Technical Operations Manager

About the Role

Technical Operations Manager

Location: Omagh, Northern Ireland

Reports to: CTO

Role Purpose

The Technical Operations Manager is responsible for the day-to-day leadership and performance of the service desk function, ensuring high-quality IT support is delivered to our clients in line with agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

The role will lead a team of approximately 14 technical staff across service desk, infrastructure, cloud services, networking, and cyber security, driving service excellence, customer satisfaction, and continual service improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Management

• Lead, manage, and develop a team of ~14 technical staff across multiple disciplines
• Conduct regular 1:1s, performance reviews, and coaching sessions
• Manage resource allocation, scheduling, and workload balancing
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and training of new staff
• Foster a high-performance, customer-focused team culture
• Build a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Coach team members through performance challenges and development plans.
• Hold difficult conversations when standards are not met.
• Identify future technical leaders and support succession planning.
• Drive alignment with LoughTec's values and behaviours.

Leadership Expectations

• Lead by example.
• Be visible, approachable, and supportive.
• Challenge poor behaviours and low standards.
• Communicate clearly and consistently.
• Create an environment where people can do their best work.
• Support organisational change and continuous improvement initiatives.

Service Desk Operations

• Oversee daily service desk operations, ensuring efficient ticket handling
• Manage ticket queues, prioritisation, and escalation processes
• Ensure timely response and resolution of incidents and service requests
• Act as an escalation point for complex or high-priority issues

SLA & KPI Management

• Own and report on service desk performance against SLAs and KPIs
• Monitor metrics such as:
• First Response Time
• Resolution Time (MTTR)
• First Contact Resolution (FCR)
• Ticket backlog
• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)
• Produce regular performance reports for management and clients

Client & Stakeholder Management

• Act as a key point of contact for service-related client issues and escalations
• Participate in service review meetings with clients where required
• Work closely with account management/sales teams to ensure client satisfaction
• Manage and resolve service complaints in a professional manner

Process & Service Improvement

• Implement and maintain ITIL-aligned processes (Incident, Request, Problem, Change)
• Identify recurring issues and drive problem management initiatives
• Improve service desk efficiency through automation, documentation, and knowledge sharing
• Maintain and develop the internal knowledge base

Major Incident Management

• Lead or coordinate major incidents, ensuring effective communication
• Ensure timely updates to clients and internal stakeholders
• Conduct post-incident reviews and drive preventative actions

Systems & Tools Management

• Oversee the effective use of PSA/ticketing systems (e.g. ConnectWise, Autotask)
• Ensure accurate ticket data for reporting and analysis
• Work with technical teams to optimise monitoring and alerting systems

Collaboration with Projects Team

• Work closely with the Project Manager to ensure smooth handover between projects and support
• Ensure clear boundaries between project work and support activities
• Assist in identifying opportunities for project work from recurring support issues

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• SLA compliance across all clients
• Reduction in ticket backlog
• Improvement in response and resolution times
• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT/NPS)
• Team utilisation and productivity
• Reduction in repeat incidents

Technical Operations Manager - Skills & Experience

Essential

• Proven experience managing an IT service desk or support team
• Experience working within an MSP or multi-client environment
• Strong understanding of SLA-driven service delivery
• Experience using