Service Delivery Manager AI-Platform Development

Would you like to use your technical expertise and project management skills to contribute to a groundbreaking AI application for Dutch higher education and research institutions? Together with an enthusiastic team, we’re developing an independent AI platform that guarantees sovereignty and privacy without relying on major cloud providers. Following a successful pilot, we are now collaborating with universities, universities of applied sciences, and vocational schools. Are you enthusiastic and ready to take on the responsibility of leading the team’s day-to-day operations? Then read on!

Where you will work

SURF is the ICT cooperative for Dutch educational and research institutions. Together with them, we work on digital services and complex innovation challenges to enhance the quality of education and research.

You’ll have the freedom to make architectural decisions, explore new technologies, and develop proofs of concept into production-ready solutions. You’ll also tackle issues related to cloud architecture, scalability, security, data integrity, and AI ethics. In this way, you’ll directly contribute to an infrastructure that makes Dutch education future-proof.

Working at SURF means working for a unique and open organization. You can see this in everything: the organizational structure, the composition of the project teams, the culture in our offices, and the atmosphere among colleagues. SURF offers excellent employment conditions and takes a flexible approach to work-life balance. Employees enjoy working independently. In addition, everyone is given the space and freedom to apply and develop their talents as effectively and broadly as possible.

The team you will join

Je komt terecht in het High Performance Machine Learning Team (HPML) binnen de afdeling Advanced Solutions for Research van SURF. Het HPML-team is verantwoordelijk voor tal van activiteiten, zoals de ontwikkeling van de Nederlandse AI-Fabriek, het trainen van grote taalmodellen, de integratie van AI in grootschalige simulaties en de opzet van onze AI-Hub. Het team werkt vaak samen met onderzoekers om nieuwe AI-oplossingen te ontwikkelen en onze rekeninfrastructuur optimaal te benutten.

What you will do

As a Service Delivery Manager, you are responsible for the day-to-day operational services of the AI hub. You ensure that educational and research institutions can rely on available, secure, and compliant services. You monitor service continuity and quality and ensure that incidents, changes, and customer inquiries are addressed in a timely and thorough manner. In doing so, you work closely with the development team, system administrators, the service desk, and compliance officers, and you ensure alignment between the various processes and disciplines.

Within the applicable frameworks, you will independently set up the processes and procedures related to service delivery and ensure their continuous improvement. You will monitor the quality of releases, support client onboarding, and ensure that client inquiries are handled professionally. In doing so, you will look beyond resolving individual issues and initiate structural improvements to processes, products, and documentation.

Other responsibilities include:

• You coordinate audits and monitor compliance with relevant security and compliance requirements;
• You take the lead during incidents and crisis situations and ensure proper follow-up and evaluation;
• You coordinate change management and product updates and monitor the quality of releases;
• You support the onboarding of new clients and ensure they are properly integrated into the service;
• You coordinate with customers, internal suppliers, and other stakeholders at the operational and tactical levels regarding the quality and continuity of service delivery;
• You organize the agile workflow, facilitate knowledge sharing, and ensure that agreements and processes are properly documented in tools such as Confluence, Jira, and GitLab;
• You identify areas for improvement in processes, products, and documentation and ensure that these are actually addressed.

Your skills and experience

You are an experienced and hands-on Service Delivery Manager who easily navigates between operational issues, process improvement, and various stakeholders. You take responsibility, maintain an overview, and know how to motivate people when necessary. You are proactive and decisive, with a strong focus on quality, continuous improvement, and the safe and reliable delivery of services.

In addition, you have:

• At least 3 years of experience in a comparable Service Delivery, IT Service Management, or operational IT role;
• Demonstrable experience in keeping complex IT environments available, secure, and compliant, as well as in implementing or maintaining ISO 27001;
• Experience with incident, change, and release management;
• Experience writing documentation for various stakeholders, including technical users;
• Extensive experience with stakeholder management and maintaining relationships with various internal and external parties;
• Proficiency in Dutch and English, both verbally and in writing. English is the working language within the team.

It is an advantage if you:

• Have programming experience and can develop your own tools to automate tasks, such as agents or automated tests;
• Hold an Agile, CISM, CISSP, or CISA certification.

Prior to starting this job, a VOG must be presented.

SURF takes pleasure in doing its recruitment itself; acquisition is therefore not appreciated.