IT Service Desk Manager

The Manager, IT Service Desk leads HIC’s internal Service Desk function and is the primary internal point of contact for the IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) and Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP). The role is approximately 75% Service Desk operations and team leadership, 20% MSP/MSSP relationship management, and 5% compliance support. The role ensures HIC employees receive responsive, professional IT support and that day-to-day service issues with external providers are surfaced, tracked, and resolved.

This is a working manager / player-coach role. The Manager personally handles complex escalations, supervises a team of two Service Desk Analysts, and ensures that service requests, incidents, and small changes are completed on time, with quality, and in line with HIC standards., Service Desk Leadership & End-User Support ( 75%)

• Leads and develops a team of two (2) Service Desk Analysts; sets shift coverage, work assignments, and individual development plans.
• Acts as player-coach: personally handles complex tickets, VIP support, and escalations that exceed analyst capability.
• Owns ticket queue management, SLA performance, ticket prioritization, and escalation routing for both internal staff and the MSP.
• Manages end-user onboarding and offboarding (account provisioning, equipment issue/return, access setup, MFA enrollment) in partnership with HR and the MSP.
• Maintains the Service Desk knowledge base, runbooks, and standard operating procedures; coaches analysts to update documentation as part of their daily work.
• Tracks Service Desk KPIs (volume, first-contact resolution, time-to-resolve, CSAT) and reports them monthly to the CIO.
• Owns asset tracking for end-user hardware (laptops, monitors, peripherals) including procurement requests, warranty claims, and disposal.
• Drives continuous improvement of Service Desk processes - ticket templates, self-service options, common-issue automation - to reduce repeat tickets and improve user experience.

MSP & MSSP Relationship Management ( 20%)

• Serves as HIC’s primary day-to-day point of contact for the IT MSP (infrastructure) and IT MSSP (security).
• Reviews and validates MSP and MSSP work orders, change requests, and patch schedules before they touch the production environment.
• Provides Service Desk-level sign-off on patches and security policy pushes; coordinates pilot user validation and post-push monitoring.
• Tracks MSP and MSSP SLA performance, prepares scorecards, and raises performance or service concerns to the CIO for escalation.
• Participates in quarterly business reviews (QBRs) with the MSP and MSSP, prepared and facilitated by the CIO.
• Documents recurring issues, ticket trends, and root-cause patterns and shares them with the MSP/MSSP to drive permanent fixes.

Compliance & Audit Support ( 5%)

• Supports evidence collection for NYDFS 23 NYCRR 500, SOC 2, and internal audits as it relates to Service Desk activity (e.g., access provisioning logs, ticket records, asset records).
• Maintains accurate records of user access changes, MFA enrollment, and offboarding actions to support audit trails.
• Completes vendor security questionnaires for IT tools used directly by the Service Desk team, with review by the vCISO.
• Third-party vendor security audit program, with COO, vCISO, and CIO’s sponsorship.

Do you have experience in Vendor relationship management?, Do you have a Bachelor’s degree?, * Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.

• Five (5)+ years of progressive IT Service Desk experience, including at least two (2) years in a lead or supervisory role.
• Hands-on experience with a major ticketing platform (ServiceNow, ConnectWise, Freshservice, Zendesk, or similar).
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft 365, Active Directory / Entra ID, Windows endpoint support, and common business applications.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating with external IT vendors or managed service providers.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to translate technical issues for non-technical end users and executives., * Experience supporting a regulated employer (insurance, financial services, or healthcare).
• Familiarity with NYDFS 23 NYCRR 500, SOC 2, or similar regulatory frameworks (audit evidence collection, access reviews).
• ITIL Foundation certification or equivalent service management training.
• CompTIA A+, Network+, or Microsoft 365 certifications.
• Experience supporting a hybrid / on-site workforce in the New York City metro area.

3.33.3 out of 5 stars 3601 43rd Ave 2nd FL, Long Island City, NY 11101 Hybrid work $100,000 - $120,000 a year - Full-time, * On-site / hybrid work arrangement based at HIC headquarters in Long Island City, NY.

• Standard business hours with occasional after-hours coverage for incidents, patching windows, or planned changes.
• Occasional lifting of IT equipment (laptops, monitors, peripherals) up to 30 lbs.

Hereford Insurance Company is an equal opportunity employer. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required.