ROLE PURPOSE
The Service Desk Manager (Assurance) is accountable for the operational performance of the service desk function and for verifying that service desk delivery consistently meets documented process, quality, and SLA standards — not just that tickets are being closed. This role exists because a service desk can appear operationally healthy on volume and closure metrics while quietly failing on quality, first-time-fix, and process adherence — and those gaps only surface once they've already damaged client trust.
The role owns the day-to-day management of the service desk team (triage, escalation discipline, shift coverage) alongside a formal assurance function — quality scoring, process adherence auditing, and coaching — that confirms the desk operates to the standard defined in SOPs, rather than to individual agent habit.
What This Role Owns (Outcome Commitments)
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Service Desk Operational Performance — L1/L2 ticket handling, triage accuracy, and escalation discipline within contracted SLA targets across the SDM's portfolio.
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Quality Assurance of Service Desk Delivery — Formal quality scoring and audit of ticket handling, categorisation accuracy, and adherence to documented process — not self-reported or assumed compliance.
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First-Time-Fix & Escalation Integrity — Minimising unnecessary escalation through agent capability and process discipline, while ensuring genuine escalations move without delay or misclassification.
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Process Adherence Verification — Confirmation that the service desk operates in line with SOPs maintained by the Business Analyst — surfacing drift between documented process and actual practice.
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Team Capability & Coaching — Agent-level coaching and development driven by assurance findings, closing the gap between individual performance and required standard.
What Success Looks Like:
Service desk performance metrics (SLA, first-time-fix, escalation accuracy) and independently verified quality scores tell the same story. When quality is scrutinised — internally or by a client — the assurance evidence trail confirms consistent adherence, not isolated good performance masking systemic gaps.
ROLE REQUIREMENT
1. Service Desk Operational Management
Accountable for: Day-to-day operational performance of the service desk within contracted SLA targets.
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Manage L1/L2 shift coverage, rotation, and rostering against demand patterns and shrinkage buffers, escalating capacity gaps before they manifest as SLA breaches
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Own triage accuracy — ensuring tickets are correctly categorised and prioritised at first contact, not corrected downstream by L2
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Monitor and report SLA performance (response time, resolution time, availability) for the service desk function, distinguishing genuine breaches from data or categorisation errors
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Ensure escalation paths from L1/L2 into Major Incident processes are followed without delay or misclassification when genuine incidents arise
2. Quality Assurance & Process Adherence
Accountable for: Independently verifying that service desk delivery meets documented standard — not accepting closure metrics as a proxy for quality.
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Design and run a formal quality scoring framework for ticket handling — call/interaction quality, categorisation accuracy, documentation completeness, and resolution appropriateness
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Conduct scheduled and random-sample audits of closed tickets against SOPs maintained by the Business Analyst, identifying drift between documented process and actual agent practice
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Maintain quality assurance records to a standard that withstands client or internal audit — evidence of verification, not self-reported compliance
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Feed process adherence gaps back to the Business Analyst where SOPs themselves are found to be outdated or impractical, rather than only correcting agent behaviour
3. First Time-Fix & Escalation Discipline
Accountable for: Minimising unnecessary escalation while ensuring genuine escalations are never delayed or buried.
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Track and report first-time-fix rates at agent and team level, distinguishing capability gaps from process gaps as the root cause of low FTF performance
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Identify recurring root causes behind repeat tickets or unnecessary escalations, feeding findings into coaching and, where relevant, into problem management
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Audit escalation decisions periodically to confirm genuine incidents are escalated promptly and correctly, and that escalation is not used to mask unresolved capability gaps
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Balance escalation discipline against risk — ensure agents are not discouraged from escalating genuine risk for the sake of FTF metrics
4. Team Capability & Coaching
Accountable for: Closing the gap between individual agent performance and required service standard, using assurance findings as the evidence base.
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Translate quality assurance findings into targeted coaching plans per agent, rather than generic team-wide training
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Identify systemic capability gaps across the desk (e.g. recurring categorisation errors, tooling unfamiliarity) and escalate for structured training investment
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Manage service desk team performance proactively, treating recurring quality failures as a people/capability signal, not purely a compliance infraction
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Support onboarding and ramp-up of new service desk agents against the documented SOP standard from day one.
