IT Service Desk Team Leader

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.

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.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, applications, and third-party teams to coordinate service delivery improvements.
• 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.

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 vouchers to help cover vision care needs
• Smart Health – 24/7 access to GP services to support your mental and physical wellbeing
• Dental insurance for everyday dental care and unexpected treatments
• Critical illness cover for peace of mind during life's most challenging moments

Financial Wellbeing:

• MyView PayNow – access a portion of your pay as you earn, with features to stream, save, and track your money through a user-friendly app
• Will writing services to help plan for the future
• Flexible life assurance options and partner life assurance for added protection

Leisure & Lifestyle:

• Discounted gym memberships to support an active lifestyle
• Travel insurance to help you explore with confidence
• Access to home and technology vouchers
• bYond card and a wide range of exclusive retail and lifestyle discounts

We strongly believe in nurturing and providing our people with specific manufacturer brand and management training to enhance career development opportunities. We have a fantastic team, and we actively celebrate and encourage success across all levels of our organisation.

Lookers and Charles Hurst are an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to a working environment that is free from discrimination, is inclusive, and empowers our people to bring their whole self to work and reach their full potential.

If your application is successful, we will conduct relevant employment checks prior to you commencing employment with us. These will include verifying your recent employment, address, credit history and a standard criminal record check. For roles that require you to drive, a driving licence check will also be carried out. Please note, all offers of employment are made subject to a 6 month probation period commencing from your start date.

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