Manager, Service Desk

AV; Herndon (VA); On-site; USD 118,000 - 179,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401K with company match

9/80 schedule

Holiday shutdown

Job summary

AV is hiring a Manager, Service Desk to lead daily operations and frontline staff in delivering timely technical assistance. You will govern incident lifecycle, queue management, SLA tracking, and ITIL-compliant processes across the organization.

The role includes SOP development, capacity planning, trend analysis, and mentoring staff to sustain high service levels. Hands-on support for critical escalations is expected when needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in IT or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 5–7 years IT Service Desk / Technical Support experience.
• 2–4 years supervisory or team-lead experience.
• 5+ years supporting enterprise desktop and mobile platforms.
• Experience administering enterprise ticketing platforms.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily Service Desk operations and staff performance.
• Enforce SLAs and monitor incident priorities and resolutions.
• Document SOPs, triage, escalate, and resolve requests.
• Analyze trends, implement fixes, and coach team to improve service levels.
• Provide hands-on support for escalated issues as needed.

Skills

People management

ITIL knowledge

Incident management

SLA tracking

Operational leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field

Tools

ServiceNow

Jira Service Management

Ivanti

VMware Workspace ONE

Microsoft Intune/MECM

Job description

Job Description

The primary role of the Manager, Service Desk is to oversee daily Service Desk operations and frontline staff, ensuring end users receive timely, high-quality technical assistance. This role manages all procedures related to the identification, prioritization, assignment, and resolution of incidents and requests, including queue monitoring, SLA tracking, and operational coordination. The Manager, Service Desk executes established ITIL processes, asset management workflows, and service metrics across the organization. This individual implements standard operating procedures, conducts capacity planning, performs trend analysis, and coaches staff to achieve consistent service levels. The Manager, Service Desk also actively contributes to escalated problem resolution by providing direct, hands‑on technical support when necessary.

Worker Type

Regular

Summary

The primary role of the Manager, Service Desk is to oversee daily Service Desk operations and frontline staff, ensuring end users receive timely, high-quality technical assistance. This role manages all procedures related to the identification, prioritization, assignment, and resolution of incidents and requests, including queue monitoring, SLA tracking, and operational coordination. The Manager, Service Desk executes established ITIL processes, asset management workflows, and service metrics across the organization. This individual implements standard operating procedures, conducts capacity planning, performs trend analysis, and coaches staff to achieve consistent service levels. The Manager, Service Desk also actively contributes to escalated problem resolution by providing direct, hands‑on technical support when necessary.

Position Responsibilities

• Aligns daily Service Desk operations with IT leadership’s strategy, communicating operational updates, service metrics, and team performance to leadership.
• Enforces Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to maintain expected problem resolution timeframes and customer satisfaction standards.
• Implements and maintains standard operating procedures outlining how incidents and service requests are logged, triaged, escalated, and resolved.
• Analyzes daily and weekly Service Desk activity, identifies recurring bottlenecks or incident trends, and implements operational fixes.
• Conducts regular performance evaluations, 1-on-1 coaching, and goal setting for Service Desk technicians and support staff.
• Monitors team operational expenditures and provides input into annual hardware, software, and staffing budget forecasts.
• Administers and optimizes ticketing system workflows, request catalogs, and asset tracking configurations based on operational needs.
• Evaluates Service Desk software, endpoint utilities, and hardware peripherals in coordination with IT procurement and vendor contacts.
• Coordinates purchasing, provisioning, and deployment tasks for end-user computing hardware and peripherals.
• Supervises a distributed/multi-site technical support team, managing shift schedules, ticket routing, and escalation coverage.
• Ensures prompt, professional, and effective resolution of Tier 1–Tier 3 tickets across enterprise applications and hardware.
• Develops and maintains end-user knowledge bases, self-service portals, FAQs, and internal technical runbooks.
• Onboards, trains, and mentors junior technicians to enhance technical competency and service delivery quality.
• Provides hands‑on, in‑person, and remote troubleshooting support for executive and high‑priority technical escalations.
• Represents the Service Desk team in Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings to review upcoming changes and assess operational impact.

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field (or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience).
• Minimum of 5–7 years of experience in IT Service Desk / Technical Support environments.
• Minimum of 2–4 years of direct supervisory or team lead experience managing IT support personnel.
• 5+ years of hands‑on experience supporting enterprise desktop and mobile platforms (Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux).
• Demonstrated experience administering and configuring enterprise ticketing platforms (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, Ivanti).
• Working knowledge of enterprise endpoint management and software deployment tools (e.g., VMware Workspace ONE, Microsoft Intune/MECM, Ivanti EPM).
• Proven track record of monitoring, meeting, and reporting on ITIL-aligned SLAs and operational KPIs.
• 40-hour on-site work week with flexibility for on‑call escalations when required.

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• ITIL Foundation Certification (v3 or v4) required; Intermediate ITIL/ITSM knowledge preferred.
• Experience managing distributed, remote, or multi‑site support teams preferred.
• Strong customer‑service mindset with solid verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Proven analytical, troubleshooting, and root‑cause analysis skills.
• Ability to effectively prioritize, delegate, and execute operational tasks in a dynamic environment.
• Solid relationship management skills with the ability to translate technical concepts into user‑friendly guidance.
• Occasional domestic travel may be required.

Physical Demands

• Ability to work in an office environment (Constant).
• Required to sit and stand for long periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone equipment (Frequent).
• Must be able to lift and move up to 30 pounds of IT hardware and peripherals (computers, monitors, docking stations).

Special Requirements

• U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (Green Card holder), or asylee/refugee status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) required.

Clearance Level

No Clearance

The Salary Range For This Role Is

$117,500 - $179,250

ITAR Requirement

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A ‘U.S. person’ according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR.

• 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

Benefits

AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule and a paid holiday shutdown.

We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us.

About AV

AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission‑obsessed. The best of the best.

We don’t just build defense technology—we redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI‑powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve.

Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we’re not building history, we’re building what’s next.

If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.

ITAR

U.S. Citizenship required