Kearney IT Service Desk Lead

We are seeking a hands-on and service-oriented IT Service Desk Lead to lead our IT service desk while providing deep technical expertise across Kearney’s secure Microsoft government cloud environment. This corporate role is designed for an experienced IT professional who combines people leadership with strong Microsoft systems administration capabilities and is equally comfortable leading a team and personally resolving complex technical issues.

Reporting to the IT Manager, this role will have direct reports and will play an important role in strengthening our internal IT capabilities, improving service delivery, and supporting our federal contracting environment. The position is based in Arlington, VA and requires five days per week in the office.

Have 7+ years of relevant IT experience, including at least 2 years of experience leading people or a service desk function, with demonstrated hands‑on systems administration experience.

Have deep, hands‑on experience administering Microsoft 365 GCC-H, including Microsoft 365 Admin Portal, Intune, Entra , Defender, Teams, SharePoint, Exchange, and Microsoft Azure. Have direct experience operating and supporting secure government cloud environments subject to DoD Impact Level 4/5 (IL4/IL5) requirements.

Have direct, practical experience working within environments subject to NIST SP 800-171 requirements and understand how those requirements affect day‑to‑day IT administration and operations.

Have recent, hands‑on experience supporting or completing a CMMC audit/assessment, with a strong understanding of the processes, controls, documentation, and operational rigor required in a CMMC‑regulated environment.

Have experience working within a federal government, DoD contractor, or similar regulated government contracting environment.

Demonstrate strong systems administration experience, including managing computers, applications, accounts, users, virtual machines, and end‑user devices.

Have experience leading a service desk or help desk function, including Tier 1 through Tier 3 support, ticket triage, prioritization, work allocation, escalation management, and accountability for timely resolution.

Are a true player‑coach who is motivated to lead others while remaining hands‑on and personally resolving complex technical issues.

Demonstrate exceptional customer service skills and a strong sense of ownership and urgency around resolving user issues and closing tickets.

Communicate complex technical and compliance‑related concepts clearly and effectively, adapting your communication style to technical and non‑technical audiences.

Bring strong problem‑solving, analytical, organizational, and prioritization skills.

Are comfortable working onsite in our Arlington, VA office five days per week.

Hold or are eligible to hold a US SECRET security clearance.

Hold an active Security+ certification or equivalent relevant security credential;
Security+ is strongly preferred.

Have Information Systems Security Manager (ISSM) experience; this is preferred but not required.

Relevant Microsoft certifications and an active or previously held U.S. government security clearance are also preferred but not required.

Lead the day‑to‑day operations of the IT service desk, providing direct people leadership, coaching, direction, and accountability to team members.

Oversee Tier 1 through Tier 3 support, ensuring issues are appropriately assigned, escalated, and resolved based on urgency, business impact, and technical complexity.

Manage service desk ticket queues and establish clear priorities to ensure requests are addressed efficiently and tickets are driven through timely closure.

Distribute work effectively across the team while personally taking ownership of complex or higher‑tier technical issues requiring deeper technical expertise.

Build a service‑oriented culture centered on responsiveness, accountability, high‑quality support, and continuous improvement.

Establish and maintain effective service desk processes, workflows, documentation, and escalation procedures.

Identify recurring issues and…