IT Helpdesk Manager

Role: IT Helpdesk Manager
Location: Aylesbury Area, Buckinghamshire (Hybrid Working)
Salary: £40,000 - £50,000
Type: Full-time, Permanent

The Opportunity

Our client is a market-leading IT Provider and they are seeking an experienced IT Helpdesk Manager to lead a team of support engineers whilst remaining actively involved in the technical delivery of services.

This role offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced Senior 3rd Line Engineer, Technical Team Lead, or Service Desk Supervisor looking to take the next step into management. You'll have the opportunity to develop your leadership skills whilst maintaining hands-on involvement in complex technical escalations and service improvement initiatives.

The Role

Leading a team of 6-8 support engineers, you will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Helpdesk function, ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction, technical excellence, and service delivery performance.

Acting as the senior technical escalation point, you will provide guidance and support on complex issues whilst helping to drive continuous improvement across people, processes, and technology.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of support engineers across both technical and customer service disciplines.
• Conduct regular 1-2-1s, performance reviews, coaching sessions, and team meetings.
• Support recruitment activities, onboarding, and ongoing staff development.
• Foster a positive, collaborative, and high-performing team culture.
• Manage ticket allocation, workload balancing, and resource planning across the service desk.

Technical Leadership & Escalation Management

• Act as the primary 3rd Line escalation point for complex technical issues and high-priority incidents.
• Provide hands-on technical support where required, leading from the front and setting technical standards.
• Take ownership of major incidents, coordinating communication, escalation, and resolution activities.
• Review ticket quality, troubleshooting methodologies, and customer interactions to identify development opportunities.
• Work closely with engineers to promote best practice across support delivery, documentation, security, and customer engagement.
• Engage directly with customers during critical incidents and sensitive escalations to ensure positive outcomes.

Service Delivery & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure support requests are managed effectively and resolved within agreed service levels.
• Monitor service desk performance, response times, ticket quality, customer satisfaction, and operational KPIs.
• Drive improvements across service delivery processes, technical standards, security controls, and documentation.
• Maintain and develop internal knowledge bases, procedures, and operational runbooks.
• Oversee the delivery of internal IT support services where required.

Skills & Experience Required

Essential

• Previous experience in a Senior Support Engineer, Technical Lead, Service Desk Lead, or Helpdesk Management role.
• Strong 3rd Line technical support experience with the ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex infrastructure and end-user issues.
• Proven experience mentoring, coaching, or leading technical teams.
• Strong Microsoft 365 administration and Windows endpoint management experience.
• Good understanding of networking fundamentals, infrastructure support, and cybersecurity best practices.
• Excellent communication, organisational, and stakeholder management skills.
• Customer-focused approach with the ability to perform effectively under pressure.

Desirable

• Experience working within an MSP or IT Services environment.
• ITIL Foundation certification or equivalent.
• Experience using PSA and ITSM platforms such as HaloPSA.
• Previous involvement in service improvement and operational change initiatives.

What's on Offer

• A genuine opportunity to step into a leadership position whilst retaining hands-on technical involvement.
• Eligibility to become part of the company's employee ownership scheme following 12 months of service, allowing you to share in the future success of the business.
• Exposure to both people management and strategic service delivery responsibilities.
• The chance to influence processes, standards, and the future direction of the support function.
• Hybrid working environment.
• Ongoing professional development and career progression opportunities.

This position would suit an ambitious Senior 3rd Line Engineer, Technical Team Leader, or existing Helpdesk Manager who is looking to combine strong technical expertise with leadership responsibilities and take the next step in their career.