ServiceNow ITSM Lead

Title:
Service Now ITSM Lead

Location:

Chicago, IL Onsite
Duration:
Initially 6 Months

Role Overview:
We are seeking an experienced Service Now ITSM Lead to join a high-visibility utility-sector engagement. This is a dual-track role: you will be the technical development authority for the full Service Now ITSM platform and the primary client-facing point of contact for the workstream. You will lead a small delivery team, own the technical design and configuration of ITSM processes, and engage directly with client stakeholders to translate business requirements into working Service Now solutions.
The ideal candidate is equally comfortable writing complex Business Rules and scripted REST integrations in the morning and presenting a sprint demo to a client steering committee in the afternoon.

Responsibilities:
(In-depth knowledge of the key technical areas, where the ability to assist with hands on keyboard if needed)
Design, configure, and develop Service Now ITSM solutions across Incident, Problem, Change, Request, and Service Catalog modules
Build and maintain integrations with third-party tools (monitoring platforms, identity management, CMDB data sources) using REST APIs, Integration Hub, and MID Server
Develop and maintain CMDB Discovery configurations, IRE identification rules, and data quality governance processes Author scripted components including Business Rules, Script Includes, Client Scripts, UI Policies, Flow Designer flows, and Scheduled Jobs
Own technical design documentation including solution design records, data flow diagrams, and integration specifications
Conduct peer code reviews, enforce development best practices, and maintain upgrade-safe customization standards
Build and maintain reporting dashboards, Performance Analytics indicators, and ITSM metric frameworks

Team Leadership
Lead and coordinate a delivery team of 3 6 Service Now developers and configuration analysts
Assign and prioritize work across sprint cycles in alignment with the Platform Owner
Mentor junior team members on Service Now platform development standards and ITSM process design
Facilitate daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives; own technical risk identification within the team
Escalate blockers and coordinate with offshore team members where applicable

Client Engagement:
Serve as the primary technical point of contact for the client ITSM and CMDB stakeholders
Lead requirements discovery sessions, process workshops, and design reviews with client process owners
Present sprint demos, solution walkthroughs, and status updates to client leadership
Translate complex technical constraints into plain-language impact assessments for non-technical audiences
Manage client expectations on scope, timeline, and technical feasibility with professionalism and clarity

Experience:
5 8 years of hands-on Service Now development and configuration experience
Demonstrable delivery experience across at minimum three of:
Incident Management, Problem Management, Change Management, Service Catalog, CMDB/Discovery, Integrations, or Reporting/PA
Prior experience in a client-facing or technical lead capacity on an implementation or managed services engagement
Experience leading or mentoring a development team of 3 individuals

Technical Skills:
Service Now server-side development:
Business Rules, Script Includes, REST API integrations, Scheduled Jobs
Service Now client-side development:
Client Scripts, UI Policies, UI Actions, Glide Form/Glide Ajax
Flow Designer and Integration Hub (spoke development or configuration)
CMDB fundamentals:
Discovery, IRE rules, CI class hierarchy, CSDM alignment
Reporting:
Performance Analytics, dashboards, scheduled reports
Service Now upgrade processes, update set management, and instance cloning practices
ITSM process knowledge aligned to ITIL v3 or ITIL 4 framework

Certifications:
Service Now Certified System Administrator (CSA) Required
Service Now Certified Application Developer (CAD) Required
Service Now Certified Implementation Specialist ITSM (CIS-ITSM) Required
Additional CIS certifications (Discovery, HRSD, etc.) Preferred
ITIL 4 Foundation Preferred

Preferred Qualifications:
Experience on Health Care, or critical infrastructure sector Service Now engagements
Familiarity with NERC CIP compliance requirements and how they intersect with CMDB/ITSM data governance

Experience with Service Now CMDB Governance, Data Certification, or CSDM alignment work streams
Exposure to Now Assist / AI capabilities within Service Now
SAFe Agile or equivalent delivery framework experience
Experience working in a consulting or SI delivery model (Big 4, Big SI, boutique practice)