Help Desk Manager in Newport Beach, California at Animal Outpatient Specialty Network

The Help Desk Manager keeps IT support running across AOSN's 75+ clinic locations. This role owns the support queue, governs day-to-day MSP service delivery, coordinates escalations, and ensures every issue has an owner, a current status, and a clear path to resolution. The position combines service management discipline, clinic relationship ownership, vendor accountability, leadership, and hands-on technical expertise.

The successful candidate is proactive, organized, technically capable, and comfortable directing work across external support resources without relying on direct supervisory authority. The primary measure of success is ownership: issues are identified early, communicated clearly, driven to resolution, and converted into measurable service improvements.

This role is ideal for a Help Desk Lead, Service Desk Manager, or senior support professional looking to take the next step in their career. The position offers a clear growth path to IT Operations Manager for candidates who expand into broader systems, endpoint, identity, infrastructure, and operational leadership responsibilities.

Local Southern California candidates are preferred; however, remote candidates will be considered if they have demonstrated success supporting multi-site organizations, leading support operations independently, and managing geographically distributed environments. Remote candidates must be willing to travel to Newport Beach and clinic locations as business needs require.

• 5+ years of progressive IT support, service desk, or service delivery experience.
• At least 2 years of experience coordinating a help desk, leading escalations, supervising support resources, serving as a Help Desk Lead, or managing MSP/vendor service performance.
• Demonstrated experience supporting a multi-site, distributed, or high-volume support environment.
• Experience supporting non-technical end users in a customer service-focused environment.
• Direct experience working with and holding MSPs, vendors, or third-party support providers accountable to service levels, response times, communication standards, and operational commitments.
• Experience managing ticket queues, escalations, service requests, and SLA performance metrics.
• Ability to analyze service data, identify trends, and translate findings into practical corrective actions and process improvements.
• Strong organizational, prioritization, and follow-through skills with the ability to manage multiple competing priorities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated accountability, leadership potential, and ability to make sound operational decisions with minimal oversight.
• Self-directed, proactive, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft 365, Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, Entra ID, MFA, user and group administration, and endpoint support.
• Experience building or improving service desk processes, KPI reporting, SLA tracking, and help desk performance metrics.
• Experience managing vendor relationships and conducting service performance reviews.
• Experience supporting healthcare, veterinary, or other multi-location clinical environments.
• Experience in a rapidly growing, acquisition-driven, or private-equity-backed organization.
• Experience with ITSM platforms, knowledge management systems, device inventory management, and user lifecycle administration.
• Experience mentoring technicians, leading support teams, or serving as a Help Desk Lead.
• ITIL Foundation certification.
• CompTIA A+ certification.
• Microsoft certifications.

Working Expectations

• Local Southern California candidates are preferred; remote candidates will be considered based on experience and qualifications.
• Remote candidates must demonstrate success supporting multiple locations, communicating effectively with distributed teams, and leading support operations independently.
• Ability and willingness to travel to Newport Beach and clinic locations as needed.
• Travel is typically quarterly for 2-3 days at a time, with additional travel possible during acquisitions, clinic onboarding activities, operational readiness efforts, and major IT initiatives.
• Participation in scheduled after-hours maintenance and support for high-impact incidents.
• Ability to support clinics across multiple U.S. time zones and communicate promptly during urgent service events.

First 90 Days Success Looks Like

• Ownership of the daily help desk queue and escalation process.
• Establishment of baseline SLA reporting and service performance metrics.
• Completion of an MSP performance review with identified opportunities for improvement.
• Strong working relationships established with clinic leaders and key stakeholders.
• Clear understanding of clinic operations and support requirements across the organization.
• Ability to independently manage most escalations without Sr. IT Manager involvement.
• Identification and implementation of meaningful service improvements that enhance the end-user experience.