Job Purpose A successful Service Desk Manager (SDM) will bring a blend of strategic vision, effective leadership, demonstrate passion to Carpenters success and a relentless commitment to continuous improvement. You will focus on transparent processes, identify and adopt the best technology, and foster a collaborative and can-do team environment. You will lead, manage the teams responsible for delivering technical support to external customers. The manager will ensure the timely resolution of incidents and service requests, oversee the change management process, maintain service level agreements (SLAs), and enhance the overall customer experience. This role requires strong leadership, a customer-focused approach, and deep knowledge of complex software systems and ITIL-aligned change management practices. Key Responsibilities Lead and manage first-line, second line and service request support teams, ensuring staff development, motivation, and performance management. Oversee the daily operations of the service desk to ensure timely resolution of incidents, problems, requests, and change-related activities. Provide regular feedback, coaching, and training to enhance team capabilities. Set clear performance expectations, conduct appraisals, and implement career development plans. Manage resource allocation to ensure coverage across all customer requirements. Monitor and ensure adherence to SLAs and KPIs related to incident response times, resolution rates, and customer satisfaction. Develop and maintain service desk processes aligned with best practices for incident management. Ensure incidents and change requests are properly categorised, prioritised, and escalated according to defined procedures. Act as the escalation point for system incidents. Drive improvements to the Service Desk processes and systems. Oversee helpdesk system workflow improvements. Foster strong relationships with external customers, acting as a point of contact for service-related and change management issues. Regularly communicate with customers on the status of open tickets, change requests, and improvement plans. Collect and analyse customer feedback to identify areas for service and change management improvement. Ensure that customer issues are addressed with a focus on long term solutions rather than quick fixes. Analyse service desk and change management data to identify trends, recurring issues, and opportunities for improvement. Produce regular performance reports to senior management, highlighting achievements, change-related statistics, and areas for development. Work closely with other IT and service teams to implement solutions that improve overall system performance, user experience, and change success rates. Lead initiatives to enhance efficiency, such as automation of repetitive tasks, refinement of ticketing workflows, and improvements to knowledge management systems. Own the incident and problem management process, ensuring incidents are resolved and underlying issues are addressed. Work with second line teams to investigate root causes of recurring or major incidents and drive the implementation of corrective actions. Coordinate with software development teams on complex incidents that require input on software architecture or functionality. Maintain a deep understanding of the company’s software products, services, and change management requirements to guide the team effectively in resolving complex issues. Stay updated with the latest industry developments, software changes, and technical advancements that impact service and change delivery. Collaborate with internal teams (e.g., development, infrastructure) to ensure customer issues and changes are resolved and implemented in a timely manner. Engage with external stakeholders to support the deployment, integration, and ongoing support of software solutions, including managing any required changes. Participate in strategic planning for service and change management improvements, growth, and scalability. Experience and Knowledge Proven experience managing a service desk team. Experience working with external customers in a service delivery, support, or Experience with ITIL or other service management frameworks is essential. Strong technical background in supporting software applications and managing change requests. Familiarity with a variety of support tools, change management tools, and ticketing systems. Understanding of incident, problem, change, and release management processes. Strong leadership and people management skills. Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) with the ability to convey complex technical and change-related issues in simple terms. High attention to detail with an ability to multitask and manage competing priorities. Analytical and problem-solving skills, with a proactive and continuous improvement mindset. Here at Carpenters group diversity and inclusion matters, it is integral to our culture and we welcome applications from everyone. We celebrate difference and believe in equal opportunities for all. About us Here at Carpenters Group, we’ve been providing legal and insurance services across the UK for over 30 years. We’ve grown from a small law firm into a 1500 people strong team made up of insurance professionals, legal experts and best in class corporate services, working across seven office locations. We work in partnership with household name insurers to deliver a variety of fully outsourced claim solutions. We also represent individuals who need expert legal support. As a great place to work our core values underpin how we behave. Our working environment is positive and informal, and we encourage people to work together to perform at their best. We understand that our success as a business depends on the success of our people, which is why we invest in your training, development and social projects, helping everyone to connect and grow. No matter what stage of your career, at Carpenters Group there is a place for you to achieve your potential. Benefits 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays Holiday buy and sell scheme Hybrid working model 2 x Volunteering days to support charitable initiatives Matched Giving – up to £250 matched for personal charity fundraising for a registered charity Medicash cash plan My Medicash App Discounts and cash back on travel and shopping through Medicash extras Life Assurance Scheme (4 x salary) Pension scheme Active network of Wellbeing Champions – providing mental health support Training and development opportunities Funded social events Dress for your day policy