Managed Operations Support Manager
Melrose Arch, Johannesburg | Permanent
About the Role
We are seeking an experienced and driven Managed Operations Support Manager to lead our Managed Operations support function and ensure the delivery of exceptional IT support services across a 24x7 customer environment.
This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for overseeing support operations, service performance, ticket governance, workforce planning, quality assurance, incident management, and continual service improvement. You will work closely with Service Managers, Technical Engineers, DevOps, Cloud Teams, and Customer Stakeholders to ensure excellent service delivery and customer satisfaction.
The ideal candidate is a strong operational leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment, has deep ITSM expertise, and is passionate about building high-performing support teams.
Key Responsibilities
Service Operations Leadership
- Lead and manage the Managed Operations Support Team in a 24x7 support environment.
- Oversee workload allocation, queue management, shift planning, and escalation readiness.
- Drive accountability for ticket ownership, SLA performance, and operational excellence.
- Coach, mentor, and develop support team members through regular performance management and skills development initiatives.
IT Service Management & Governance
- Own and optimise the Freshservice ITSM platform and associated support processes.
- Ensure effective ticket management, categorisation, prioritisation, and SLA compliance.
- Maintain high standards of ticket hygiene, documentation quality, and customer communication.
- Identify opportunities for automation and process improvement.
Incident & Escalation Management
- Coordinate high-priority incidents and major incident responses.
- Facilitate effective communication between support teams, engineers, vendors, and customers.
- Drive root cause analysis, problem management, and continual improvement initiatives.
Performance & Reporting
- Monitor and report on operational KPIs include:
- SLA achievement
- Resolution times
- Backlog management
- Customer satisfaction
- Ticket quality
- Escalation rates
- Provide meaningful insights and recommendations to senior leadership.
Customer Experience & Quality Assurance
- Ensure customers receive timely, professional, and proactive communication throughout the support lifecycle.
- Lead quality assurance initiatives and continuously improve service delivery standards.
- Foster a customer-first culture across the support team.
Requirements
Qualifications
- Diploma or Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Service Management, or a related field.
- ITIL 4 Foundation Certification (required).
- Freshservice administration/configuration experience or equivalent ITSM platform expertise.
Experience
- Minimum 5 years' experience in IT Service Management, Technical Support, Service Desk, or IT Operations.
- Minimum 3 years' experience leading or managing support or operations teams.
- Experience in a 24x7 support environment.
- Experience within a Managed Services Provider (MSP) or multi-customer support environment is highly advantageous.
- Strong background in incident management, service delivery, reporting, and continual service improvement.
Advantageous
- Experience in cloud operations, DevOps support models, and monitoring platforms.
- AWS, Azure, or GCP certifications.
Key Competencies
Operational Leadership
ITSM & Service Management Expertise
Incident & Escalation Management
Capacity & Resource Planning
Customer Relationship Management
Coaching & Team Development
Data-Driven Decision Making
Continuous Improvement Mindset
Process Automation & Optimisation
What Success Looks Like
- Consistent achievement of SLA and service delivery targets.
- High customer satisfaction scores.
- Well-managed support queues and balanced workload allocation.
- Strong ticket quality and governance.
- Effective incident response and problem management.
- Continuous improvements in operational efficiency, automation, and team performance.