Service Desk Manager

Service Desk Manager

Derbyshire Hybrid - 3 days onsite

We're recruiting exclusively for a Service Desk Manager to join a large, established technology function supporting approximately 4,000 users across 370 sites globally.

You will lead a team of seven across the Service Desk, taking ownership of day-to-day service performance while helping shape how the function develops as the business continues to grow.

This is more than a role focused on ticket queues and SLAs. The business has expanded quickly, creating a genuine opportunity for someone to come in, review existing ways of working and help define best practice, processes and service standards across the function.

The role

You'll lead a mixed-capability team, creating a high performing, customer focused environment while developing the technical capability of the team.

You'll oversee Service Desk operations, ensuring incidents and requests are appropriately prioritised and resolved in line with agreed SLAs, while using service performance data, user feedback and first-time-fix rates to identify opportunities for improvement.

You'll also play an important role during high priority incidents, coordinating Service Desk activity, managing escalations and ensuring clear communication between technical teams, senior stakeholders and affected users.

Key areas of responsibility will include:

• Leading, coaching and developing the Service Desk team
• Managing SLAs, KPIs, ticket performance and operational metrics
• Driving continual service improvement across the function
• Reviewing and improving processes, documentation and knowledge management
• Analysing recurring incidents and supporting root-cause and post-incident reviews
• Managing escalations and supporting Major Incident activity
• Working closely with resolver teams, suppliers and stakeholders across the wider business
• Improving the user experience and promoting a strong customer-service culture
• Supporting the development and adoption of incident playbooks and escalation processes
• Working alongside Change and Problem Management to reduce recurring issues
• Producing clear reporting around service performance, incident trends and operational performance

The role will also have exposure to Halo ITSM, with regular engagement across stakeholders who use the platform.

The wider environment is predominantly Microsoft-based, so a good understanding of technologies such as Windows, Microsoft 365, networking and cloud services will be important, although this is fundamentally a leadership and service-management position rather than a hands-on engineering role.

What we're looking for

We're looking for someone who has already led a Service Desk or IT Support function and can combine strong people leadership with operational discipline and a genuine focus on improving service.

You'll ideally bring:

• Previous experience managing a Service Desk / IT Support team
• Strong coaching, mentoring and people-development experience
• Experience managing SLAs, KPIs and service performance
• Strong incident and escalation-management capability
• Experience supporting high-priority or major incidents
• A good understanding of Microsoft-based infrastructure and support environments
• Strong stakeholder-management skills
• Experience working across technical teams, suppliers and senior stakeholders
• A customer-focused approach to IT support
• Experience improving processes and driving continual service improvement
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• ITIL certification is desirable rather than essential.

At Gleeson Recruitment Group, we embrace inclusivity and welcome applicants of all backgrounds, experiences, and abilities. We are proud to be a disability confident employer.

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