Service desk manager

Band 6 · Service desk analyst · 407 job evaluation points

UK GDaD PCF level: Service desk manager

Most often performed at Civil Service grade HEO or SEO.

A service desk manager identifies emerging issues and is a knowledge expert.
They are responsible for the resourcing and development of the team, including the preparation and co-ordination of service transition activities.

Contains public sector information from the UK Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (https://understand-digital-data-roles-skills.service.gov.uk/), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.

Responsibilities

Run the service desk day to day, making sure it is staffed and responsive 24 hours a day, every day.
Set priorities and response targets that reflect clinical risk, agreed with clinical and operational leads.
Prepare the desk for new and changed clinical systems, including training, scripts, and extra cover at go-live.
Analyze ticket trends to find emerging issues, and work with problem management to remove their causes.
Make sure the desk follows identity checking, information governance, and security procedures, and acts on audit findings.
Line manage senior analysts and analysts, including recruitment, performance, and wellbeing for staff working shifts.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Asset and configuration managementUK GDaD PCF	Awareness (1)	You can: track, log and correct information to protect assets and components
Continual service improvementUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: identify process optimisation opportunities with guidance, and contribute to the implementation of proposed solutions
Customer service managementUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: translate lessons learnt into continual service improvement oversee the full range of customer service functions, including reviewing customer service satisfaction investigate which processes can be automated and the ways to automate them
IT service reportingUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: use data analytics skills to make decisions that enhance business performance
Ownership and initiativeUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: take accountability for issues that occur and be proactive in searching for potential problems achieve excellent user outcomes
Problem managementUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: initiate and monitor actions to investigate patterns and trends to resolve problems effectively consult specialists where required determine the appropriate resolution and assist with its implementation determine preventative measures
Service focusUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: take inputs and establish coherent frameworks that work
Service management framework knowledgeUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: show you have a Level 3 service management framework qualification demonstrate knowledge of the life cycle or capability elements of ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library)
Technical understandingUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: understand the core technical concepts related to the role, and apply them with guidance
User focusUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: collaborate with user researchers and can represent users internally explain the difference between user needs and the desires of the user champion user research to focus on all users prioritise and define approaches to understand the user story, guiding others in doing so offer recommendations on the best tools and methods to use
Understanding health and care servicesThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: analyze how a service fits into care pathways across organizations work with clinicians, care staff, and patients to shape digital services explain the effect of digital decisions on care, safety, and staff workload
Information governance and data protectionThis reference	Working (2)	You can: apply data protection principles to your work contribute to data protection impact assessments handle information requests and records correctly
Identity and access managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: design and run identity and access services review access regularly and fix problems
Security operationsThis reference	Working (2)	You can: monitor alerts and triage them using runbooks gather evidence and escalate events tune simple detection rules under guidance
Clinical risk managementThis reference	Working (2)	You can: take part in hazard workshops and contribute to a hazard log follow the clinical risk management process for your work provide evidence for a clinical safety case, such as test results
People managementThis reference	Working (2)	You can: supervise day-to-day work and give feedback take part in recruitment and induction hold regular one-to-one conversations

Typical qualifications and experience

Experience of leading a service desk team, including shift or out-of-hours cover.
An intermediate IT service management qualification, or equivalent experience.

Band 6 outline

Knowledge: Specialist knowledge across a range of procedures, built through further training or experience.
Autonomy: Works independently; interprets policy for own area; seeks advice on complex issues.
Scope: A product, service, or workstream.
Leadership: May lead a small team or mentor colleagues.
Accountability: Outcomes of own workstream and quality of advice given.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	4	Gives complex, sensitive, or contentious information needing persuasion, negotiation, or training skills, or highly complex information.	32
Knowledge, training, and experience	5	Expertise in a specialism, underpinned by theory or practical experience (degree level or equivalent).	120
Analytical and judgmental skills	4	Judgments on complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	42
Planning and organizational skills	3	Plans several complex activities, adjusting plans as needed.	27
Physical skills	3	Developed skills needing speed or accuracy, such as advanced keyboard use.	27
Responsibility for patient and client care	1	Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.	4
Responsibility for policy and service development	3	Implements policies for own area and proposes changes that affect other areas.	21
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	2	Handles cash or valuables, looks after equipment used by others, controls stock, or authorizes small payments.	12
Responsibility for people	3	Manages a group of staff day to day, teaches core or specialist training, or gives core HR advice.	21
Responsibility for information resources	4	Adapts or designs information systems to others' specifications, or runs information systems for a department as the main duty.	24
Responsibility for research and development	2	Regularly does research, development, trials, or equipment and system testing as part of the job.	12
Freedom to act	4	Results are defined, but the job holder decides how to achieve them, within broad policy.	32
Physical effort	1	Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.	3
Mental effort	3	Frequent concentration on unpredictable work, or occasional prolonged concentration.	12
Emotional effort	2	Occasional exposure, or frequent indirect exposure, to distressing circumstances.	11
Working conditions	2	Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.	7
Total (Band 6: 396 to 465)			407

Knowledge is one level below the band profile, as is usual for service desk roles; responsibility for people is higher because the manager runs a shift-based team.