match

You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.

See breakdown
Strong

Experience fit

Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.

See breakdown
Strong

Only hits

No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.

What You'll Need to Succeed

To be successful in this role, you will have significant experience leading IT operations or production support teams within a complex technology environment. You will possess strong knowledge of production operations, enterprise scheduling, batch processing and operational service management. We are looking for someone who has managed infrastructure and mainframe engineers, (ideally you'll be familiar with Unisys, but any mainframe experience would be considered).

You will be confident operating in incident and major incident environments, with the ability to make informed decisions under pressure and coordinate technical recovery activities. Experience of driving automation initiatives and improving operational resilience, recovery procedures and service continuity practices will be highly beneficial. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills are essential, together with the ability to utilise operational data and performance metrics to drive improvements. You will be an effective communicator who can build strong relationships with internal stakeholders, technical teams and external suppliers. Experience working within a regulated environment would be advantageous.

You will be a proactive and collaborative leader who can motivate and develop teams, remain calm in demanding situations and continually seek opportunities to improve processes and operational performance.

What You'll Get in Return

  • Salary up to £75,000 (depending on experience)
  • Flexible working (8 days a month on site in central Cardiff)
  • 36 days annual leave (including BH)
  • Excellent maternity (39 weeks fully paid maternity leave) and paternity leave (20 week paternity leave)
  • Fertility treatment, adoption, surrogacy and fostering leave and flexibility for carers
  • Private Medical
  • 4x Life Assurance
  • Plus other employee discount schemes

Get help with your application

Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.

Get help applying for this job

In return, you will join a forward-thinking organisation that invests in its people and technology. You will benefit from flexible hybrid working, a supportive and inclusive culture, excellent opportunities for professional development and the chance to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of IT operations within a large and complex environment.

What You Need to Do Now

If you're interested in this opportunity, click 'apply now' to submit your up-to-date CV, or contact us for a confidential discussion about your career.

If this job is not quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career.

Desired Skills and Experience

As IT Production Operations Manager, you will take ownership of the production environment, ensuring critical systems, platforms and workloads operate reliably, securely and efficiently.

Reporting to the IT Service Operations Manager, you will play a key leadership role within the Service Operations function, overseeing production operations, enterprise scheduling, production control and operational automation. You will be responsible for ensuring operational readiness across supported services while providing leadership during incidents and major incidents to support effective service recovery.


Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept the T&C's, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers which can be found at hays.co.uk

Trusted by 25,000+ job seekers

“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”

Jessica, London

Get help applying for this job

Skills

IT Production Operations
Enterprise Scheduling
Production Control
Operational Automation
Incident Management
Major Incident Management
Mainframe Engineering
Service Recovery
Root Cause Analysis
Operational Resilience
Stakeholder Management
Team Leadership
Service Continuity
Performance Metrics
Operational Governance

Location

Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

Sign up to applySee more jobs like this