Sr. Director, Service Management

The Senior Director, Service Management is responsible for defining, implementing, and continuously improving ICANN’s enterprise-wide Service Management strategy and operating model. This role establishes and governs the frameworks, processes, tools, and organizational capabilities required to deliver reliable, scalable, secure, and customer-centric technology services across the enterprise.

The Senior Director is accountable for the Engineering & IT Service Catalog, service governance, service performance management, and global support operations. This leader will modernize service delivery through automation, AI-enabled capabilities, workforce optimization, and data-driven operational practices while ensuring services are aligned with business priorities and organizational objectives.

Working closely with Product Management, Infrastructure, Security, Enterprise Architecture, and business stakeholders, the Senior Director will establish a globally integrated service model that improves service quality, operational efficiency, user satisfaction, and measurable business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

Service Strategy and Governance

Define and lead the enterprise Service Management strategy, operating model, and governance framework.

Establish and maintain the Engineering & IT Service Catalog, including service definitions, ownership models, service tiers, support models, and service-level objectives.

Develop and enforce service management policies, standards, and operational governance practices.

Establish clear accountability for service ownership, service performance, and service lifecycle management across E&IT.

Lead service portfolio reviews to ensure services remain aligned with organizational needs, technology strategy, and operational objectives.

Service Management Operations

Standardize and continuously improve IT Service Management processes, including:

• Change Enablement
• Knowledge Management
• Service Configuration Management

Establish operational readiness and service acceptance practices to ensure new products and platforms transition effectively into support.

Drive continual service improvement initiatives through process optimization, automation, and performance measurement.

Global Support Services

Build and lead a globally integrated support organization capable of delivering consistent, high-quality support across all ICANN locations.

Establish follow-the-sun support capabilities and operational models that improve responsiveness and service availability.

Define support structures, escalation models, workforce planning approaches, and operational procedures.

Ensure support services deliver exceptional employee experiences while meeting defined service commitments.

Service Management Platforms and Automation

Lead the selection, implementation, optimization, and governance of Service Management platforms and related technologies.

Drive adoption of AI-enabled service management capabilities, including virtual agents, intelligent routing, automated remediation, predictive analytics, and self-service solutions.

Establish knowledge-centered service practices that improve issue resolution and reduce support effort.

Establish and govern AI-enabled service operations capabilities including virtual agents, intelligent routing, predictive support, automated remediation, and knowledge management solutions.

Identify opportunities to leverage AI and intelligent automation to improve service quality, operational efficiency, and workforce productivity.

Implement workflow automation and orchestration capabilities that increase operational efficiency and service consistency.

Service Performance and Analytics

Define and monitor key service performance indicators, service-level objectives, operational metrics, and customer experience measures.

Develop executive dashboards and reporting frameworks that provide visibility into service health, performance trends, operational risks, and business outcomes.

Leverage analytics and user feedback to identify opportunities for service improvement and operational excellence.

Establish a culture of data-driven decision-making across service operations.

Workforce Management and Operational Excellence

Implement workforce management capabilities to optimize staffing, scheduling, capacity planning, and resource utilization across support organizations.

Ensure service delivery models scale effectively to support organizational growth and evolving business requirements.

Drive operational maturity through process discipline, performance management, and continuous improvement practices.

Risk, Security, and Compliance

Partner with Security, Compliance, Privacy, and Infrastructure teams to ensure services are designed and operated in alignment with organizational standards and regulatory requirements.

Ensure service management practices support compliance with ISO 2701, NIST, and other applicable frameworks.

Establish operational controls and governance mechanisms that improve service resilience and reduce operational risk.

Leadership and Talent Development

Lead, mentor, and develop service management, support, and operational leaders.

Foster a culture of customer-centricity, accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Build organizational capabilities that support the long-term evolution of Service Management within ICANN.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Deep expertise in IT Service Management principles, frameworks, and governance, including extensive experience with ITIL-based practices.

Proven success establishing enterprise service management organizations, service catalogs, and service governance frameworks.

Experience implementing AI-enabled service management capabilities and intelligent automation solutions within operational environments.

Demonstrated experience leading large-scale global support and service operations organizations.

Strong understanding of service lifecycle management, service design, service transition, and operational readiness practices.

Experience implementing and optimizing enterprise Service Management platforms such as ServiceNow or equivalent solutions.

Strong understanding of AI-enabled service operations, including intelligent automation, virtual agents, predictive analytics, and self-service technologies.

Experience implementing workforce management, capacity planning, and operational optimization programs.

Expertise in service analytics, operational reporting, performance management, and continuous improvement methodologies.

Strong leadership and organizational transformation capabilities.

Excellent stakeholder management and executive communication skills.

Ability to influence and collaborate effectively across engineering, product, security, infrastructure, and business functions.

Education and Experience Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.

Minimum fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible experience in IT leadership, Service Management, operations, or related disciplines.

Minimumeight (8) years of people leadership experience managing managers and professional teams.

Demonstrated experience leading enterprise Service Management transformations and large-scale operational organizations.

MBA or other advanced degree preferred.

Preferred Certifications

ITIL 4 Managing Professional, Strategic Leader, or equivalent.

Certified ServiceNow Administrator or related ServiceNow certifications.

COBIT Foundation or higher.

HDI Support Center Manager or equivalent.

PMP certification.

Language

Fluency, both written and spoken, in English is required.

ICANN is a global organization that values diversity; preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated skills in additional languages besides English.

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements

Work is performed in a normal office environment with limited privacy and some exposure to background noise.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand and walk. The employee regularly is required to sit. The employee is frequently required to talk or hear; use hands and arms to reach, handle or feel. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.

The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

ICANN is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on age, race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, veteran status, physical or mental disability, sex, (including pregnancy, gender identity and sexual orientation), childbirth or related medical conditions, family care status, genetic information or any other protected characteristics protected by local, state or federal law.

ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of unique identifiers, including domain names (like .com, .uk, .jobs, etc.), as well as the addresses used in a variety of internet protocols. A nonprofit public benefit corporation, ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of unique identifiers. These include domain names as well as the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols.

Effective: 2018

Targeted Base Salary Low:

Targeted Base Salary High:

Note: The salary range provided here is a general estimation for the position at the time of posting based on the primary location. Salary ranges vary based upon geographic regions and countries. Final compensation packages take into consideration of a variety of factors including but not limited to a candidate’s location, work experience, knowledge, skills and other compensable factors.