Manager, IT Service Desk

About the role

The Service Desk Manager is responsible for leading the daily operations, technical direction, and continuous improvement of the Service Desk. This role combines strong people leadership with deep technical expertise, ensuring the team not only resolves incidents efficiently but also identifies and eliminates root causes through structured ITSM Incident and Problem Management practices. The manager is accountable for driving service quality through data-driven insights, leading problem investigations, and implementing long-term solutions that reduce incident volume and improve end-user experience.

This includes ownership of incident, request, and problem management processes, leveraging ServiceNow and other enterprise tools to automate workflows and self-service support, enhance visibility, provide seamless support experiences for business users across a variety of channels, and enforce process consistency. A key focus of this role is developing a highly skilled technical team capable of advanced troubleshooting across systems including endpoint devices, identity platforms, collaboration tools, and network services.

The Service Desk Manager provides hands-on technical guidance, leads major incident response, and ensures alignment with enterprise IT standards, security policies, and operational best practices. This role plays a critical part in advancing ITSM maturity by introducing automation, AI-driven insights, proactive monitoring, and trend analysis to shift the Service Desk from reactive support to proactive service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Leverage ServiceNow to implement and optimize incident, request, and problem workflows, including automation and AI-assisted triage.
• Ensure all service desk processes are documented and kept up to date.
• Identify and track training needs for service desk team members, including readiness for support of new IT service offerings.
• Manage daily scheduling to ensure coverage for standard hours, games, and events.
• Track and respond to Customer Satisfaction results for IT support surveys.
• Drive adoption of shift-left practices, ensuring knowledge and fixes are pushed into frontline and self-service/automated support channels.
• Analyze incident trends and recurring issues to proactively identify problems and drive incident reduction initiatives.
• Own and facilitate major incident management, ensuring timely escalation, communication, and post-incident reviews.
• Lead implementations of Problem Management practices, including root cause analysis (RCA), known error documentation, and implementation of permanent fixes.
• Partner with engineering and infrastructure teams to drive permanent resolution of systemic issues.
• Build and maintain a Known Error Database (KEDB) to improve first-call resolution and reduce escalation rates.

Requirements

• 5+ years of Service Desk or IT support experience, with at least 2–3 years in a leadership role.
• Proven experience implementing or maturing ITSM processes, particularly Problem Management.
• Experience working in enterprise-scale environments with complex systems and integrations.
• Strong understanding of ITIL practices with emphasis on Incident, Problem, and Request Management.
• Strong technical expertise in enterprise environments, including endpoint management, identity and access management, collaboration platforms (Microsoft 365), and networking fundamentals.
• Hands-on experience with ITSM platforms (ServiceNow preferred), including workflow automation and reporting.
• Experience analyzing support data and metrics to drive operational improvements and reduce incident volume.
• Ability to lead technical investigations and guide teams through complex troubleshooting scenarios.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience leading Problem Management and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) initiatives.

Skills

• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Highly developed verbal and written communication skills with the ability to influence at leadership levels.
• Demonstrable proficiency in ServiceNow ITSM practices.
• Highly organized, attention to details, and strong follow-through.
• Positive and energetic attitude.

Core Competencies

• Accountability
• Adaptability
• Communication
• Critical Thinking
• Inclusion
• Professionalism
• Teamwork & Collaboration

Benefits

• Time to Recharge: Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) including paid holidays, vacation, personal and sick days, plus an extra day off for your birthday.
• Health Benefits: Comprehensive health benefits (medical, dental, vision) effective on the first day, with the NHL subsidizing a large portion of costs. Access to Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for mental, physical, and financial health, plus a digital wellness resource.
• Childcare Leave: Up to 12 weeks of paid leave for primary caregivers and up to 6 weeks for non-primary caregivers following the birth, adoption, or placement of a child.
• Retirement: 401K plan with pre-tax and Roth options, plus non-elective (employer) contributions.
• Hybrid Work Schedule: Flexibility in work locations/schedules for work/life balance.
• New Headquarters: State-of-the-art offices at One Manhattan West in Hudson Yards, featuring high-tech conference rooms, game rooms, and access to shops and culinary experiences.
• Commuter Benefits: Pre-tax commuter benefit plan to offset travel costs.
• NHL Partner Rates: Exclusive pricing from partners, including savings on travel, consumer goods, and the NHL Store.
• Life at the NHL: Opportunities to participate in team-building activities such as Tuesday Night Skate at Chelsea Piers, Employee Resource Groups, and more.

Pay

Salary range: $140,000–$160,000. Actual base pay will be determined based on experience, training, market demands, and geographic location.