Senior Manager, Desktop Support Services

University of Chicago•Middletown, PA

22h•Hybrid

About The Position

This Senior Manager provides strategic and operational oversight for the Desktop Support Services organization within Information Technology Services (ITS), the University’s central IT division. ITS partners with academic and administrative units across the institution to advance the University’s mission through the delivery of scalable, high-quality technology solutions. The Desktop Support Services organization serves a diverse constituency exceeding 2,000 end users, including executive leadership, administrative leadership, and mission-critical functional teams. The Senior Manager is accountable for the strategic direction, operational integrity, and continuous improvement of the University’s desktop support service delivery model. This role will champion a culture of service excellence, cultivate cross-functional partnerships throughout ITS and the broader institution, drive compliance with enterprise standards and Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and build a high-performing, future-ready team through intentional coaching, mentoring, and talent development.

Requirements

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.
Advanced proficiency in current Windows and Apple operating systems within enterprise environments.
Strong supervisory acumen combined with demonstrated financial management and resource planning capabilities.
Exceptional customer service orientation and executive-level communication skills, to build trust across diverse stakeholder groups.
Deep subject matter expertise in deskside and end-user technology, with a clear understanding of its strategic role within the broader enterprise IT ecosystem.
Sophisticated analytical and decision-making capabilities; navigate ambiguity and drive effective problem resolution.
Exemplary time management and organizational skills, with a strong emphasis on precision, accountability, and follow-through.
Highly developed active listening skills and the capacity to empathize with end users while maintaining focus on service outcomes and institutional objectives.
Outstanding ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical audiences in a clear, compelling, and accessible manner.
Proven ability to lead, inspire, and effectively oversee the performance of diverse technical teams.
A proactive, solutions-focused mindset with a strong disposition toward initiative and continuous improvement.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, electrical engineering, or a related field.
Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible experience in enterprise end-user computing and IT support, with a demonstrated track record of delivering high-quality service in complex, large-scale environments.
Minimum of 2 years of senior supervisory experience leading IT professionals, including demonstrated success driving organizational transformation and change management initiatives.
Demonstrated experience delivering deskside support services within a higher education or similarly complex institutional setting.

Responsibilities

Provides strategic leadership for a multidisciplinary team encompassing full-cycle talent management, including recruitment, onboarding, performance management, professional development, and succession planning; fosters an inclusive, high-accountability culture aligned with institutional values.
Thoughtfully assigns and directs personnel across support operations; conducts rigorous performance evaluations, and develops meaningful growth plans that align individual strengths with organizational objectives.
Designs and oversees targeted training and development programs for departmental staff and end users; establishes, maintains, and enforces PC policies, standards, and procedures in alignment with departmental and institutional goals.
Cultivates a collaborative, solution-oriented environment that proactively identifies and eliminates barriers to responsive, high-quality service delivery.
Ensures all phases of enterprise deskside support, including intake, escalation, resolution, and closure, are comprehensively coordinated, monitored, documented, and resolved in accordance with established standards and governance frameworks.
Assumes full accountability for the identification, triage, prioritization, and resolution of reported service issues, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and customer expectations.
Architects, implements, and continuously refines service delivery processes and operational frameworks to optimize efficiency, scalability, and end-user experience across the support organization.
Ensures service teams deliver timely, consistent, and appropriate responses to end-user support needs in full compliance with University security policies and enterprise governance requirements.
Leads the coordination and resolution of urgent and highly complex technical support situations, mobilizing resources and cross-functional expertise to minimize disruption and restore service continuity.
Serves as the senior escalation authority for complex, high-impact support issues, exercising sound judgment to drive timely, effective resolution and preserve end-user confidence.
Conducts root cause analysis of systemic and recurring incidents; synthesizes findings into actionable remediation strategies and communicates organizational impact to senior stakeholders with appropriate urgency and clarity.
Delivers executive-level reporting on key performance indicators, operational trends, and service-level performance; translates data-driven insights into strategic recommendations for continuous improvement.
Ensures the rigorous implementation and enforcement of enterprise security protocols; assesses and projects PC resource requirements, including personnel, software, hardware, and facilities, and translates findings into actionable recommendations for senior leadership, adapting departmental plans and priorities in response to evolving operational and resource challenges.
Maintains an unwavering commitment to confidentiality and the responsible stewardship.
Maintains comprehensive awareness of the evolving technology landscape; leads the evaluation, planning, and integration of emerging technologies, methodologies, and tools to advance deskside and end-user support capabilities, including systems development, data administration, capacity planning, and technical training.
Provides authoritative counsel to institutional leadership on the strategic utilization of personal computing assets, mobile technology platforms, and enterprise desktop applications to advance organizational effectiveness.
Develops and executes business plans to deliver innovative technical solutions that align with institutional strategic priorities and advance the ITS service delivery mission.
Ensure that the efforts of IT Field Support Services meet or exceed process, workflow, protocol, procedural, and standardization requirements of IT Services.
In conjunction with the other units within ITS, lead the exploration of new and/or replacement desktop support, self-service, problem resolution, knowledge base.
In alignment with campus IT strategy, IT Services' initiatives, research and teaching activities and broader academic goals, foster collaboration, build relationships and maintain partnerships specifically with (but not limited to) other organizations within IT Services, divisional and departmental IT units, vendors, clients, and staff.
Develop and manage the group's operating budget, create and maintain a staffing plan and professional development program, assess staff performance, and monitor productivity to best apply staff talent and experience to problems and projects.
Performs other related work as needed.