Service Desk Manager

We're working with a well-established and growing provider of managed IT and technology solutions, supporting a broad client base across sectors. As the business continues to expand its managed services offering, they're looking for an experienced Service Desk Manager to take ownership of the day-to-day running of the service desk function and drive continuous improvement in service delivery.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who enjoys building high-performing teams, owning SLAs and KPIs, and being the escalation point when things get tricky. This role is about service desk leadership, technical credibility and client-facing accountability, regardless of which technology stack that experience was built on.

The Role

• Take full ownership of the service desk team, managing day-to-day workload, rotas, and performance across 1st and 2nd line support.
• Act as the primary escalation point for major incidents and complex technical issues, ensuring swift resolution and clear communication with clients throughout.
• Own and report on SLAs, KPIs and ticket queue health, identifying trends and implementing process improvements to drive efficiency.
• Lead, coach and develop service desk engineers, supporting their technical growth and career progression.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships, attending client sites regularly to review service performance and identify opportunities to add value.
• Work closely with other internal teams – including projects, networking, security and telephony – to ensure a joined-up approach to service delivery.
• Contribute to the development and documentation of service desk processes, procedures and ways of working as the business scales.
• Support recruitment, onboarding and training of new service desk team members.

About You

• Proven experience managing or leading a service desk team within an MSP or IT services provider.
• Strong technical grounding across core IT infrastructure – Microsoft 365, networking, cloud services and end-user support, with 3rd line experience essential.
• Confident owning SLAs, KPIs and reporting, with a track record of driving measurable improvements in service quality.
• A natural leader who can motivate a team, manage performance, and lead by example under pressure.
• Comfortable being client-facing, with the credibility and communication skills to manage relationships at all levels.
• ITIL knowledge or certification is desirable but not essential.
• A full UK driving licence, as regular travel to client sites will be required.