Service Desk Manager​/Lead

IT Service Desk Lead/Manager

Position Title:

IT Service Desk Lead

Location:

Des Moines, IA

Experience:

8–10 Years

Team Size: 20+ Service Desk Analysts and Senior Analysts

Job Summary

The IT Service Desk Lead is responsible for leading and managing a 24x7 global IT Service Desk operation supporting end users across multiple locations. The role is accountable for service delivery excellence, SLA compliance, team leadership, customer satisfaction, incident management, continuous service improvement, and operational governance. The Service Desk Lead acts as the primary escalation point for critical issues and drives operational efficiency through process optimization, automation, and knowledge management initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Service Delivery & Operations

• Lead daily operations of the IT Service Desk supporting enterprise users globally.
• Ensure adherence to contractual SLAs, KPIs, OLAs, and customer experience targets.
• Manage incident, request, problem, and major incident processes in accordance with ITIL practices.
• Act as the primary escalation point for critical and high-priority incidents.
• Ensure timely resolution and customer communication for service-impacting issues.
• Monitor queue health, workload distribution, and workforce utilization.

Team Leadership

• Manage a team of approximately 20 Service Desk professionals.
• Conduct regular team huddles, coaching sessions, and performance reviews.
• Drive employee engagement, motivation, and career development initiatives.
• Identify skill gaps and execute training and development plans.
• Manage staffing, shift planning, leave management, and resource allocation.

Customer & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the primary operational interface for customer stakeholders.
• Participate in operational reviews, governance meetings, and customer escalation calls.
• Build strong relationships with business users, resolver groups, and third-party vendors.
• Drive customer satisfaction and continuous improvement initiatives.

Reporting & Governance

• Prepare and present weekly, monthly, and quarterly service reports.
• Analyze service desk performance trends and recommend improvement actions.
• Conduct root cause analysis and publish improvement plans.
• Track and report SLA compliance, ticket trends, productivity, and customer satisfaction metrics.

Continuous Improvement & Automation

• Identify opportunities for service improvement and automation.
• Enhance knowledge management processes and maintain knowledge articles.
• Drive self-service adoption, shift-left initiatives, and ticket reduction strategies.
• Participate in transition, transformation, and process-improvement programs.

Quality & Compliance

• Ensure adherence to ITIL best practices and organizational standards.
• Conduct quality audits and monitor analyst performance.
• Ensure compliance with security, audit, and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain documentation, SOPs, and operational runbooks.

Required Technical Skills

• Service Now or equivalent ITSM platforms
• Incident, Request, Problem, and Change Management
• Microsoft 365, Windows, Active Directory, Azure AD
• Remote Support Tools
• Knowledge Management Platforms
• Service Desk Analytics and Reporting
• Call Center / Omnichannel Support Platforms
• Basic understanding of EUC, Networking, Collaboration, and Infrastructure Services

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• SLA Achievement (%)
• First Contact Resolution (FCR)
• Average Speed to Answer (ASA)
• Abandonment Rate
• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)
• Ticket Backlog Reduction
• Knowledge Article Utilization
• Employee Satisfaction & Attrition Metrics
• Automation and Continual Improvement Deliverables

Required Soft Skills

• Strong leadership and people management
• Excellent verbal and written communication
• Executive-level stakeholder management
• Conflict resolution and escalation management
• Analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to perform under pressure in critical situations
• Continuous improvement mindset

About Cognizant

Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) is an AI Builder and technology services provider, bridging the gap between AI investment and enterprise value by building full-stack AI solutions for our clients. Our deep industry, process and engineering expertise enables us to build an organization's unique context into technology systems that amplify human potential, drive tangible outcomes and keep global enterprises ahead in a fast-changing world.

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Things to know before you apply

• Work authorization:
  Cognizant will only consider applicants for this position who are legally authorized to work in Canada without requiring employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future.
• Accommodations:
  If you have a disability that requires reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening or submit an application, please email  with your request and contact information.
• AI in hiring:
  We use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help us screen and assess applications more efficiently. Our team performs additional human review and ultimately decides who moves forward in our hiring process.
• Open position:
  Unless otherwise stated, this job…