What Does a Help Desk Manager Do?
A help desk manager oversees the daily operations of an IT support team, ensuring that technical issues reported by internal staff or external users are resolved efficiently and professionally. This role includes managing a team of technicians or analysts, assigning and escalating tickets, and maintaining a smooth workflow within a ticketing system. Help desk managers establish support protocols, monitor ticket queues, coach support staff, and manage resources to meet service expectations.
Beyond technical oversight, help desk managers play a strategic role in improving IT support performance. They analyze service-level metrics, identify recurring issues, and collaborate with IT leadership to enhance system reliability and user satisfaction. They are often responsible for hiring and training help desk personnel, maintaining documentation, and driving improvements in response time and resolution quality. Their success is measured not just by closed tickets, but by user experience, team effectiveness, and continuous improvement in service delivery.
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Help Desk Manager Core Responsibilities
- Supervise day-to-day operations of the IT help desk team
- Monitor ticket queues and ensure timely resolution of support requests
- Develop and enforce escalation procedures and service-level agreements (SLAs)
- Hire, train, and mentor help desk staff
- Track KPIs and create reports on team performance, ticket trends, and resolution times
- Act as a liaison between help desk and other IT or business units
- Identify recurring technical issues and recommend improvements
- Maintain documentation of procedures, troubleshooting guides, and support scripts
- Manage user satisfaction surveys and support feedback loops
- Ensure help desk systems and software are properly configured and maintained
Required Skills and Qualifications
Hard skills
- Proficiency with ticketing systems such as Zendesk, ServiceNow, Freshdesk, or Jira Service Management
- Familiarity with ITIL frameworks and IT support lifecycle
- Experience managing support teams and workflows
- Technical knowledge of desktop support, networking, and software troubleshooting
- Strong understanding of performance metrics like FCR (first contact resolution), MTTR (mean time to resolution), and SLA compliance
Soft skills
- Effective team leadership and coaching
- Strong decision-making and prioritization abilities
- Clear and professional communication
- Conflict resolution and service mindset
- High attention to detail and follow-through
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer science, or a related field preferred
- Associate’s degree or equivalent experience accepted
Certifications
- ITIL Foundation certification required or strongly preferred
- HDI Support Center Manager or HDI Desktop Support Manager preferred
- CompTIA A+ or Network+ certifications also recommended
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience managing remote or hybrid IT support teams
- Background in supporting enterprise-level environments or multiple office locations
- Familiarity with change management and incident response processes
- Experience integrating or migrating ticketing systems
- Prior work in industries with strict uptime or compliance requirements (e.g., healthcare, finance, SaaS)
National Average Salary
Help desk manager salaries vary by experience, industry, organization size, and geography. Click below to explore salaries by local market.
The average national salary for a Help Desk Manager is:
$95,685
Sample Job Description Templates for Help Desk Managers
Technical Support Help Desk Manager
Position Overview
We are hiring a Technical Support Help Desk Manager to oversee the delivery of frontline technical assistance to internal users and external clients. This position leads a team of support specialists responsible for troubleshooting software, hardware, and network issues, ensuring timely and high-quality support across channels. Ideal candidates have strong technical foundations and proven leadership in a support environment.
Responsibilities
- Lead daily operations of the technical support help desk team
- Oversee ticket assignment, escalation, and resolution processes
- Maintain SLAs related to technical response and resolution times
- Provide guidance on troubleshooting strategies for complex support cases
- Monitor system health and escalate widespread technical issues to infrastructure teams
- Mentor support staff on best practices and technical skill development
- Ensure accuracy in documentation of recurring issues and resolutions
- Collaborate with software and infrastructure teams to deploy fixes and updates
Requirements
Hard skills
- Deep knowledge of desktop support, networking, and software troubleshooting
- Familiarity with ticketing systems such as Zendesk, Jira, or ServiceNow
- Strong diagnostic skills across operating systems and hardware platforms
Soft skills
- Strong leadership and mentoring abilities
- Clarity in technical communication with users and engineers
- Ability to manage high-pressure technical escalations
Education
- Associate’s or bachelor’s degree in IT or related field
Certifications
- CompTIA A+ or Network+ preferred
- ITIL Foundation certification strongly recommended
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience supporting Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and common business platforms
- History of leading support for software rollouts or patch deployments
- Background in supporting both Windows and macOS environments
IT Service Desk Manager
Position Overview
We are seeking an IT Service Desk Manager to lead our internal service desk operations and ensure seamless support across hardware, software, and access-related issues. This role focuses on end-user satisfaction, IT process alignment, and team development. You will oversee day-to-day ticket resolution while maintaining compliance with ITIL service management principles.
