IT Service Desk Manager

position Summary:

The IT Service Desk Manager is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the IT Service Desk, ensuring the delivery of high-quality technical support and customer service to end users. This role manages a team of service desk technicians, analysts and leads, sets performance standards, and drives continuous improvement in service delivery aligned with ITIL best practices.

The manager serves as the primary point of escalation for complex issues, coordinates with infrastructure, applications, and data teams, and ensures incidents, service requests, and problems are resolved within agreed service levels. They are responsible for ensuring proper development and maintenance of knowledge base resources, optimize workflows through automation and reporting, and monitor performance metrics to identify trends and opportunities for process improvement.

The IT Service Desk Manager also partners with both internal and external teams to understand evolving technology needs, translates them into service improvements, and fosters a customer-focused culture within the IT organization. This position requires strong leadership, technical expertise, and the ability to balance operational excellence with strategic planning.

Responsibilities:

Leadership and Management
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of service desk technicians, analysts, and leads.
• Manage staffing, scheduling, and performance evaluations
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and customer-centricity.
• Identify opportunities to automate routine tasks and workflows to improve team efficiency.

• ITSM and ITIL Process Ownership
  • Oversee incident, request, problem, and change management processes
  • Ensure adherence to ITIL standards and drive process improvements.
  • Develop and monitor SLAs, KPIs, and service metrics to ensure high performance and compliance.
  • Implement automation within ITSM tools to streamline ticket routing, escalation, and resolution

• Operational Excellence
  • Manage the day-to-day operations of the IT service desk.
  • Ensure timely resolution of technical issues and service requests.
  • Develop and maintain knowledge base articles and support documentation

• Customer experience
  • Serve as the escalation point for complex or high-impact issues
  • Champion user satisfaction through proactive communication and service quality.
  • Conduct regular service reviews and feedback sessions with stakeholders.
  • Use automated surveys and feedback tools to measure and improve customer satisfaction.

• Technology and Tools
  • Administer and optimize ITSM platform.
  • Collaborate with infrastructure and Application team to resolve systemic issues.
  • Drive automation efforts for
  • Support onboarding/offboarding processes and asset lifecycle management.

• Field Engagement:
  • Visit company locations to evaluate technology needs, provide support, and gather user feedback on IT services.
  • Own startup and shutdown process for remote job sites, ensuring timely deployment and decommissioning of IT services.
  • Coordinate the provisioning of network connectivity, hardware, and access to corporate resources to enable seamless operations for remote users.
  • Work closely with operations and infrastructure teams to ensure readiness and compliance with IT standards.

education & Certification:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business, Engineering, Finance, or a related field
• Relevant certifications, such as PMP or ITIL V4 Foundation are advantageous.
• Preferred Certifications:
  • ITIL v4 Intermediate or Managing Professional
  • Microsoft Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate
  • HDI Support Center Manager or similar service desk leadership certification

Education & Certification:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business, Engineering, Finance, or a related field
• Relevant certifications, such as PMP or ITIL V4 Foundation are advantageous.
• Preferred Certifications:
  • ITIL v4 Intermediate or Managing Professional
  • Microsoft Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate
  • HDI Support Center Manager or similar service desk leadership certification

Experience:

• 8-10 years of IT experience, including 3+ years in a leadership role.
• Experience managing IT support for 2,000+ end users across multiple locations or business units.
• Demonstrated experience implementing and managing ITIL-based processes (incident, problem, change, request fulfillment)
• Experience in training and coaching service desk staff, including performance management and career development.
• Proven success in developing and executing process improvement initiatives to enhance service delivery and operation efficiency.
• Hands-on experience with ITSM platforms such as Freshservice, ServiceNow, or Jira, as examples.
• Experience in developing and reporting on SLA’s, KPIs, and customer satisfaction metrics.
• In-depth experience with enterprise IT environments, including Active Directory, Microsoft 365, endpoint management, and remote support tools.
• Experience implementing automation in service desk operations, including scripting, workflow design, and tool integration.

Required Skills and Knowledge:

• Strong understanding of ITIL v4 principles and ITSM frameworks.
• Excellent technical troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency in Windows, iOS, network fundamentals, and common enterprise applications.
• Experience with scripting and automation tools ( e.g., ITSM tool workflows, PowerShell, Python).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Project management skills, including planning, execution, and stakeholder coordination.
• People management skills, including team development, coaching, and performance management.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work under pressure.