IT Service Desk Manager

<p><strong>SUMMARY</strong></p> <p>The IT Service Desk Manager is responsible for leading a geographically distributed service desk team— spanning Chicago, New York, and offshore team members — and ensuring the firm’s end users receive exceptional technical support across hardware, enterprise software, and an increasingly AI-powered technology stack. This is a hands-on, player-coach role requiring both strong technical depth and the ability to manage, coach, and develop a high-performing team.</p> <p>The ideal candidate will bring a white-glove service mindset, a broad and current knowledge of enterprise technologies, and the flexibility to operate effectively across a wide range of situations — from complex infrastructure escalations to providing discreet, high-priority support for senior leadership and other VIP stakeholders. The IT Service Desk Manager will drive service quality, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement, and will serve as a key partner to other IT disciplines in the delivery of end user technology and automation initiatives.</p> <p>This role reports to the Executive Director, IT Infrastructure &amp; Support and as an onsite/hybrid employee, you are expected to be in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>RESPONSIBILITIES</strong></p> <ul> <li>Lead, manage, and develop a geographically distributed service desk team across Chicago, New York, and offshore team members, ensuring consistent service quality and team cohesion across all locations.</li> <li>Serve as the primary escalation point for complex technical issues, providing hands-on Tier 2/3 support and coaching team members through resolution of challenging problems.</li> <li>Deliver white-glove, high-touch IT support for executive leadership and other VIP stakeholders, maintaining discretion, urgency, and professionalism at all times.</li> <li>Monitor and manage the service desk queue to ensure issues and requests are appropriately triaged, prioritized, and resolved within established SLAs.</li> <li>Provide regular reporting and metrics on service desk performance, including ticket volume, resolution times, customer satisfaction, and SLA adherence; present findings and recommendations to IT leadership.</li> <li>Establish and maintain training plans for service desk team members, ensuring knowledge stays current across a rapidly evolving technology landscape including AI tools, cloud platforms, and endpoint technologies.</li> <li>Hire, onboard, and continuously develop service desk staff and third-party partners, including offshore and after-hours support resources.</li> <li>Maintain and expand the firm’s self-service knowledgebase for end users and internal knowledgebase for service desk staff, ensuring documentation is accurate, current, and actionable.</li> <li>Define, document, and continuously improve service desk processes; identify and implement automation and self-service solutions to improve efficiency and the end user experience.</li> <li>Support the rollout, adoption, and ongoing support of AI productivity tools (e.g., Fireflies AI, Claude, ChatGPT), coordinating training, troubleshooting, and user enablement across the firm.</li> <li>Assist in evaluating, selecting, and sourcing end user equipment and enterprise software, including participation in asset lifecycle management and technology refresh planning.</li> <li>Proactively identify the need for hardware and software upgrades, configuration changes, or new systems and escalate or act accordingly.</li> <li>Drive or contribute to projects related to service desk operations and end user technology, collaborating cross-functionally with Infrastructure, Security, and business stakeholders.</li> <li>Provide direct end user support for hardware and enterprise software as needed, maintaining hands-on technical fluency.</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>EDUCATION, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS</strong></p> <ul> <li>College coursework in pursuit of a B.A./B.S. degree with a concentration in Business, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field preferred.</li> <li>Microsoft 365 suite administration (Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive).</li> <li>Microsoft Intune / Endpoint Manager for device management and policy enforcement.</li> <li>Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) and Active Directory.</li> <li>Configuration/Infrastructure-As-Code experience (Simeon Cloud or similar software).</li> <li>Windows 11 and Server operating systems.</li> <li>Familiarity and working knowledge of Azure and AWS cloud environments.</li> <li>Virtualization platforms (VMware or equivalent).</li> <li>Networking fundamentals (DNS, DHCP, VPN, firewall concepts).</li> <li>Security tooling and endpoint protection platforms.</li> <li>Zscaler or equivalent cloud security platforms.</li> <li>Video conferencing platforms and AV systems (Zoom, Microsoft Teams).