IT Service Desk Manager

SUMMARY The IT Service Desk Manager is responsible for leading a geographically distributed service desk team— spanning Chicago, New York, and offshore team members — and ensuring the firm’s end users receive exceptional technical support across hardware, enterprise software, and an increasingly AI-powered technology stack. This is a hands‑on, player‑coach role requiring both strong technical depth and the ability to manage, coach, and develop a high‑performing team. The ideal candidate will bring a white‑glove service mindset, a broad and current knowledge of enterprise technologies, and the flexibility to operate effectively across a wide range of situations — from complex infrastructure escalations to providing discreet, high‑priority support for senior leadership and other VIP stakeholders. The IT Service Desk Manager will drive service quality, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement, and will serve as a key partner to other IT disciplines in the delivery of end user technology and automation initiatives. This role reports to the Executive Director, IT Infrastructure & Support and as an onsite/hybrid employee, you are expected to be in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday. RESPONSIBILITIES Lead, manage, and develop a geographically distributed service desk team across Chicago, New York, and offshore team members, ensuring consistent service quality and team cohesion across all locations. Serve as the primary escalation point for complex technical issues, providing hands‑on Tier 2/3 support and coaching team members through resolution of challenging problems. Deliver white‑glove, high‑touch IT support for executive leadership and other VIP stakeholders, maintaining discretion, urgency, and professionalism at all times. Monitor and manage the service desk queue to ensure issues and requests are appropriately triaged, prioritized, and resolved within established SLAs. Provide regular reporting and metrics on service desk performance, including ticket volume, resolution times, customer satisfaction, and SLA adherence; present findings and recommendations to IT leadership. Establish and maintain training plans for service desk team members, ensuring knowledge stays current across a rapidly evolving technology landscape including AI tools, cloud platforms, and endpoint technologies. Hire, onboard, and continuously develop service desk staff and third‑party partners, including offshore and after‑hours support resources. Maintain and expand the firm’s self‑service knowledgebase for end users and internal knowledgebase for service desk staff, ensuring documentation is accurate, current, and actionable. Define, document, and continuously improve service desk processes; identify and implement automation and self‑service solutions to improve efficiency and the end user experience. Support the rollout, adoption, and ongoing support of AI productivity tools (e.g., Fireflies AI, Claude, ChatGPT), coordinating training, troubleshooting, and user enablement across the firm. Assist in evaluating, selecting, and sourcing end user equipment and enterprise software, including participation in asset lifecycle management and technology refresh planning. Proactively identify the need for hardware and software upgrades, configuration changes, or new systems and escalate or act accordingly. Drive or contribute to projects related to service desk operations and end user technology, collaborating cross‑functionally with Infrastructure, Security, and business stakeholders. Provide direct end user support for hardware and enterprise software as needed, maintaining hands‑on technical fluency. EDUCATION, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS College coursework in pursuit of a B.A./B.S. degree with a concentration in Business, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field preferred. Microsoft 365 suite administration (Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive). Microsoft Intune / Endpoint Manager for device management and policy enforcement. Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) and Active Directory. Configuration/Infrastructure‑As‑Code experience (Simeon Cloud or similar software). Windows 11 and Server operating systems. Familiarity and working knowledge of Azure and AWS cloud environments. Virtualization platforms (VMware or equivalent). Networking fundamentals (DNS, DHCP, VPN, firewall concepts). Security tooling and endpoint protection platforms. Zscaler or equivalent cloud security platforms. Video conferencing platforms and AV systems (Zoom, Microsoft Teams). Jira Service Management and the broader Atlassian toolset (Jira, Confluence) for ITSM and knowledge management. Scripting for automation and task management (PowerShell strongly preferred; Python a plus). Dell and Apple laptop hardware and peripherals. Familiarity with AI productivity and collaboration tools such as Claude AI, ChatGPT, Glean, Fireflies AI, and Gemini. Ability and desire to experiment and build tools/agents using AI platforms to automate service desk operations which improve efficiency. An ability to support end user adoption of AI tools, including troubleshooting, training facilitation, and documentation. A genuine interest in AI capabilities and a willingness to develop expertise as the firm’s AI tool portfolio evolves. Exceptional flexibility and adaptability; able to shift priorities quickly in response to business needs. Superior customer service mindset with a white‑glove approach to end user support, especially for senior stakeholders. Strong problem‑solving skills with creative, process‑improvement orientation. Excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to translate technical concepts clearly for non‑technical audiences. Highly organized, self‑directed, and capable of managing multiple competing priorities without loss of quality. Demonstrated team player with the ability to build and sustain positive relationships across the technology team and the firm. High degree of professional discretion; comfortable handling sensitive or confidential matters with appropriate care. MacOS and Apple iOS device support is a plus. ITIL certification or demonstrated familiarity with ITIL/ITSM principles is a plus. Microsoft Certifications is a plus. The successful candidate will be self‑motivated and energized by working among a group of thoughtful, driven, and collaborative colleagues. They will thrive in an organization that holds itself to a high standard and values both individual initiative and team cohesion. They will bring a proactive mindset, exercise sound judgment, and approach their work with integrity and a genuine commitment to excellence. AT A GLANCE – GCM’s Information Technology Organization A forward‑leaning technology team embedded within a leading global alternative asset management firm. Cloud‑first infrastructure with virtually all firm systems hosted on Microsoft Azure and AWS. Actively investing in AI tooling and automation across the firm, including AI transcription, AI‑assisted productivity, and intelligent workflow solutions. Modern engineering practices including infrastructure‑as‑code, continuous integration, and cross‑functional team ownership. A strong team culture that values adaptability, candid feedback, and continuous learning. Teams are empowered by management to take ownership of their domains and deliver meaningful outcomes for the business. #J-18808-Ljbffr