Manager – Service Desk

WHO ARE WE?
Since launching in Kuwait in 2004, talabat, the leading on-demand food and
Q-commerce app for everyday deliveries, has been offering convenience and reliability
to its customers. talabat’s local roots run deep, offering a real understanding of the needs of the communities we serve in eight countries across the region. We harness innovative technology and knowledge to simplify everyday life for our customers, optimize operations for our restaurants and local shops, and provide our
riders with reliable earning opportunities daily. Here at talabat, we are building a high performance culture through engaged workforce and growing talent density. We're all about keeping it real and making a difference. Our
6,000+ strong talabaty are on an awesome mission to spread positive vibes. We are proud to be a multi great place to work award winner.

Job Summary:
This leadership role is a key position within the IT organization, responsible for owning and overseeing the operations and performance of the Global Service Desk (GSD) at Talabat. The Manager – Service Desk ensures timely, high-quality, efficient, and practical technical support to all users across various locations, markets, and time zones.

The role acts as a bridge between senior management and frontline engineers, driving operational excellence and continuous improvement in end-user support. The leader is required to possess exceptional communication, technical, and problem-solving skills to ensure consistent adherence to ITIL and industry-standard service management principles.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Operational & Service Leadership

• Own the performance, maturity, and day-to-day operations of the Service Desk function.

• Develop, implement, and ensure adherence to service desk policies, procedures, and best practices.

• Ensure the service catalog meets business needs and is delivered in accordance with defined Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

• Set operational targets and KPIs, ensuring alignment with overall IT Service Delivery objectives.

• Act as the final escalation point for critical service issues and major incidents, driving post-incident reviews and facilitating clear communication during these events.

• Lead capacity planning, resource modeling, and ensure effective shift patterns and coverage across markets.

2. Incident, Request, and Problem Management

• Oversee the handling of incidents, service requests, and inquiries through effective ticketing systems, ensuring resolution adheres to defined SLAs.

• Monitor ticket queues, workload distribution, and manage escalation paths to local IT Service Delivery (L2/ITSD) teams, Infrastructure teams, or the next level of support personnel (L3/Service Owners).

• Ensure ITIL processes (Incident, Request, and Problem Management) are consistently applied.

• Monitor incident trends, identify root causes, and implement preventive measures.

3. Team & People Management

• Lead, motivate, and manage a diverse team of system administrators, coordinating with local Service Desk Leads.

• Supervise day-to-day team operations, set performance goals, conduct regular performance evaluations and 1:1s, and provide guidance, coaching, and feedback.

• Lead the recruitment, selection, and onboarding of Service Desk personnel.

• Promote a customer-centric and high-performing support culture, fostering an "Own It" mindset and supporting career development.

4. Continuous Improvement & Reporting

• Establish, analyze, and present key performance indicators (KPIs) such as First Contact Resolution (FCR), Mean Time To Resolve (MTTR), and Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores, translating these metrics into strategic business value and risk statements for management.

• Proactively identify opportunities for process improvement, automation, and "shift-left" services (e.g., L1/GSD to self-service or L2/L3 to L1/GSD) to optimize service delivery and reduce ticket volume.

• Continuously improve customer satisfaction levels by enhancing service delivery, gathering, and analyzing user feedback.

• Contribute to Service Improvement Plans (SIPs) and new service transitions.

5. Knowledge & Tools Management

• Develop, maintain, and oversee a comprehensive knowledge base and Self-Service Portal for service desk staff and end-users.

• Ensure accurate configuration of ITSM tools, including queues, automation rules, and reporting dashboards.

• Promote knowledge-sharing and training initiatives to enhance the team's technical skills.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Proven minimum of 5 years of experience in managing global/regional IT Service Delivery (ITSD) operations, with 6–8 years of overall IT Service Delivery/IT Support experience. At least 2 years in a Service Desk lead role.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.

• Expert-level proficiency in the ITIL v4 framework and a solid understanding of ITIL principles. Experience with ITSM tools (preferably Jira Service Management).

• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills. Strong problem-solving abilities and a customer-centric approach.

• Strong technical knowledge across Microsoft 365, Windows/macOS, endpoint management, JIRA Service Desk, Confluence, Google Workspace, and Slack. Experience with asset management, account provisioning, and identity/access management (e.g., Intune, Azure AD, PIM) is a plus.

• ITIL v4 Managing Professionals (preferred). Other relevant ITIL certifications are a plus.