</li> <li>Jira Service Management and the broader Atlassian toolset (Jira, Confluence) for ITSM and knowledge management.</li> <li>Scripting for automation and task management (PowerShell strongly preferred; Python a plus).</li> <li>Dell and Apple laptop hardware and peripherals.</li> <li>Familiarity with AI productivity and collaboration tools such as Claude AI, ChatGPT, Glean, Fireflies AI, and Gemini.</li> <li>Ability and desire to experiment and build tools/agents using AI platforms to automate service desk operations which improve efficiency.</li> <li>An ability to support end user adoption of AI tools, including troubleshooting, training facilitation, and documentation.</li> <li>A genuine interest in AI capabilities and a willingness to develop expertise as the firm’s AI tool portfolio evolves.</li> <li>Exceptional flexibility and adaptability; able to shift priorities quickly in response to business needs.</li> <li>Superior customer service mindset with a white-glove approach to end user support, especially for senior stakeholders.</li> <li>Strong problem-solving skills with creative, process-improvement orientation.</li> <li>Excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to translate technical concepts clearly for non-technical audiences.</li> <li>Highly organized, self-directed, and capable of managing multiple competing priorities without loss of quality.</li> <li>Demonstrated team player with the ability to build and sustain positive relationships across the technology team and the firm.</li> <li>High degree of professional discretion; comfortable handling sensitive or confidential matters with appropriate care.</li> <li>MacOS and Apple iOS device support is a plus.</li> <li>ITIL certification or demonstrated familiarity with ITIL/ITSM principles is a plus.</li> <li>Microsoft Certifications is a plus.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The successful candidate will be self-motivated and energized by working among a group of thoughtful, driven, and collaborative colleagues. They will thrive in an organization that holds itself to a high standard and values both individual initiative and team cohesion. They will bring a proactive mindset, exercise sound judgment, and approach their work with integrity and a genuine commitment to excellence.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>AT A GLANCE – GCM’s Information Technology Organization</strong></p> <ul> <li>A forward-leaning technology team embedded within a leading global alternative asset management firm.</li> <li>Cloud-first infrastructure with virtually all firm systems hosted on Microsoft Azure and AWS.</li> <li>Actively investing in AI tooling and automation across the firm, including AI transcription, AI-assisted productivity, and intelligent workflow solutions.</li> <li>Modern engineering practices including infrastructure-as-code, continuous integration, and cross-functional team ownership.</li> <li>A strong team culture that values adaptability, candid feedback, and continuous learning.</li> <li>Teams are empowered by management to take ownership of their domains and deliver meaningful outcomes for the business.</li> </ul><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="description"><p>Actual base salary may vary based on factors such as individual's experience, skills, and qualifications for the role.&nbsp; Employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus based on factors such as individual, team, and company performance as well as a comprehensive benefits package.</p></div><div class="title">CHICAGO ANNUAL PAY RANGE</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$135,000</span><span class="divider">&mdash;</span><span>$165,000 USD</span></div></div></div><div class="content-conclusion"><p><strong>ABOUT THE FIRM</strong></p> <p>GCM Grosvenor (Nasdaq: GCMG) is a global alternative asset management solutions provider with approximately $91 billion in assets under management across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and absolute return investment strategies.</p> <p>The firm has specialized in alternatives for more than 54 years and has a diverse, engaged team of approximately 560 professionals serving a global client base. Eligible employees can elect to participate in comprehensive healthcare coverage (including medical, dental, vision and life insurance), flexible spending accounts, and the employer sponsored retirement plan.&nbsp; Additionally, employees are eligible for paid time off, parental leave, short-term and long-term disability, as well as other care/wellness programs.</p> <p>The firm is headquartered in Chicago, with offices in New York, Toronto, London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, and Sydney. For more information, visit: <strong><a href="https://www.gcmgrosvenor.com">gcmgrosvenor.com</a>.</strong></p> <p><strong>EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER M/F/D/V</strong></p></div>