Helpdesk manager job description.
Hiring a helpdesk manager or stepping into team leadership? This helpdesk manager job description explains what’s involved in managing a support desk — from leading a team and maintaining SLAs to training, reporting, and performance management. It also covers skills needed and pay expectations.
What does a helpdesk manager do?
A helpdesk manager oversees the daily operations of a service desk or support team, ensuring that user issues are resolved quickly and efficiently. They manage workloads, performance metrics, and team development.
Core duties include handling escalations, monitoring ticket queues, implementing service improvements, and reporting on helpdesk KPIs. They also liaise with IT management to align support with business needs.
In smaller companies, the role may be hands-on. In larger organisations, helpdesk managers focus on service strategy, coaching teams, and integrating with ITIL or other support frameworks.
Key responsibilities of a helpdesk manager.
Helpdesk managers oversee the IT support desk to ensure user satisfaction and efficient ticket resolution. Their responsibilities include:
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Managing 1st and 2nd line support teams and day-to-day helpdesk operations
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Monitoring ticket queues, response times, and SLA adherence
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Coaching and mentoring support staff to improve performance
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Implementing helpdesk procedures, workflows, and escalation paths
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Reporting on helpdesk metrics to IT leadership
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Handling high-priority incidents and customer complaints
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Ensuring documentation is up to date and knowledge bases are maintained
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Managing onboarding processes and standard operating procedures
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Liaising with infrastructure and security teams on systemic issues
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Supporting training and user education across the organisation
This role combines service leadership, team management, and operational efficiency.
Skills and requirements for a helpdesk manager.
Helpdesk managers lead support desk teams to deliver responsive service. Employers typically look for:
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4–7 years of experience in IT support, service desk, or technical operations
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Proven experience leading small technical or support teams
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Strong understanding of ticketing systems and SLAs
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Ability to coach and develop support engineers and analysts
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Skilled in scheduling, workload management, and issue resolution
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Experience improving ticket processes and documentation standards
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Comfortable reporting KPIs and performance metrics to leadership
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Strong customer service and user communication focus
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Confidence managing incidents, outages, or escalations
Most helpdesk managers report to IT leadership and focus on service delivery and user satisfaction.
Average salary for a helpdesk manager.
In the UK, the average salary for a helpdesk manager typically ranges from £38,000 to £55,000, depending on team size, shift management, and service metrics.
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Mid-level helpdesk managers earn between £38,000 and £46,000
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Senior managers overseeing 24/7 support or multi-location teams may earn between £47,000 and £55,000
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Bonuses or uplifts may be linked to SLA performance or client satisfaction scores
Roles in MSPs, retail, and multinational service desks offer top-end pay.
Career progression for a helpdesk manager.
A helpdesk manager leads the IT support desk, ensuring issue resolution, user satisfaction, and team performance. This people-focused role often transitions into broader IT operations leadership. A typical path includes:
IT support technician / 1st line support
Resolves user issues and logs incidents accurately.
2nd / 3rd line support
Handles more complex escalations and system-level challenges.
Helpdesk manager
Manages team schedules, reporting, ticket systems, and service delivery standards.
IT support manager
Oversees broader service functions, including infrastructure and user strategy.
Head of IT / IT director
Owns technology delivery across the business and aligns support with commercial goals.
salary guide
Our UK IT salary guide.
Helpdesk managers lead first-line support teams, oversee SLAs, and ensure fast issue resolution. Salary should reflect team scale, service performance, and user satisfaction.
Our UK IT salary guide provides up-to-date salary benchmarks, 2024 comparisons, and 2026 outlooks to help shape support leadership offers.
FAQS
Helpdesk manager FAQs.
They manage the helpdesk team — monitoring ticket queues, ensuring SLAs are met, and allocating resources to balance workloads. They also escalate recurring issues to IT leadership for long-term fixes.
Helpdesk managers are usually more operational, focusing on frontline support processes. IT support Managers often own broader team structures, tooling, and strategic service improvements.
Experience leading IT support teams, strong communication skills, and fluency with service desk software. A focus on improving first-contact resolution and team development is also key.
Ticket backlog, average resolution time, first-call resolution rate, internal satisfaction scores (CSAT), and team productivity. High-performing managers also reduce repeat tickets and streamline workflows.
Progression can include IT support manager, service delivery manager, or infrastructure lead — especially if the candidate has experience across tooling and incident management.
