The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
From Global IT Service Delivery Manager
3-5 years in a large-scale management roleSkills to master
- Moving from managing a team to managing managers, owning a larger budget, developing strategic vendor relationships, and driving cross-functional change programmes.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully led a major service improvement initiative that delivered significant business value.
- Consistently exceeded team KPIs and demonstrated strong talent development.
- Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders outside of direct reporting lines.
- Managed a budget over £1M and demonstrated strong financial acumen.
- 2
From Head of IT Operations (Large Enterprise)
3-5 years leading a broad operational functionSkills to master
- Deepening expertise in service management frameworks, focusing on the 'service' aspect beyond just infrastructure, and integrating service delivery strategy with overall business goals.
You're ready to move on when
- Managed a diverse portfolio of IT operational services (e.g., network, server, cloud ops).
- Demonstrated strong incident and problem management leadership at an enterprise level.
- Successfully implemented automation or SRE principles to improve operational efficiency.
- Proven ability to manage large, complex operational budgets.
- 3
From IT Consulting (Service Management Focus)
5-7 years at a senior consultant/principal levelSkills to master
- Transitioning from advisory to direct ownership and accountability, building and leading internal teams, and navigating internal organisational politics and culture.
You're ready to move on when
- Led major IT service management transformation programmes for large clients.
- Developed and presented strategic recommendations to C-level executives.
- Demonstrated strong project and programme management skills for complex IT initiatives.
- Proven ability to build strong client relationships and influence outcomes.