IT Service Desk Team Leader

Overview:
**IT Service Desk Team Leader**

**Lookers Head Office Manchester - Remote with occasional travel**

**Contract Type: Permanent, Full-Time**

**Salary: £35,000 to £37,500 (Depending on Experience)**

**Hours: 37.5 per week Monday to Friday 07:30 - 18:00**

At Lookers, we understand the value of nurturing and developing our talent. We provide colleagues with ongoing learning and development opportunities so that they can advance in their careers.

We are looking for an IT Service Desk Team Leader to join our diverse and innovative team.

The IT Service Desk Team Leader at Lookers is responsible for leading and managing the performance and development of both 1st Line Service Desk Agents and 2nd Line Support Agents, ensuring consistent and high-quality IT support is delivered across the business.

**Responsibilities**:
This role exists to oversee the successful delivery of technical support services, in line with agreed SLAs and KPIs tailored to each support tier, while driving customer satisfaction and continuous service improvement. The Team Leader plays a critical role in ensuring operational alignment across support levels, escalating issues effectively, and supporting the wider goals of IT Operations and business continuity.

**Team Leadership & Line Management**
- Directly manage a team of 1st Line (Service Desk) and 2nd Line Support Agents.
- Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and support to ensure the team meets defined individual and group KPIs.
- Conduct performance reviews, development planning, and support career progression within the team.
- Promote a collaborative and accountable team culture that focuses on delivering excellent user support.

**Operational Oversight**
- Oversee ticket management for both Service Desk and 2nd Line functions, ensuring SLA compliance and quality standards are met.
- Ensure timely and effective resolution of incidents, problems, and service requests, across all support tiers.
- Act as an escalation point for complex technical issues or service challenges.

**KPI & SLA Management**
- Monitor, report on, and drive performance against defined KPIs for both 1st Line and 2nd Line teams.
- Analyse support trends and team metrics to proactively identify improvement areas and remove service bottlenecks.
- Ensure resource allocation supports peak demand periods and business-critical services.

**Stakeholder Communication & Collaboration**
- Maintain regular communication with the IT Service Delivery Manager and other IT functions within the team.
- Ensure timely updates and incident communication to stakeholders and affected users.
- Manage relationships with third-party IT suppliers, including regular service reviews and check-ins to ensure external support aligns with Lookers’ standards and contractual expectations.

**Process Compliance & Continuous Improvement**
- Enforce ITIL-aligned processes such as Incident, Request, and Problem Management.
- Participate in or lead service reviews, root cause analyses, and audit compliance activities.
- Identify and implement process enhancements to improve the user experience and operational efficiency.

Qualifications:
**Essential**:

- Demonstrable experience leading IT support teams in a multi-site or enterprise environment.
- Strong understanding of service delivery frameworks, SLAs, and KPI management for multiple support tiers.
- Solid knowledge of ITSM systems (e.g., Cherwell, Halo) and reporting tools.
- Excellent interpersonal, coaching, and people management skills.
- Ability to remain calm and decisive in high-pressure situations, particularly during incidents or outages.
- Technical knowledge across key platforms including Microsoft 365, Windows OS, Active Directory, and endpoint support.

**Desirable**:

- ITIL Foundation certification.
- Experience within the automotive or retail industry.
- Familiarity with remote support tools, asset management systems, and mobile device management.
- Proven track record of delivering service improvement initiatives across IT support teams.

**About us**

We are one of the top three automotive retailers in the UK, proudly representing 32 manufacturer brands, selling a huge range of new and used vehicles from over 150 dealerships across the UK and Ireland.

We believe our diverse workforce is our greatest asset, and we’re committed to recognizing the valuable contributions of all individuals. That’s why we continue to invest in a leading rewards and benefits package designed to support your career, wellbeing, and life outside of work.

**Core Benefits**:

- Competitive salaries with structured pay scales and progression as you grow within the business
- Generous annual leave that increases with your length of service
- Enhanced family leave, including 6 months’ full pay for maternity and adoption leave, and 2 weeks’ full pay for paternity leave
- Access to Techscheme for discounted technology purchases with flexible payments

**Health & Wellbeing**:

- Eyecare vouche