Associate Director, IT Service Desk

Humana; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 118,000 - 162,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision benefits

401(k) retirement savings plan

Paid time off and holidays

Job summary

Humana, a leading US healthcare company, seeks an Associate Director to drive IT service delivery across key platforms. You will lead enterprise Service Desk operations, problem and incident management, and a hybrid workforce of internal staff and partners.

The role emphasizes optimizing service delivery, advancing AI-enabled support and automation, and leveraging analytics to align operations with business goals and cost efficiency.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years in IT operations, Digital Workplace, End User Support, Service Management or related tech disciplines.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing operational teams, vendors, or outsourced providers.
• Experience leading enterprise Service Desk, End User Support, Digital Workplace, or support operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise L1 support functions, including Service Desk Operations and escalation management.
• Provide leadership for a hybrid workforce of internal associates and managed service partners.
• Develop strategies to improve support effectiveness and optimize service delivery costs.
• Drive AI-enabled support, automation, self-service adoption, and knowledge management.
• Lead vendor governance, contract negotiations, and transitions; ensure performance and compliance.

Skills

IT operations leadership

End User Support

Service Management

Digital Workplace

Vendor management

Analytics & financial management

Stakeholder influence

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

ServiceNow

Nexthink

Genesys

Job description

Become a part of our caring community The Associate Director, Problem, Incident and Event Management drives technical support teams to recover services during periods of service disruption or outages to key technology platforms/applications. The Associate Director, Problem, Incident and Event Management requires a solid understanding of how organization capabilities interrelate across department(s). The Associate Director, IT Service Desk & Digital Workplace Support is accountable for operational performance across enterprise support services, including Service Desk operations, service escalation management, affiliate support integration, vendor governance, workforce planning, and service delivery optimization. This leader directs a hybrid support model consisting of internal associates and managed service providers and is responsible for achieving service quality, customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and financial objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise L1 support functions, including Service Desk Operations, Service Escalation Management, and affiliate support teams.
• Provide leadership for a hybrid workforce consisting of internal associates and managed service partners supporting enterprise technology services.
• Develop and execute strategies that improve support effectiveness, enhance associate experience, and optimize service delivery costs.
• Drive support transformation initiatives, including AI-enabled support, automation, self-service adoption, knowledge management, Digital Workplace modernization, and workforce optimization.
• Identify and execute shift-left opportunities that reduce reliance on higher-cost support tiers while improving resolution speed and customer outcomes.
• Lead integration and consolidation efforts for affiliate and subsidiary support organizations into Humana's enterprise support operating model.
• Provide executive oversight of managed service providers, ensuring vendor performance, service quality, contractual compliance, and attainment of business outcomes.
• Lead vendor contract negotiations, renewals, commercial discussions, service expansions, and transition planning activities.
• Partner with sourcing, procurement, and technology leaders to optimize vendor investments and identify opportunities for operational efficiencies and cost savings.
• Oversee service transitions, organizational changes, and support model transformations while minimizing disruption to associates and business operations.
• Establish operational governance, performance metrics, and continuous improvement programs that drive accountability and service excellence.
• Leverage analytics and operational insights to inform strategic decisions and prioritize improvement opportunities.
• Use your skills to make an impact

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 8+ years of experience in IT operations, Digital Workplace, End User Support, Service Management, or related technology disciplines.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing operational teams, managers, vendors, or outsourced service providers.
• Experience leading enterprise Service Desk, End User Support, Digital Workplace, or support operations organizations.
• Experience managing large-scale vendor relationships and service delivery contracts.
• Experience leading organizational transformation, service modernization, or operational improvement initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to influence leaders and stakeholders across complex organizations.
• Strong analytical, financial, and operational management skills.
• Experience utilizing metrics, reporting, and service performance data to drive business outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience overseeing large managed service environments and hybrid workforce models.
• Experience with AI-enabled support, virtual agents, automation, agent-assist technologies, or modern self-service capabilities.
• Experience leading support consolidations, shared service implementations, mergers, acquisitions, or affiliate integrations.
• Experience negotiating vendor contracts, managing commercial relationships, and leading vendor transitions.Experience with ServiceNow, Nexthink, and Genesys platforms.
• ITIL v5 certification or equivalent Service Management experience.
• Experience developing Digital Workplace strategies and support modernization roadmaps.
• Healthcare industry experience.
• Experience leading workforce optimization, support transformation, and cost reduction initiatives.

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Pay Range

The compensation range below reflects a good faith estimate of starting base pay for full time (40 hours per week) employment at the time of posting. The pay range may be higher or lower based on geographic location and individual pay will vary based on demonstrated job related skills, knowledge, experience, education, certifications, etc. $117,600 - $161,700 per year This job is eligible for a bonus incentive plan. This incentive opportunity is based upon company and/or individual performance.

Description of Benefits

Humana, Inc. and its affiliated subsidiaries (collectively, "Humana") offers competitive benefits that support whole-person well-being. Associate benefits are designed to encourage personal wellness and smart healthcare decisions for you and your family while also knowing your life extends outside of work.

• medical, dental and vision benefits
• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• time off (including paid time off, company and personal holidays, paid parental and caregiver leave)
• short-term and long-term disability
• life insurance
• many other opportunities

About Us

About Humana: Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is a leading U.S. healthcare company. Through our Humana insurance services and our CenterWell healthcare services, we make it easier for the millions of people we serve to achieve their best health – delivering the care and service they need, when they need it. These efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare and Medicaid, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large. Learn more about what we offer at Humana.com and at CenterWell.com.

Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of Humana not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status. It is also the policy of Humana to take affirmative action, in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and VEVRAA, to employ and to advance in employment individuals with disability or protected veteran status, and to base all employment decisions only on valid job requirements. This policy shall apply to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, upgrading, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, recall, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation and selection for training, including apprenticeship, at all levels of employment.