Assistant Manager - IT Service Desk (Des Moines)

Principal Financial Group; Des Moines (IA); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 107,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Pension eligible

Job summary

Principal Financial Group in Des Moines, IA, is seeking a leader for the Level 2 Service Desk. You will guide escalation support, SME duties, and event support across the organization from a hybrid Des Moines office, while coaching staff and optimizing service delivery.

You will drive continuous improvement, automation, and AI initiatives, mentoring teammates and managing workload and SLAs to ensure a positive colleague experience and effective support outcomes.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in information technology, technical support, or service desk roles.
• Demonstrated leadership and employee development capabilities.
• Experience supporting escalated technical issues in a tiered support model.
• Strong customer service orientation and commitment to operational excellence.
• Ability to prioritize work and balance competing demands.
• Proven problem-solving, decision-making, and conflict resolution skills.
• Strong communication skills for leaders and stakeholders.
• Ability to analyze metrics and drive performance improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Level 2 Service Desk team and achieve operational objectives.
• Coach and manage performance, including salary administration and planning.
• Hire and onboard staff; support workforce planning and engagement.
• Oversee daily Level 2 operations and SLA adherence; manage escalations to Level 3.
• Drive automation/AI initiatives using ticket data and recurring issues.
• Produce team performance reporting and metrics.
• Collaborate with stakeholders and vendors to improve coverage and handoffs.

Skills

Team leadership

Escalation management

Customer service

Operational planning

Problem solving

Data-driven improvement

Verbal communication

Written communication

Mentoring

Automation & AI interest

Job description

What You'll Do

This person will lead the Level 2 Service Desk team responsible for delivering high-quality escalation support, subject matter expertise, and event support across the organization. Oversees daily operations, workforce planning, service delivery, and employee development to ensure timely issue resolution and a positive colleague experience. Provides coaching and guidance to team members, resolves escalated issues, and drives continuous improvement, automation, and AI efforts to enhance service effectiveness and efficiency.

Essential Functions

Team Leadership (50%)

• Directly leads the Level 2 Service Desk team, ensuring achievement of team goals and operational objectives.
• Provides coaching, feedback, and performance management, including salary administration, disciplinary action, and conflict resolution.
• Coaches technicians on career growth and skill development, including development plans, progression along the IT Service Desk career path, and cross‑training.
• Leads hiring and onboarding of contract and full‑time staff, and supports workforce planning and employee engagement activities.
• Fosters an inclusive, customer‑focused environment that promotes accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Conducts performance reviews and creates development plans to strengthen capabilities and support retention efforts.

Operational Execution & Service Delivery (25%)

• Oversees daily Level 2 operations, ensuring escalated requests are handled efficiently and service level expectations are achieved.
• Monitors team workload, staffing coverage, ticket queues, SLAs, and operational metrics in partnership with the workflow coordinators.
• Oversees Level 2 support areas, including subject matter expert duties, Teams live events, auditorium event support, and project work.
• Owns ticket escalations from Level 1 and manages escalations to Level 3 teams to ensure timely resolution.
• Allocates resources and adjusts priorities to address changing business needs and service demand.
• Produces and shares team performance reporting and metrics.

Continuous Improvement, Automation & Problem Resolution (10%)

• Identifies operational challenges, service trends, and process improvement opportunities.
• Drives the Level 2 automation and AI agenda by using ticket data and repeat issues to find and prioritize opportunities, then partners with automation, AI, and platform teams to deliver them.
• Leads team adoption of new processes, tools, and automation, and measures results such as hours saved, ticket deflection, and resolution time.
• Supports implementation of standard operating procedures and best practices that improve service quality and efficiency.

Stakeholder & Customer Support (10%)

• Serves as an escalation point for complex customer issues and service concerns.
• Partners with internal business stakeholders, global Service Desk leaders, ISR, infrastructure teams, and vendors to resolve issues and improve coverage and handoffs.
• Communicates service updates, priorities, and operational impacts to employees and stakeholders as needed.
• Builds strong working relationships that support effective service delivery and customer satisfaction.

Other Duties (5%)

• Participates in departmental initiatives, projects, and special assignments.
• Supports organizational and technology changes affecting Service Desk operations.
• Carries out Level 2 responsibilities within Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plans.
• Performs additional responsibilities as assigned.

Who You Are

• 5+ years of information technology, technical support, or service desk experience demonstrated through one or a combination of work experience, military experience, training, or education.
• Demonstrated leadership and employee development capabilities.
• Experience supporting escalated technical issues in a tiered (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3) support model.
• Strong customer service orientation and commitment to operational excellence.
• Ability to prioritize work, allocate resources, and balance competing demands.
• Effective problem‑solving, decision‑making, and conflict resolution skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present information to leaders and stakeholders.
• Ability to analyze operational metrics and use data to drive performance improvements.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information appropriately.
• Prior experience leading people directly or indirectly.
• Experience managing operational workflows, customer support functions, or service delivery activities.
• Knowledge of IT service management principles and service desk operations.
• Interest in and ability to identify process improvement, automation, and AI opportunities, and willingness to build skills in these areas.

Preferred

• Track record of identifying and delivering automation or AI‑enabled improvements in IT support.

Working Conditions

• Participation in the leader on‑call rotation.
• Some travel may be required, including overnight stays.
• Must be able to lift 25 pounds as a physical requirement of the position.

Salary Range Information

Salary ranges below reflect targeted base salaries. Non‑sales positions have the opportunity to participate in a bonus program. Sales positions are eligible for sales incentives, and in some instances a bonus plan, whereby total compensation may far exceed base salary depending on individual performance. Actual compensation for all roles will be based upon geographic location, work experience, education, licensure requirements and/or skill level and will be finalized at the time of offer.

Salary Range (Non‑Exempt expressed as hourly; Exempt expressed as yearly)

$85000 - $107000 / year

Time Off Program

Flexible Time Off (FTO) is provided to salaried (exempt) employees and provides the opportunity to take time away from the office with pay for vacation, personal or short‑term illness. Employees don't accrue a bank of time off under FTO and there is no set number of days provided.

Pension Eligible

Yes

Work Environment

This role is located in our Des Moines office. We offer a hybrid work arrangement with 3-days in the office and 2-days remotely.

Work Authorization/Sponsorship

At this time, we're not considering candidates that need any type of immigration sponsorship now or in the future or those needing work authorization for this role. (This includes, but is not limited to students on F1-OPT, F1-CPT, J-1, etc.)

Nonimmigrant Workers and Green Card for Employment‑Based Immigrants

Investment Code of Ethics

For Principal Global Investors positions, you'll need to follow an Investment Code of Ethics related to personal and business conduct as well as personal trading activities for you and members of your household. These same requirements may also apply to other positions across the organization.

Experience Principal

At Principal, we value connecting on both a personal and professional level. Together, we're imagining a more purpose‑led future for financial services – and that starts with you. Our success depends on the unique experiences, backgrounds, and talents of our employees. And we support our employees the same way we support our customers: with comprehensive, competitive benefit offerings crafted to protect their physical, financial, and social well‑being. Check out our careers site to learn more about our purpose, values and benefits.

Principal is an Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Posting Window

We will accept applications for 3 full days following the Original Posting Date, after which the posting may remain open or be removed based upon applications received. If we choose to post the job again, we will accept additional applications for at least 1 full day following the Most Recently Posted Date. Please submit applications in a timely manner as there is no guarantee the posting will be available beyond the applicable deadline.

Original Posting Date

10/8/2026

Most Recently Posted Date

10/8/2026

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