5. Reporting & Escalation to the SDM
Accountable for: Giving the SDM a verified, not assumed, view of service desk health.
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Provide the SDM with combined operational and quality assurance reporting (RAG-framed) — performance metrics validated by independent quality evidence, not presented separately or in conflict
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Flag process adherence risk or systemic quality gaps to the SDM before they surface as a client-facing complaint or escalation
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Support the SDM's client service reviews with assurance-backed evidence of service desk control, distinct from raw ticket volume or closure statistics
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Escalate capability or capacity constraints that cannot be resolved at service desk level, with clear options and trade-offs — consistent with departmental advisory standard
COMPETENCIES (KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES)
Technical & Domain Competencies
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Service Desk Operations Management — Working fluency in L1/L2 shift management, rostering, shrinkage/rotation modelling, and triage discipline within an SLA-governed environment
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Quality Assurance Methodology — Ability to design and run formal quality scoring frameworks for ticket handling — not informal spot-checks
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ITIL 4 Practice Fluency — Working knowledge of Service Request, Incident, and Service Level Management practices, plus participation in Major Incident escalation
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Process Auditing — Ability to audit actual practice against documented SOPs and identify drift, rather than assuming documentation reflects reality
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ISO Assurance Alignment — Understanding of what audit-grade quality evidence looks like, sufficient to withstand internal or client scrutiny
Analytical & Judgement Competencies
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Root Cause Discrimination — Distinguishes capability gaps from process gaps from tooling gaps when diagnosing low first-time-fix or quality performance
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Metric Scepticism — Does not accept closure or volume metrics as a proxy for quality; actively seeks the gap between "looks good" and "verified good"
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Balanced Escalation Judgement — Manages the tension between minimising unnecessary escalation and ensuring genuine risk is never suppressed for the sake of a metric
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Evidence-Based Coaching Design — Builds coaching interventions from assurance data, not generalised assumptions about individual agents
Relationship & Influence Competencies
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Coordination with the Business Analyst — Works closely with the BA to keep SOPs current, feeding back real-world process drift rather than working around outdated documentation
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Team Leadership Under Pressure — Manages a shift-based team through variable demand and live escalations without losing quality discipline
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Constructive Accountability with Agents — Delivers quality assurance findings and coaching in a way that improves performance without becoming purely punitive or box-ticking
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Upward Reporting Clarity — Presents combined operational and quality evidence to the SDM in a way that is decision-ready, not just descriptive
Behavioural Competencies
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Independence of Judgement — Willing to report quality or process gaps even where they reflect poorly on the desk's own recent performance — no smoothing over
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Structured, Governed Documentation Habits — Maintains quality assurance records and audit trails to a standard, dated, and traceable — never informal
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Composure Under Escalation Pressure — Sustains quality and escalation discipline during high-volume or crisis periods rather than relaxing standards under pressure
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Ownership of "No Hidden Drama" — Surfaces service desk risk early and directly, consistent with the department's principle of no surprises reaching the client or SDM late.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
Minimum Qualifications
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Bachelor's degree or equivalent National Diploma in Information Technology, Business Management, or a related field (essential)
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ITIL 4 Foundation certification (essential); ITIL 4 Specialist: Create, Deliver and Support — strongly preferred
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Formal Quality Assurance or Quality Management certification (e.g. Six Sigma, or equivalent QA methodology training) — strongly preferred given the assurance mandate of this role
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Formal People Management or Team Leadership training — advantageous
Minimum Experience
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5–7 years in Service Desk Management, IT Support Management, or a similar operational leadership role within an IT/Telecommunications or Managed Services environment (essential)
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Minimum 2 years of that experience specifically involving quality assurance, audit, or compliance monitoring of service desk or support operations — not purely operational/people management experience
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Demonstrated experience managing shift-based teams, including rostering, shrinkage/rotation planning, and capacity management against SLA demand
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Direct experience designing or operating a formal quality scoring or audit framework for ticket handling or support interactions
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Proven track record improving first-time-fix rates or reducing unnecessary escalation through root cause analysis and coaching, not just policy enforcement
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Experience managing service desk performance within a formally SLA-governed contract, including client-facing accountability for desk performance
