Manager, IT Assist & Critical Situation Management

Job Description

Position:

Manager, IT Assist & Critical Situation Management

YOUR ROLE AS A:

We are seeking a highly organized, technically proficient, and empathetic IT leader to take ownership of our IT Service Management (ITSM) function and lead our Critical Situation (CritSit) and IT Assist teams. This pivotal role acts as the central coordination point for all major service assurance processes, including CritSit, Change, Problem, Business Continuity (BCP), and Disaster Recovery (DR). You will be instrumental in driving high-quality service delivery, optimizing IT support processes, and minimizing the impact of service disruptions on business operations.

WHAT YOU’LL CHAMPION:

I. Leadership & Team Management

• Lead and mentor a team of Service Desks (IT Assist) and Critical Situations (CritSit) management, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, high performance, and exceptional customer service.
• Manage team scheduling and the on-call rotation for all incidents response to ensure appropriate coverage.
• Conduct performance reviews, provide constructive feedback, and identify training and development needs for team members.

II. IT Assist Management (Service Desk)

• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the IT Assist team, ensuring adherence to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Operational Level Agreements (OLAs).
• Drive the maturity of the Incident, Request Fulfillment, Access Management, and Knowledge Management processes, leveraging the IT Service Management (ITSM) platform.
• Monitor key IT Assist metrics (KPIs) such as First Call Resolution (FCR), Mean Time To Resolve (MTTR), Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), and backlog management.
• Ensure the accurate and timely logging, tracking, and resolution of all service requests and incidents.

III. Critical Situation (CritSit) Management

• Own the CritSit process from declaration to resolution and post-incident review.
• Serve as the Incident Commander during high-severity (P0/P1) outages, coordinating multi-disciplinary technical teams, ensuring efficient communication, and driving swift service restoration.
• Establish and enforce clear incident communication protocols for both technical stakeholders and executive/business leadership, providing timely and accurate updates.
• Facilitate Post-Incident Reviews (PIRs) to identify root causes, determine corrective actions, and track the implementation of preventative measures.

IV. ITSM Process Ownership & Service Improvement

• Problem Management: Lead the organization's approach to Problem Management, working across technology teams to investigate recurring incidents, identify root causes, and manage preventative corrective actions through to completion.
• Change Management: Act as the Change Management Process Owner, overseeing the Change Advisory Board (CAB) process, ensuring risk assessments are completed, and monitoring the impact of changes to minimize service disruption.
• Configuration Management: Oversee Configuration Management, ensuring the integrity and accuracy of the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) as a foundational component for effective ITSM processes.
• Develop, enhance, and manage the Service Catalog and associated service level targets.
• Identify and lead opportunities for automation and self-service to reduce IT Assist load and improve user experience.

V. Business Resilience Coordination (BCP/DR)

• Business Continuity Planning (BCP) Coordination: Act as the IT coordinator for BCP initiatives, ensuring IT processes and systems align with organizational continuity strategies.
• Disaster Recovery (DR) Coordination: Coordinate the planning, documentation, and execution of Disaster Recovery testing and validation across various IT domains (e.g., infrastructure, applications).
• Ensure the DR runbooks and recovery procedures are up-to-date, tested regularly, and adhere to defined Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO).
• Report on the overall readiness and resilience posture of critical IT services to leadership.

WHO YOU ARE:

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Experience: Minimum of 5 years of experience in IT Service Management, with at least 2 years in a leadership or managerial role overseeing Service Desk, Incident Management, or similar functions.
• Certifications: ITIL v4 Foundation is mandatory; ITIL v4 Managing Professional or ITIL Practitioner is highly desirable.
• Technical Skills: Deep understanding of ITSM tools (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira Service Management), monitoring platforms, IT infrastructure, and hands-on experience with CMDB, Problem, and Change Management processes.

Skills & Competencies

• Exceptional communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to perform under pressure and make quick, sound decisions during CritSit events.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with practical experience in Problem Management methodologies.
• Demonstrated experience in process improvement and implementing best practices (ITIL).
• Experience coordinating BCP/DR testing and validation exercises.