Head of Service Desk (IT MSP)

ARO; Cardiff; Hybrid; GBP 59,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading IT services provider is seeking a Head of Service Desk in Cardiff. This hybrid role involves leading a high-performing team, driving operational excellence, and ensuring customer satisfaction. The ideal candidate will have proven experience in managing IT Service Desks and a strong knowledge of ITIL frameworks. Join an award-winning company committed to employee development with competitive benefits and a collaborative culture.

Benefits

Company Pension Scheme and matching contributions

Private Medical insurance

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Health Club and Wellbeing Scheme

Technical Training Academy and E-learning

Hybrid working

Qualifications

• Experience managing a Managed Services or IT Service Desk function.
• Strong knowledge of ITIL frameworks.
• Excellent communication skills in various formats.

Responsibilities

• Own the entire Incident and Major Incident Management lifecycle.
• Lead continual service improvement programmes.
• Develop department budget and resource planning.

Skills

Proven experience leading a Managed Services or IT Service Desk function within an MSP

Experience of managing Managers

Strong operational knowledge of ITIL frameworks

Demonstrable success in driving team performance

Excellent customer-facing communication skills

Proficiency in ITSM and PSA tools

Budget management experience

Strong technical literacy across common service desk technologies

Ability to lead process improvement initiatives

Education

ITIL v4 certification

Tools

Autotask

ServiceNow

Job description

Job Title: Head of Service Desk (IT)

Location: Cardiff, (Hybrid) with UK travel

Salary: up to £70,000 + Car allowance

Contract type: Permanent

#LI-Hybrid

About the role

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Head of Service Desk to join our team here in Cardiff.

This position sits on the ARO Services first line of the Cloud, Cyber, and IT (CCIT) Business Unit, reporting to the Director of Services. The ARO Services function oversees both Professional and Managed Services across all technical domains.

We are looking for an experienced Manager of Managers to lead and evolve our Service Desk function into a high-performing, customer-centric engine. You’ll be responsible for driving operational excellence, fostering team talent, enhancing the customer journey, and championing service innovation. This is a leadership role that blends service delivery oversight, people development, and process optimisation—all aligned to ARO growth ambitions.

The Scope of this role includes ARO Service Desk provision for first and second line along with Field Services, Network Operations Centre and defined remote sites and any other teams as agreed from time to time with the Director of Services

Please note that this is a Hybrid role with onsite requirement 3 days a week. You must be able to commute to the office and have your own transport.

What you’ll do

Strategic & Operational Leadership

• Own the entire Incident and Major Incident Management lifecycle, including governance, response, resolution, and improvement initiatives.
• Lead and deliver continual service improvement (CSI) programmes, including automation, shift‑left strategies, and customer self‑service enhancements.
• Develop and manage department budget, resource planning, and tooling strategies, including ITSM platforms and performance dashboards. Maintain accurate capacity planning and forecast models to ensure appropriate headcount and cost management.
• Collaborate with Sales and Account Management to ensure operational readiness aligns with commercial objectives.

Team Growth & Culture

• Build and nurture a skilled, high-performing Managed Services team through clear progression plans and mentorship, enabling career advancement.
• Conduct regular performance reviews, coaching sessions, and return‑to‑work interviews to support staff wellbeing and accountability.
• Embed a culture of learning, inclusion, knowledge‑sharing, and innovation.
• Champion employee engagement and track sentiment via structured surveys and feedback loops.

Customer Excellence

• Act as a senior customer advocate and escalation point, proactively addressing incidents, complaints, and feedback.
• Own customer satisfaction metrics such as CSAT and NPS, using insights to drive enhancements.
• Participate in client‑facing activities like Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs), service reviews, and solution road mapping.
• Lead customer journey mapping initiatives and implement feedback loops to strengthen trust and satisfaction.
• Assure Service Transition is a seamless process for each client allowing Service Take‑on, Early Life Support and subsequent BAU.
• Grow a culture that celebrates success based on customer insight and performance.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Ensure operational policies and procedures align with ITIL, ISO, GDPR, and other relevant frameworks.
• Maintain clear audit trails, SLA adherence, and service reporting.

What we are looking for?

Essential:

• Proven experience leading a Managed Services or IT Service Desk function within an MSP.
• Experience of managing Managers within the function.
• Strong operational knowledge of ITIL frameworks, particularly Incident, Problem, Change, and Major Incident Management.
• Demonstrable success in driving team performance through KPIs, coaching, and career development initiatives.
• Excellent customer‑facing communication skills across written, verbal, and presentation formats, including high‑stakes incident or escalation scenarios.
• Proficiency in ITSM and PSA tools (e.g. Autotask, ServiceNow) and interpreting data from ticketing/reporting platforms.
• Budget management and resource planning experience, including rota development and capacity forecasting.
• Strong technical literacy across common service desk technologies (Microsoft 365, remote desktop tools, networking basics, endpoint support).
• Ability to lead process improvement and continuous service optimisation initiatives.
• Experience working under compliance standards (e.g. ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials+, GDPR).

Desirable:

• ITIL v4 certification at Managing Professional or Strategic Leader level.
• Experience introducing or managing automation, AI‑enhanced triage, or self‑service platforms in a service desk setting.
• Familiarity with RMM platforms and integrations into PSA/ITSM tools.

Who are we?

Aro has 25 years’ experience in Collaboration, Connectivity, Cloud and Infrastructure and Cyber Security services both in the UK and Internationally and has a nationwide presence with offices across the UK.

As one of the UK’s leading independent IT and communication experts our mission is to deliver a seamless technology experience to all end users. To make that vision a reality, we need bright, tenacious and inspiring talent to help drive our performance, growth and achieve this mission.

To make us successful we focus on strong communication, a culture based on fun, trust and collaboration. We have created a modern workplace environment, which is full of engaged, energetic, positive and curious people whose productivity, resilience and wellbeing allow them to thrive.

In 2021 we were awarded the People Insight’s Outstanding Workplace Award, which celebrates organisations building positive workplace cultures and acting on employee feedback to spark positive change.

Why Work for Aro?

At Aro we are committed to creating an excellent employee experience. Our employees, culture and additional benefits all make Aro a great place to work. Come join us!

We offer a wide range of benefits and incentives to our employees including:

• Company Pension Scheme and matching contributions
• Company Perks portal
• Private Medical insurance
• Life assurance
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays plus holiday trading
• Your Birthday off, on us!
• Health Club and Wellbeing Scheme
• Aro Shares after 12 months employment
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Technical Training Academy and E‑learning
• Hybrid working

If even 80% of this matches your experience and attributes, we would be delighted to hear from you.