IT Service Desk Manager

SUMMARY

The IT Service Desk Manager is responsible for leading a geographically distributed service desk team— spanning Chicago, New York, and offshore team members — and ensuring the firm’s end users receive exceptional technical support across hardware, enterprise software, and an increasingly AI-powered technology stack. This is a hands-on, player-coach role requiring both strong technical depth and the ability to manage, coach, and develop a high-performing team.

The ideal candidate will bring a white-glove service mindset, a broad and current knowledge of enterprise technologies, and the flexibility to operate effectively across a wide range of situations — from complex infrastructure escalations to providing discreet, high-priority support for senior leadership and other VIP stakeholders. The IT Service Desk Manager will drive service quality, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement, and will serve as a key partner to other IT disciplines in the delivery of end user technology and automation initiatives.

This role reports to the Executive Director, IT Infrastructure & Support and as an onsite/hybrid employee, you are expected to be in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead, manage, and develop a geographically distributed service desk team across Chicago, New York, and offshore team members, ensuring consistent service quality and team cohesion across all locations.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for complex technical issues, providing hands-on Tier 2/3 support and coaching team members through resolution of challenging problems.
• Deliver white-glove, high-touch IT support for executive leadership and other VIP stakeholders, maintaining discretion, urgency, and professionalism at all times.
• Monitor and manage the service desk queue to ensure issues and requests are appropriately triaged, prioritized, and resolved within established SLAs.
• Provide regular reporting and metrics on service desk performance, including ticket volume, resolution times, customer satisfaction, and SLA adherence; present findings and recommendations to IT leadership.
• Establish and maintain training plans for service desk team members, ensuring knowledge stays current across a rapidly evolving technology landscape including AI tools, cloud platforms, and endpoint technologies.
• Hire, onboard, and continuously develop service desk staff and third-party partners, including offshore and after-hours support resources.
• Maintain and expand the firm’s self-service knowledgebase for end users and internal knowledgebase for service desk staff, ensuring documentation is accurate, current, and actionable.
• Define, document, and continuously improve service desk processes; identify and implement automation and self-service solutions to improve efficiency and the end user experience.
• Support the rollout, adoption, and ongoing support of AI productivity tools (e.g., Fireflies AI, Claude, ChatGPT), coordinating training, troubleshooting, and user enablement across the firm.
• Assist in evaluating, selecting, and sourcing end user equipment and enterprise software, including participation in asset lifecycle management and technology refresh planning.
• Proactively identify the need for hardware and software upgrades, configuration changes, or new systems and escalate or act accordingly.
• Drive or contribute to projects related to service desk operations and end user technology, collaborating cross-functionally with Infrastructure, Security, and business stakeholders.
• Provide direct end user support for hardware and enterprise software as needed, maintaining hands-on technical fluency.

EDUCATION, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• College coursework in pursuit of a B.A./B.S. degree with a concentration in Business, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field preferred.
• Microsoft 365 suite administration (Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive).
• Microsoft Intune / Endpoint Manager for device management and policy enforcement.
• Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) and Active Directory.
• Configuration/Infrastructure-As-Code experience (Simeon Cloud or similar software).
• Windows 11 and Server operating systems.
• Familiarity and working knowledge of Azure and AWS cloud environments.
• Virtualization platforms (VMware or equivalent).
• Networking fundamentals (DNS, DHCP, VPN, firewall concepts).
• Security tooling and endpoint protection platforms.
• Zscaler or equivalent cloud security platforms.
• Video conferencing platforms and AV systems (Zoom, Microsoft Teams).
• Jira Service Management and the broader Atlassian toolset (Jira, Confluence) for ITSM and knowledge management.
• Scripting for automation and task management (PowerShell strongly preferred; Python a plus).
• Dell and Apple laptop hardware and peripherals.
• Familiarity with AI productivity and collaboration tools such as Claude AI, ChatGPT, Glean, Fireflies AI, and Gemini.
• Ability and desire to experiment and build tools/agents using AI platforms to automate service desk operations which improve efficiency.
• An ability to support end user adoption of AI tools, including troubleshooting, training facilitation, and documentation.
• A genuine interest in AI capabilities and a willingness to develop expertise as the firm’s AI tool portfolio evolves.
• Exceptional flexibility and adaptability; able to shift priorities quickly in response to business needs.
• Superior customer service mindset with a white-glove approach to end user support, especially for senior stakeholders.
• Strong problem-solving skills with creative, process-improvement orientation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to translate technical concepts clearly for non-technical audiences.
• Highly organized, self-directed, and capable of managing multiple competing priorities without loss of quality.
• Demonstrated team player with the ability to build and sustain positive relationships across the technology team and the firm.
• High degree of professional discretion; comfortable handling sensitive or confidential matters with appropriate care.
• MacOS and Apple iOS device support is a plus.
• ITIL certification or demonstrated familiarity with ITIL/ITSM principles is a plus.
• Microsoft Certifications is a plus. 

The successful candidate will be self-motivated and energized by working among a group of thoughtful, driven, and collaborative colleagues. They will thrive in an organization that holds itself to a high standard and values both individual initiative and team cohesion. They will bring a proactive mindset, exercise sound judgment, and approach their work with integrity and a genuine commitment to excellence.

AT A GLANCE – GCM’s Information Technology Organization

• A forward-leaning technology team embedded within a leading global alternative asset management firm.
• Cloud-first infrastructure with virtually all firm systems hosted on Microsoft Azure and AWS.
• Actively investing in AI tooling and automation across the firm, including AI transcription, AI-assisted productivity, and intelligent workflow solutions.
• Modern engineering practices including infrastructure-as-code, continuous integration, and cross-functional team ownership.
• A strong team culture that values adaptability, candid feedback, and continuous learning.
• Teams are empowered by management to take ownership of their domains and deliver meaningful outcomes for the business.