IT Support Team Lead (1st response) – DOTTL1STRESPONSE

Armstrong Appointments; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 400 000 - 550 000; Full time

Job summary

A managed IT services company is seeking an IT Support Team Lead based in South Africa, Gauteng. The successful candidate will lead the remote support team, ensuring high service standards and effective resolution of technical issues. Responsibilities include team leadership, SLA compliance, resource planning, and client relationship management. Required qualifications include ITIL 4 certification and CompTIA certifications, along with proven experience in a support role. This role emphasizes leadership, communication, and technical proficiency in IT support tools.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in an IT support role with team management.
• Strong technical skills and knowledge of IT systems, networks, and software.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the day-to-day activities of the remote support team.
• Ensure prompt and effective resolution of technical issues.
• Accountable for resource planning and team performance.
• Act as a key liaison between users, IT leadership, and external partners.
• Foster a culture of professionalism and ongoing development in the team.

Skills

Leadership and team management

Problem-solving and critical thinking

Customer service orientation

Basic principles of project management

Technical proficiency in IT support tools and systems (including ITSM)

Education

ITIL 4 Foundation Certification

CompTIA A+

CompTIA Network+

Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)

Microsoft 365 Fundamentals (MS-900)

Job description

Our client, a managed IT Services company are currently seeking the skills of an IT Support Team Lead (1st response) to be based in either Cape Town or Gauteng.

As the Team Lead for First Response, you will oversee the day-to-day activities of the remote support team, ensuring prompt and effective resolution of technical issues, maintaining high service standards and upholding the organisation’s reputation for excellence. You will be accountable for resource planning, team performance and the delivery of customer-focused support, while also acting as a key liaison between users, IT leadership and external partners. Your leadership will be instrumental in fostering a culture of professionalism, responsiveness and ongoing development within the first response support function.

Main job function

• Team Leadership & Development: Lead, coach and mentor the first response support engineers, fostering a high-performance, customer-focused culture.
• Service Delivery & Escalation Management: Oversee the delivery of remote technical support, ensuring timely and effective resolution of first-line and second-line issues, acting as the primary escalation point for complex or unresolved incidents.
• SLA & KPI Management: Monitor and ensure compliance with service level agreements and key performance indicators for first response support.
• Resource & Capacity Planning: Manage team schedules, shift rotas and leave bookings to ensure adequate remote coverage and optimal resource allocation.
• Collaboration & Communication: Coordinate with onsite, consultancy, commercial, procurement teams as well as third-party vendors and other departments to expedite issue resolution and deliver seamless support.
• Process Improvement & Compliance: Identify opportunities to enhance remote support processes, contribute to the development of best practices and ensure adherence to ITIL and organisational standards.
• Training & Knowledge Sharing: Organise and deliver training sessions for the team and end-users, promote knowledge sharing and support the professional growth of team members.
• Documentation & Reporting: Oversee the maintenance of accurate records for support requests, resolutions, asset management and team performance metrics.
• Security & Risk Management: Ensure the implementation of security protocols and compliance with organisational policies, supporting the protection of systems and data.
• Client Relationship Management: Act as a key point of contact for client stakeholders, building trusted relationships and ensuring satisfaction with remote IT services.
• Proactive Service Enhancement: Drive initiatives to improve the quality, efficiency and impact of first response support, contributing to the overall success of the IT function

Qualifications

Required:

• ITIL 4 Foundation Certification
• CompTIA A+
• CompTIA Network+
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
• Microsoft 365 Fundamentals (MS-900)

Desirable/Optional:

• Microsoft Certified: 365 Administrator (MS-102)
• Halo or other ITSM platform certifications

Criteria

• Proven experience in an IT support role, managing a team with at least 2–3 years in a leadership position.
• Strong technical skills and knowledge of IT systems, networks and software.
• Excellent organisational, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.

Skills

• Leadership and team management
• Problem-solving and critical thinking
• Customer service orientation
• Basic principles of project management
• Technical proficiency in IT support tools and systems (including ITSM)