Global ITSM Leader - AI-Driven Service Desk

Cognita Schools; Dubai; Hybrid; AED 500,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognita Schools seeks a senior leader to own and scale its global IT Service Management. The role oversees the global Service Desk and ITSM capabilities, driving AI and automation to streamline support across time zones.

The ideal candidate has hands-on ITIL/ITSM expertise, led multi-region teams, and excelled at vendor management and continuous improvement, with a focus on safeguarding and data protection.

Qualifications

• Must have built and scaled a global IT Service Desk/ITSM function from the ground up.
• Proven track record deploying AI, automation and self-service to transform service delivery.
• Data-driven approach to defining and using KPIs, SLAs and XLAs for improvement.
• Experience leading global, distributed teams and managing vendor relationships.
• Strong stakeholder management with credibility among senior leaders and technical teams.
• Bachelor’s degree in IT (or related) with ITIL certifications.

Responsibilities

• Lead our global Service Desk and ITSM teams, setting priorities and standards.
• Build an AI-enabled Service Desk with omni-channel support and incident response.
• Own Cognita’s global ITSM framework and policy development.
• Drive ITSM platform, AI and automation roadmap, including virtual agents and self-service.
• Define service performance standards with KPIs, SLAs and XLAs and drive improvements.
• Align IT service practices with safeguarding, cyber security, data protection and regulatory requirements.

Skills

ITSM leadership

AI & automation

KPI governance

Global team leadership

Stakeholder management

ITIL certified

Education

Bachelor’s degree in IT or related field

ITIL certifications

Job description

Cognita Schools seeks a senior leader to own and scale its global IT Service Management. The role oversees the global Service Desk and ITSM capabilities, driving AI and automation to streamline support across time zones.

The ideal candidate has hands-on ITIL/ITSM expertise, led multi-region teams, and excelled at vendor management and continuous improvement, with a focus on safeguarding and data protection.