ITSM Platform Engineer

£40k - £48k

Who are we?

First Rail is one of the most experienced rail operators in the UK, with more than 770,000 passenger journeys daily last year across our Department for Transport contracted operations and open access routes.

We operate two major UK train operating companies - Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway (GWR), and two open access passenger rail services, Hull Trains and Lumo. We are also 'shadow operator' on the HS2 programme and operate the London Trams service on behalf of Transport for London.

Our First Rail head office is home to specialist teams that provide expert support across the Engineering, Finance, Property, Operations, Procurement, IT, and Human Resources functions of the rail division. First Rail Holdings is part of FirstGroup, the largest rail operator in the UK and second largest bus operator in the UK outside London.  FirstGroup operates services throughout the UK and Ireland, with over 30,000 employees providing services that make travel smoother and life easier.  FirstGroup works hard to reduce its impact on the environment, introducing cleaner and more environmentally responsible methods of transport.

About the job

This position requires a hands-on specialist with strong experience in supporting the Freshservice ITSM platform. You will be responsible for answering support tickets, configuring and optimising modules and workflows, driving adoption of the self-service portal, and staying up to date with newly released features. Working closely with business stakeholders, IT teams, and third-party vendors, you will ensure the platform aligns with best practices and delivers measurable value, as we extend its use beyond core IT and evolve it into a broader enterprise service management solution

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Platform Stability & Availability - Ensure Freshservice always operates reliably. All incidents and service requests are triaged, owned, and resolved within agreed SLAs, with zero unplanned outages attributable to unmanaged platform issues.

• BAU Demand Management - Manage and resolve the day-to-day operational demand on the platform, such as incidents, service requests, user administration, and licence management, enabling the ITSM Platform Manager to focus on strategy and roadmap delivery.

• Configuration Delivery - Execute approved platform configuration changes accurately and on time, including workflows, automations, service catalogue items, and integrations, with all changes tested, documented, and released without incident.

• Sprint Contribution - Actively contribute to the team’s delivery sprints as a reliable delivery resource, completing assigned tasks to acceptance criteria and maintaining consistent velocity across the programme.

• Platform Quality & Documentation - Maintain a high standard of platform stability: accurate configuration documentation, up-to-date user guidance, and a clean, well-governed Freshservice instance that is always audit-ready.

• Enterprise Service Management Enablement - Support the extension of Freshservice beyond IT to Finance, HR, Procurement, and other business functions, contributing to onboarding, configuration, and testing activities that bring new services onto the platform.

• Stakeholder & Relationship Management - Build strong and effective relationships with internal OpCo stakeholders and Freshservice Support, establishing trust and credibility as a key operational contact point. Actively engage with stakeholders to understand their requirements, challenges, and pain points, ensuring these are clearly captured, documented, and prioritised within the backlog for review and action.

• Platform Optimisation & Adoption - Maintain awareness of the Freshservice product roadmap and newly released functionality, assessing opportunities to enhance the current platform. Review existing configuration in line with new capabilities, identifying and implementing improvements that enhance user experience and operational efficiency. Proactively drive adoption of the Freshservice portal through targeted communication and engagement, increasing utilisation and promoting best practice use of the platform.

As a minimum you will need to have

Experience:

• Proven hands-on experience with ITSM platforms (Freshservice preferred), including administration, configuration, and implementation of new modules.

• Strong knowledge of ITIL processes and best practices.

• Experience in technical troubleshooting within a complex enterprise environment.

• Ability to work independently, as well as collaboratively across IT and business.

Technical Skills:

• Deep knowledge in Freshservice, with an understanding of workflow automation, reporting, and integrations.

• Experience with PowerShell scripting and API integrations.

• Knowledge of ITSM governance, reporting, and analytics.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a structured approach.

Soft Skills:

• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage stakeholders across multiple business units and of different levels of seniority.

• Ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions and vice versa.

• A proactive, problem-solving mindset, always looking for opportunities to improve.

The Reward

• 25 days Holiday plus National Bank Holidays

• Travel Offers for Bus and Rail *

• Shopping Discounts including discounts and cashback on electrical goods, your weekly shop, holidays, cinema trips, car insurance, upgrading your mobile and lots more

• Buy as You Earn – allows you to buy shares each month. You can vary the amount you save or stop it at any time. You need to participate in the scheme for at least 3 years to receive the matching shares *

• Save as You Earn – allows you to use your savings after three years, to buy shares at a discounted price, or take your savings back as cash *

• Employee Assistance Helpline – free, confidential employee support service provided by an independent provider

• Payroll Giving – donate directly from your pay to a Charity of your Choice

* After 6 months employment