Help Desk Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Our client is a fast-growing Managed Service Provider based in New Jersey, delivering modern IT support to an expanding base of business clients. They’ve built their entire operation to be cloud-native and Microsoft-first, and they lean heavily on automation and AI to support clients at a level most traditional MSPs can’t match. The business has grown significantly over the past year and shows no sign of slowing down.

Because the environment is fully cloud-based, this is a genuinely modern support organisation: no legacy server rooms, no break-fix grind. It’s a close-knit team with very low turnover and a culture that rewards people who think for themselves and want to keep growing.

About the role

As Help Desk Manager, you own the overall performance and success of the service desk. Reporting to the CIO/CTO, you lead the Pod Leads and support teams, set the standard for service delivery, and build a support organisation that scales as the business grows.

This is a leadership role first, with limited hands-on ticket work. Your focus is developing people, sharpening processes, driving accountability, and keeping clients consistently well served. You’ll keep enough technical depth to guide the team through complex incidents, but your impact comes from how well you build and run the organisation around you.

The salary range for the role is $105,00 - $145,000. 

What you’ll do

Team leadership & development

• Lead, coach, and develop Pod Leads and support personnel.
• Run regular one-on-ones and performance reviews, and set clear expectations and accountability standards.
• Support career development, succession planning, and building future leadership capability.
• Take part in interviewing and hiring, and oversee onboarding and training.
• Identify skill gaps and development opportunities.
• Foster a positive, high-performance culture.

Technical oversight & escalation leadership

• Guide and support Pod Leads through high-impact technical incidents and client escalations.
• Act as a secondary escalation resource for critical client issues affecting service delivery.
• Maintain enough technical depth to evaluate troubleshooting approaches, spot operational risks, and support decisions during complex incidents.
• Partner with technical leadership to improve support standards, escalation paths, and service delivery processes.
• Review recurring technical issues and drive long-term corrective action.
• Make sure technical teams stay current on supported technologies and best practice.

Operational management

• Oversee daily service desk operations.
• Monitor service metrics, ticket volume, response times, and workload distribution.
• Ensure service level agreements (SLAs) are consistently met.
• Manage staffing levels and resource allocation.
• Identify operational risks and put corrective actions in place.

Service excellence & client relationships

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Establish and maintain support standards and best practice.
• Review escalated client concerns and service failures, and step into client escalations when needed.
• Support key client relationships and monitor customer satisfaction trends.
• Ensure service commitments are consistently delivered and the client experience stays positive.

Strategic planning

• Develop departmental goals and performance objectives.
• Partner with leadership to support company growth initiatives.
• Evaluate technology, tools, and process improvements.
• Assist with budgeting, workforce planning, and organisational development.

What we’re looking for

• 7+ years of IT support experience.
• 3+ years of leadership experience.
• A track record of leading technical teams.
• Strong understanding of service desk operations and performance metrics.
• Excellent communication, coaching, and leadership skills.
• MSP or managed-services experience (strongly preferred).

Required technical knowledge

• Strong understanding of Microsoft 365 ecosystems.
• Familiarity with Azure / Entra ID and endpoint management platforms.
• Working knowledge of networking principles (DNS, DHCP, VPN, TCP/IP, routing, and switching).
• Understanding of cybersecurity fundamentals and MSP service delivery practice.
• Experience managing technical support operations in an MSP or managed-services environment.

Bonus points

• Experience leading multiple teams or service delivery functions.
• ITIL knowledge.
• Project management experience.
• Technical certifications and leadership development training.

How we’ll measure success

• People — employee engagement, team retention, internal promotions, and performance improvement.
• Operational — SLA attainment, ticket backlog management, escalation trends, and service quality.
• Client — customer satisfaction, client retention, escalation resolution, and service consistency.
• Business — department efficiency, resource utilisation, growth readiness, and operational scalability.

Our hiring process

We’ve designed our process to get you from application to offer in 2–3 weeks — no lengthy waiting periods, no unnecessary stages.

• Step 1 — AI Interview (within 48 hours of applying). Complete a short AI-powered interview at a time that suits you. No scheduling required — you choose when you do it, and it can be completed within 48 hours of applying.
• Step 2 — Recruiter Call. A member of the Zero Hiring team will reach out to walk you through the role and the business in more detail, answer your questions, and make sure this is the right fit on both sides.
• Step 3 — Client Interviews. You’ll meet the team. Typically 2–3 interviews with the hiring organisation, designed to give both parties a thorough and genuine sense of fit.
• Step 4 — Offer. If it’s a match, we move fast. Expect a clear, timely offer without the drawn-out back-and-forth.