Program Manager

Role Summary

The Service Desk Delivery Lead is accountable for end-to-end delivery of Service Desk operations across one or more client engagements, ensuring contractual SLAs, customer satisfaction, and operational excellence. This VP-level role owns the P&L, governance, and strategic relationship for assigned accounts, acting as the primary escalation point between the client and internal delivery teams.

Key Responsibilities

Delivery & Operations

• Own end-to-end Service Desk delivery (L1/L2 support) across assigned client accounts, ensuring SLA/KPI adherence (response time, resolution time, CSAT, FCR, abandonment rate)

• Drive operational reviews (daily/weekly/monthly) to track performance, capacity, and quality metrics

• Lead incident, problem, and major incident management processes in line with ITIL best practices

• Ensure staffing, shift planning, and resource utilization align with contracted volumes and seasonality

Client & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the primary point of contact for client stakeholders on delivery matters; build trusted, long-term relationships

• Lead governance calls, QBRs, and steering committee meetings, presenting performance, risks, and improvement plans

• Manage escalations, ensuring timely resolution and root-cause communication to clients

• Identify and pursue account growth opportunities (upsell/cross-sell) in partnership with sales/account management

P&L and Commercial Ownership

• Own the delivery P&L for assigned engagements, managing costs, margins, and productivity targets

• Support contract renewals, pricing discussions, and commercial negotiations

• Track and report utilization, attrition, and cost-to-serve metrics

Process Improvement & Transformation

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives (automation, self-service, knowledge management, AI/chatbot deployment) to improve efficiency and reduce cost-to-serve

• Champion adoption of ITSM tools (ServiceNow, Remedy, Jira Service Management, etc.) and reporting/analytics platforms

• Benchmark performance against industry standards and lead maturity assessments

Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop a multi-layered team (Team Leads, Shift Managers, Analysts) across geographies

• Build succession plans and drive engagement, retention, and capability-building initiatives

• Foster a culture of accountability, customer-centricity, and continuous learning

Risk, Compliance & Governance

• Ensure adherence to information security, data privacy, and client-specific compliance requirements

• Support audits (internal/external) and ensure timely closure of findings

Required Qualifications & Experience

• 15+ years in IT service desk / infrastructure support delivery, with 5+ years in a leadership/P&L-owning role

• Proven experience managing large, multi-shift service desk operations (500+ FTEs preferred) for global clients

• Strong background in ITIL processes (Incident, Problem, Change, Major Incident Management); ITIL certification preferred

• Demonstrated experience in client relationship management at senior stakeholder level (CIO/IT Director)

• Experience driving automation/AI-led transformation in service desk operations

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or equivalent management qualification preferred

Skills & Competencies

• Strong executive presence and stakeholder management skills

• Data-driven decision making; comfort with dashboards, SLA reporting, and analytics

• Excellent communication, negotiation, and conflict-resolution skills

• Ability to manage ambiguity and multiple concurrent client engagements

• Strong commercial acumen and P&L management experience

Key Metrics of Success

• SLA/KPI compliance across engagements

• Client CSAT/NPS scores

• Delivery margin and cost-to-serve improvement

• Employee engagement and attrition rates

• Successful contract renewals and account growth