Job Description

Out of Hours - Shift Lead

Remote UK • Full-time • Competitive salary + benefits

Focus Group is looking for an Out of Hours (OOHs) Shift Lead to play a key leadership role within our 24x7 Service Operations function. You’ll lead a team of Service Desk Analysts during non‑standard hours, ensuring high‑quality service delivery, strong incident management, and a consistent, customer‑first approach.

As the most senior point of contact during OOHs periods, you’ll take ownership of escalations, major incidents, and emergency changes—driving fast resolution and maintaining service stability across our customer base.

What you’ll do

• Lead and motivate the OOHs Service Desk team, driving performance against SLAs, KPIs, and CSAT targets
• Act as the senior escalation point during out‑of‑hours shifts, making critical decisions to resolve issues quickly
• Own and coordinate major incident responses, ensuring clear communication and swift service restoration
• Manage and execute emergency changes, including risk assessment and stakeholder coordination
• Identify opportunities for continual service improvement across processes, tooling, and support models
• Maintain and update risk registers, logging and managing operational risks
• Collaborate with internal and external teams to deliver scalable, supportable solutions
• Coach and support team members through 1:1s, performance reviews, and ongoing development
• Ensure accurate documentation, including SOPs, escalation paths, and shift handovers
• Act as a communication bridge during major incidents between technical teams and stakeholders
• Produce reporting on performance, trends, and service improvements specific to OOH operations
• Support a strong team culture focused on accountability, quality, and continuous improvement

What you’ll bring

• Proven experience leading technical support teams in a 24x7 or out‑of‑hours environment
• Strong experience managing major incidents and escalations independently
• Solid understanding of ITIL (incident, problem, and change management)
• Experience managing emergency changes with a focus on risk and service impact
• Ability to make confident, time‑critical decisions in high‑pressure situations
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• Excellent communication skills, with the confidence to lead during major incidents
• Strong technical understanding across service desk tooling and supported systems
• A proactive, improvement‑focused mindset

Nice to have

• Experience working within MSP or enterprise service environments
• Advanced ITIL certification
• Experience with service management tooling and monitoring platforms