Service Desk Manager

Business Background: LRQA stands for dedication to clients, market firsts, and deep expertise in risk management. We have grown to become a leading global assurance provider, bringing together outstanding expertise in certification, customised assurance, cybersecurity, inspection, and training. While we’re proud of our heritage, it’s who we are today that really matters, because that is what shapes who we and our clients can become tomorrow. By staying true to our shared values and combining decades of collective experience, we support our clients in building a safer and more sustainable future.

Role purpose: Lead the global Service Desk function, ensuring the delivery of high-quality IT support services to LRQA employees worldwide. Manage and develop a team of Service Desk Team Leads and Service Desk Analysts to achieve operational excellence. Act as a key escalation point for critical IT issues and incidents, ensuring prompt resolution and minimal business disruption. Continuously improve processes, tools, and service levels to align with industry best practices and organizational goals. Foster a culture of service excellence, collaboration, and continuous learning within the team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Team Leadership and Management: Oversee the daily operations of the global Service Desk, ensuring consistent delivery of support services. Line manage 3 Service Desk Team Leads and 6 Service Desk Analysts supporting their development. Conduct regular performance reviews, set clear objectives, and provide mentoring and development opportunities for the team.
• Service Delivery and Continuous Improvement: Monitor and analyse key KPIs and SLAs to ensure targets are met or exceeded. Identify areas for improvement in processes and tools and lead initiatives to enhance efficiency and user satisfaction. Implement and maintain ITIL best practices for the delivery of Service Desk function.
• Incident Management and Escalation: Act as an escalation point for major incidents, ensuring timely resolution and effective communication with stakeholders. Collaborate with the ITSM team to support business users with incident and service requests. Collaborate with other IT functions to identify root causes and prevent recurrence of critical issues. Provide OOH Major Incident Management on a rota basis.
• Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement: Build strong relationships with key stakeholders across LRQA to ensure the Service Desk aligns with business needs. Partner with other IT teams to provide seamless support and drive alignment on cross-functional initiatives.
• Reporting and Communication: Provide regular reporting on service desk performance, highlighting trends and recommending actionable improvements. Contribute to monthly service reports and present updates in monthly service review meetings. Communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Technology and Tools Management: Manage the Service Desk’s tools and platforms, such as ticketing systems and knowledge bases, to optimise support and self-service capabilities. Evaluate and recommend new technologies to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Service Desk.

Technical/Professional Qualifications/Requirements:

• Education and Experience: At least 5 years' experience in a similar role managing a global or regional Service Desk function. Strong leadership experience, including managing teams with multiple reporting lines. Background in IT service delivery within a medium to large enterprise environment.
• Technical Expertise: In-depth knowledge of ITIL frameworks, with a preference for ITIL 4. Familiarity with Halo ITSM, or other enterprise-grade ITSM tools. Understanding of IT infrastructure and technologies, including Windows, Active Directory, networking, and cloud-based solutions.
• Skills and Competencies: Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, able to engage effectively with stakeholders at all levels. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a focus on root cause analysis and preventive measures. Ability to manage competing priorities and work effectively under pressure. Commitment to fostering a customer-centric culture within the Service Desk team.
• Desirable: Experience in managing global teams and working across multiple time zones. Knowledge of agile and DevOps methodologies and their application to IT operations. Relevant certifications, such as Microsoft, Cisco, or cloud platforms (Azure, AWS).

Key Health & Safety Responsibilities: Assess the risks and work in a safe manner at all times, robustly implementing health and safety rules, instructions and systems and refusing to undertake work that compromises your safety or health. Report in a timely manner all incidents including near misses and safety observations (NMSO), accidents and injuries and raise any health and safety concerns with your line manager.

Behavioural Competencies (BCs):

• Takes responsibility for delivering customer needs. Listens and asks questions to gain an understanding of customer needs and expectations. Ensures that colleagues are aware of customer needs and understand how their role impacts the customer. Anticipates customer needs, actively seeking feedback to improve satisfaction.
• A key player in building and maintaining a positive team culture. Sets a personal example through actively creating a positive, inclusive and safe working environment. Recognises and capitalises on team diversity to achieve the best possible results.
• Demonstrates a range of influencing techniques for positive impact. Communicates functional/team vision, plans and decisions in a way that engages team members, gaining buy-in and support.
• Takes a commercial view when making decisions and taking action. Demonstrates an understanding of how key decisions and strategies affect the top and bottom line.
• Solves complex problems. Uses a range of tools and techniques to break down complex issues and evaluate potential solutions.
• Plans and prioritises workload to ensure goals/targets are achieved. Is well-organised, using structured plans, prioritising and managing time effectively to meet deadlines and targets.