Responsibilities
- Manage the service desk team responsible for supporting all internal IT requests
- Enforce ITIL-based service management protocols including incident, request, and access management
- Maintain knowledge bases and standard operating procedures for support consistency
- Analyze service trends and implement improvements to reduce ticket volume and resolution times
- Monitor system access requests and onboard/offboard users in coordination with HR
- Create and maintain service desk KPIs and dashboards for leadership reporting
Requirements
Hard skills
- Experience with ITIL frameworks, especially incident and request management
- Proficiency in identity and access management tools
- Familiarity with enterprise support platforms like ServiceNow or Ivanti
Soft skills
- Process-driven leadership style
- Analytical mindset to improve service desk efficiency
- Collaborative attitude when working with infrastructure and cybersecurity teams
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, IT, or related field preferred
Certifications
- ITIL Foundation certification required
- HDI Support Center Manager certification preferred
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience managing ticket triage processes and automated workflows
- Previous work in large-scale enterprise or regulated industry environments
- Familiarity with security clearance and role-based access protocols
Enterprise Help Desk Manager
Position Overview
We are hiring an Enterprise Help Desk Manager to oversee a large-scale support function serving thousands of internal users across multiple locations. This role demands expert-level command of service operations, global support coordination, and enterprise ticketing systems. You’ll lead strategic support initiatives, workforce planning, and cross-department alignment.
Responsibilities
- Lead distributed support teams across multiple offices and/or time zones
- Oversee ticket queues for Tier 1 and Tier 2 enterprise support
- Develop service standards, performance benchmarks, and escalation procedures
- Collaborate with network, security, and application teams to address systemic issues
- Manage vendor relationships for outsourced or offshore support staff
- Analyze trends in support tickets to recommend long-term IT improvements
Requirements
Hard skills
- Experience with enterprise ITSM platforms (e.g., ServiceNow, BMC Helix)
- Strong understanding of enterprise architecture and systems integration
- Familiarity with SLA and performance management frameworks
Soft skills
- Strategic thinking and data-informed decision making
- Leadership of global or cross-regional support teams
- Strong interpersonal skills for working with executives and department heads
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in IT, engineering, or information systems required
Certifications
- ITIL Foundation certification required
- PMP or Six Sigma is a plus
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in Fortune 1000 or publicly traded company IT environments
- Background in supporting mergers, acquisitions, or rapid growth
- Familiarity with ITSM reporting dashboards and analytics tools
Remote Help Desk Manager
Position Overview
We are looking for a Remote Help Desk Manager to lead a distributed IT support team that operates fully online. This role ensures consistent service delivery across time zones and devices while optimizing remote support tools and digital workflows. It’s ideal for candidates experienced in managing decentralized teams and cloud-first service environments.
Responsibilities
- Manage a remote support team providing global coverage for users and clients
- Oversee virtual ticketing systems and enforce remote-first SLA compliance
- Provide coaching, performance reviews, and professional development in a distributed setting
- Optimize usage of collaboration tools such as Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams
- Ensure endpoint security and compliance across home-based devices
- Maintain documentation for remote troubleshooting procedures and workflows
Requirements
Hard skills
- Proficiency in cloud-based support platforms (e.g., Freshservice, Zoho Desk)
- Experience with endpoint management tools like Intune or Jamf
- Familiarity with secure remote access, VPNs, and encryption protocols
Soft skills
- Self-directed team leadership and productivity oversight
- Clear virtual communication and documentation
- Empathy and adaptability when managing diverse, remote work styles
Education
- Associate’s or bachelor’s degree in IT or a related field
Certifications
- HIPAA or SOC2 compliance knowledge preferred for sensitive industries
- ITIL Foundation or CompTIA A+ strongly recommended
Preferred Qualifications
- Prior experience scaling a remote help desk team
- Knowledge of remote device provisioning and zero-touch deployment
- Experience supporting flexible work policies across departments
SaaS Help Desk Manager
Position Overview
We are hiring a SaaS Help Desk Manager to oversee customer support operations for our cloud-based platform. This role supports both internal users and paying clients by ensuring application uptime, onboarding success, and responsive technical support. Candidates should have SaaS product knowledge and experience managing Tier 1 and Tier 2 support teams.
Responsibilities
- Manage help desk operations for a SaaS product, including support ticket flow and client escalations
- Oversee onboarding support for new customers and drive activation success
- Work with product and engineering teams to escalate and resolve application bugs or outages
- Document support resolutions and contribute to user-facing knowledge bases
- Track key metrics such as CSAT, NPS, and resolution time
- Provide regular updates to leadership on support trends and customer feedback
Requirements
Hard skills
- Experience supporting SaaS applications and working with cloud infrastructure
- Proficiency in support CRM systems such as Intercom, HubSpot, or Salesforce Service Cloud
- Familiarity with basic API troubleshooting and browser-based debugging
Soft skills
- Customer-first mindset and focus on long-term retention
- Clarity in technical explanations to non-technical users
- Strong cross-functional collaboration with sales and product teams
Education
- Bachelor’s degree preferred but not required
Certifications
- SaaS customer service or support certifications preferred
- ITIL certification is a plus
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with customer onboarding or success operations
- Familiarity with agile product development environments
- Background supporting B2B or enterprise SaaS platforms