ITSM Service Desk Manager

ITSM Service Desk Manager  

Location: Mississauga, ON | Hybrid (2/3 days per week in office, flexible)

Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time

About the Opportunity:

Our client, a large global software organization, is seeking an experienced Service Desk Manager to lead and develop its IT support function while driving improvements in IT Service Management (ITSM) processes, service delivery and operational efficiency.

This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on service management professional who enjoys leading people, improving day-to-day IT operations and introducing structure and consistency into a growing support environment.

Initially, you will lead a small team of IT support professionals, with the opportunity to build and expand the function as organizational needs evolve.

Beyond overseeing daily service desk operations, you will play an important role in establishing and strengthening ITIL-aligned practices, ensuring incidents and problems are managed effectively, developing and maintaining a meaningful Service Catalogue, and introducing service management best practices that support a scalable and customer-focused IT environment.

The ideal candidate combines strong operational leadership with practical ITSM expertise. You are comfortable rolling up your sleeves, coaching a team, improving processes and working collaboratively with technical and business stakeholders to elevate the overall service experience.

Key Responsibilities:

Service Desk & Operational Leadership:

• Lead, coach and develop a small team of IT support professionals, establishing clear responsibilities, performance expectations and accountability.
• Oversee day-to-day service desk operations, ensuring timely, consistent and high-quality support.
• Manage the intake, prioritization, assignment, escalation and resolution of incidents and service requests.
• Monitor service desk performance, ticket volumes, response and resolution times, backlog and SLA adherence.
• Establish appropriate escalation procedures and ensure effective communication and follow-through on service issues.
• Identify opportunities to improve team capacity, operational efficiency and the overall end-user experience.

ITSM & ITIL Process Development

• Assess existing ITSM processes and introduce greater structure, consistency and adherence to ITIL best practices
• Establish, implement and continuously improve Incident Management and Problem Management processes.
• Develop, implement and maintain a structured Service Catalogue, clearly defining available IT services, ownership, service expectations and request fulfilment processes.
• Strengthen Change Management and Service Request Management practices.
• Introduce appropriate procedures for root cause analysis, recurring incident identification, trend analysis and preventative action.
• Establish and refine SLAs, service metrics, reporting and operational governance.
• Drive standardization and continuous improvement across service management practices

Tools, Technology & Continuous Improvement

• Oversee the effective use and ongoing improvement of the organization's ITSM platform and related service management tools.
• Identify opportunities for workflow automation, process optimization and improved service delivery.
• Explore opportunities to leverage AI and AI-enabled tools to improve service desk efficiency, knowledge management and support capabilities.
• Develop and maintain appropriate documentation, knowledge articles, procedures and service management standards.
• Partner with infrastructure, applications, security and other technology teams to improve service coordination and issue resolution.

Stakeholder & Service Management

• Build strong working relationships with internal business stakeholders and technology teams.
• Ensure service delivery is aligned with business priorities and end-user expectations.
• Communicate service performance, operational issues, risks and improvement initiatives effectively.
• Promote a customer-focused service culture built around responsiveness, accountability and continuous improvement.

What We're Looking For

• Several years of progressive experience in IT Service Management, Service Desk Management or IT Service Delivery, ideally within a technology or software organization.
• Previous experience leading and developing a small IT support or service desk team.
• Strong practical knowledge of ITIL frameworks and ITSM best practices.
• Demonstrated experience implementing and improving Incident Management and Problem Management processes.
• Previous hands-on experience developing, implementing and maintaining a Service Catalogue is essential.
• Experience establishing SLAs, service metrics, escalation procedures and operational reporting.
• Working knowledge of Incident, Problem and Change Management, Service Catalogue creation and Service Request Management and Asset & Configuration Management.
• Experience with ITSM platforms such as ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, BMC, Ivanti or similar.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to identify recurring issues and drive root cause resolution.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• A hands-on, practical leadership style with the ability to balance people management, operational oversight and process improvement.
• Comfortable working in a growing environment where processes and capabilities are continuing to mature.
• Interest in leveraging AI and automation to improve service management and operational efficiency.
• ITIL certification is strongly preferred.

Why This Opportunity?

This is an opportunity to take ownership of a growing service desk function within an established global software organization.

You will have the opportunity to lead a small team, influence how IT support is delivered, introduce meaningful ITIL-aligned processes and establish the operational foundation needed to support future growth.

For someone who enjoys both leading people and improving the way IT services operate, this role offers a balance of hands-on management, process development and the opportunity to make a visible impact.