Manager, Service Desk - Hybrid, London (Ontario)

Info-Tech Research Group delivers impartial, highly pertinent IT research, enabling CIOs and IT leaders to make well-informed, strategic decisions. We are currently serving over 30,000 professionals and collaborate closely with IT teams, equipping them with actionable tools and expert guidance to drive measurable results and enhance technology initiatives and organizational processes.

Why join us?

• We pride ourselves on consistent year-on-year growth, with double-digit growth even during a global pandemic.
• We are in the Top 3 on LinkedIn's Top Companies List in Canada.
• Info-Tech fosters a growth-focused, entrepreneurial culture with unlimited opportunities for professional growth and development.
• We provide financial support for professional development and training.

The Role

The Service Desk Manager works collaboratively alongside another Service Desk Manager and reports to the Enterprise Service Manager. Together, they lead a global, hybrid service desk team, partnering closely with other IT teams to deliver a customer-focused approach to IT support in a rapidly growing organization. This role is responsible for continuously improving service desk processes, leveraging AI and automation, and ensuring that all initiatives are aligned with organizational goals and user needs.

The Service Desk Managers jointly champion best practices, drive innovation, and foster a culture of teamwork and excellence across the IT organization. The Service Desk Manager will provide occasional support to end users.

Responsibilities

1. Strategy, Planning & Leadership

• Champion a culture of continuous improvement by regularly reviewing processes, soliciting feedback, and making recommendations.
• Develop and implement global Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that reflect the needs of a distributed, international workforce.
• Lead, coach, and mentor a hybrid team, fostering professional growth, technical skill development, and a culture of continual improvement.
• Promote a user-centric approach, prioritizing urgent and business-critical requests, and continuously gathering feedback to improve service quality.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration with IT, business units, and external vendors to align support efforts with organizational objectives.

2. AI & Automation Enablement

• Encourage innovation and experimentation with new technologies and service approaches to improve user experience and operational efficiency.
• Deploy and manage AI-powered chatbots, virtual agents, and self-service portals to provide 24/7 support and resolve common issues independently
• Leverage predictive analytics and machine learning to anticipate incidents, proactively address recurring issues, and reduce ticket volume.
• Integrate workflow automation and robotic process automation (RPA) to optimize service desk operations and enhance scalability.

3. Operational Excellence

• Monitor and analyze service desk performance using real-time data and AI-driven insights; generate reports to inform continuous improvement and reduce recurring issues.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of a robust knowledge base, using AI to surface relevant articles and identify documentation gaps.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards, data privacy, and security requirements across all service desk operations.
• Contribute to the service desk budget, resource allocation, and vendor relationships to ensure cost-effective and efficient operations.
• Manage the processing of incoming calls to the Service Desk through multiple channels to ensure courteous, timely and effective resolution of end user issues.
• Monitor current and future training needs for self and team members and make recommendations to maximize training budgets.
• Attend virtual training, conferences, trade shows to broaden knowledge of current and future Service Desk issues and technologies.
• Team performance management

4. Training & Change Management

• Design and deliver digital onboarding and continuous training programs for staff, focusing on AI, automation, and global support best practices.
• Communicate early and often about technological changes, fostering trust and transparency around AI adoption and its impact on roles.
• Establish feedback channels and involve stakeholders in solution design to improve usability and reduce resistance to change.
• Identify, recommend, develop and implement end user training programs to increase computer literacy and self-sufficiency.
• Lead, coach, and mentor Service Desk staff to foster professional growth, technical skill development, and a culture of continual improvement.
• Work with project teams to cross-train service team as new solutions are rolled out

5. Service Management Contributions

• Monitor trends and contribute to proactive resolution processes.
• Attend Change Advisor Board (CAB) meetings.
• Manage and contribute to Software Asset and Hardware Asset inventory and lifecycle management.
• Manage approvals, purchasing and deployment tasks

Position Requirements

1. Formal Education & Certification

• College diploma or university degree in the field of computer science and/or 5 years equivalent work experience.
• Working knowledge or certification in ITIL frameworks

2. Knowledge & Experience

• Proven experience managing a technical support/service desk team in a hybrid or global environment.
• Demonstrated expertise in deploying and managing AI, automation, and ITSM platforms.
• Strong leadership, communication, and relationship management skills.
• Ability to analyze data, identify trends, and drive continuous improvement.
• Working knowledge of a range of diagnostic utilities.
• Proven track record of developing and providing SLAs and Service Desk deliverables.
• Demonstrated progressive experience in the management of a technical support team.

3. Personal Attributes

• Strong relationship and performance management skills; able to motivate and lead teams.
• Customer-focused with solid analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Effective communicator with strong written, verbal, and interpersonal skills.
• Able to prioritize and perform under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• Self-motivated, detail-oriented, and able to present ideas clearly to both business and technical audiences.

Language Skills: Bilingual proficiency in French, Spanish or German is preferred to support our diverse client base across North America and globally.

Info-Tech Research Group of companies is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion and does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected status or characteristic including Minority/Female/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Disability/Veteran and are pleased to consider all qualified applicants. To that end, upon request, ITRG will ensure, to the extent possible, that accommodation be made available to applicants throughout the recruitment and hiring process.

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