IT Help Desk ManagerLocation: Herndon, VA (100% Onsite)
Clearance: Active Secret or higher
Status: Exempt
About This RoleThe IT Help Desk Manager is responsible for leading and supporting a team of 10-15 Tier 1 help desk agents in a fast-paced service delivery environment. This position ensures high-quality customer service, timely incident resolution, and continuous improvement of help desk operations. The Manager oversees daily queue management, agent performance, training, and alignment with IT service management (ITSM) standards.
ResponsibilitiesTeam Leadership & Supervision
- Manage, mentor, and develop a team of 10-15 Tier 1 agents, promoting a positive and productive work environment.
- Schedule staff to ensure appropriate coverage across operating hours.
- Conduct regular one-on-ones, team meetings, and performance evaluations.
- Provide coaching, remedial training, and escalation support as needed.
Operational Management
- Oversee Tier 1 ticket queues to ensure SLAs and KPIs are consistently met or exceeded.
- Monitor ticket volume, trends, and service quality to identify operational improvements.
- Ensure proper documentation, categorization, and prioritization of all incidents and requests.
- Coordinate escalations to Tier 2/3 teams following established workflows.
Customer Service & Quality Assurance
- Maintain a customer-first culture across the help desk.
- Handle complex or escalated customer issues with professionalism and urgency.
- Review ticket quality and customer satisfaction results, implementing process improvements where needed.
Training & Development
- Onboard new team members and provide ongoing training in tools, processes, and customer service best practices.
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge base articles, scripts, and troubleshooting guides.
- Identify skill gaps and develop targeted training plans.
Reporting & Continuous Improvement
- Generate regular performance reports on KPIs (first-call resolution, SLA compliance, CSAT scores, etc.).
- Participate in ITSM process improvement initiatives and cross-team coordination efforts.
- Recommend changes to improve service delivery, workflows, and technical proficiency across the team.
Required Qualifications - 5-10 years of experience in an IT support environment, with at least 1-2 years in a supervisory or lead role.
- Strong understanding of Tier 1 support operations, troubleshooting techniques, and IT service workflows.
- Experience with ITSM ticketing systems (e.g., ServiceNow, Cherwell, Jira Service Management, Remedy).
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, and conflict-management skills.
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to analyze metrics and drive performance improvements.
- Working knowledge of Windows operating systems, Office 365, basic networking, and common enterprise applications.
- Active Secret clearance or higher.
- HDI Certification (e.g., Support Center Manager or Desktop Support Manager)
Preferred Qualifications - ITIL Foundation certification.
- MCP, MCSA or MCSE certifications.
- Experience supporting enterprise or government environments.
- Knowledge of SLA management and service desk best practices.
- Experience leading teams of 10+ employees in a high-volume support environment.
