toptal - Director, Service Desk - US-Based
Requirements
• 8-12+ years of experience in IT support, service desk, or managed services operations. • Proven track record building or transforming service desk / service center functions (0→1 or major redesign). • Experience operating in MSP or multi-client environments with competing priorities. • Demonstrated success scaling from decentralized support models to structured service organizations. • Deep understanding of ITSM disciplines (Incident, Request, Problem, Change Management) with practical application of frameworks (e.g., ITIL). • Experience designing service models including SLAs, XLAs, escalation paths, and tiered support structures (L0–L3). • Strong understanding of service economics (cost-to-serve, staffing models, volume drivers). • Hands-on experience with service platforms (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, Zendesk). • Experience implementing automation, knowledge management (KCS), and self-service support models. • Familiarity with AI-enabled support tools (virtual agents, triage automation) and reporting/dashboarding. • Experience designing and scaling operating models (client-aligned, pod-based, or hybrid support structures). • Proven ability to balance high-touch client experience with operational efficiency and scale. • Experience working directly with enterprise clients, including managing escalations and participating in service reviews (QBRs/MBRs). • Demonstrated impact on client satisfaction, retention, and expansion (e.g., CSAT, NPS improvements). • Strong leadership presence with ability to drive accountability, influence cross-functional teams, and operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-paced environments. • Outstanding written and verbal communication skills. • Ability to work in a fast-paced, rapidly growing company and handle a wide variety of challenges, deadlines, and a diverse array of contacts. • You must be a world-class individual contributor to thrive at Toptal. You will not be here just to tell other people what to do. • Essential Job Functions • Regularly and reliably attend scheduled virtual team meetings on camera. • Work independently with minimal supervision. • Use all required digital collaboration tools. • Prioritize and self-manage workflows and deadlines. • US FLSA Classification: Full-Time/Exempt • This position receives a base salary and is also eligible to receive a discretionary bonus. For candidates who meet the qualifications and job requirements listed above, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. • Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. In the US, Toptal’s benefit offerings include participation in a 401(k) retirement plan; medical, dental, and vision health insurance plans; basic life insurance coverage and short-term and long-term disability coverage; access to flexible spending, dependent care, and health savings accounts; access to telehealth virtual doctors; an employee assistance program; and flexible paid time off.
Responsibilities
• Service Vision & Differentiated MSP Strategy • Define and execute a next-generation MSP service desk strategy centered on high-touch, white-glove client experience. • Position the service desk as a value driver (client satisfaction, retention, upsell), not just a cost center. • Develop tiered service offerings (e.g., standard vs. premium/concierge support models) aligned to client segments. • Embed client-specific context into service delivery, ensuring support interactions reflect each client’s environment, priorities, and user needs. • Build: Federated to Structured Service Model (0 to 1) • Stand up initial service center operations using a distributed, cross-functional contributor model. • Establish intake channels (portal, chat, phone, dedicated client lines) with priority routing for high-touch clients. • Create foundational SOPs, playbooks, and client-specific runbooks. • Launch a knowledge-centered service (KCS) model tailored to client environments. • Define early SLAs / XLAs with an emphasis on experience-level outcomes, not just resolution speed. • Establish clear ownership models to ensure every request is tracked, managed, and resolved end-to-end. • Scale: Premium Service Delivery Model (1 to N) • Transition to a dedicated, client-aligned service desk organization with named ownership models. • Introduce pod-based or client-aligned support structures (e.g., service pods, technical account alignment). • Develop workforce strategy including skill-based routing, coverage models, and high-touch escalation paths. • Introduce automation to improve efficiency while preserving high-touch, human-led interactions for critical and high-value client engagements. • Build a concierge-level support tier for high-value clients and critical services. • Client Experience & Relationship Management • Own end-to-end client support experience, measured through both operational and experiential metrics. • Implement and track KPIs including CSAT, XLAs, FCR, and MTRS. • Act as a senior escalation point for high-priority client issues. • Partner with Client Success, Account Management, and Delivery teams to ensure aligned, seamless client engagement. • Ensure consistent, proactive communication with clients throughout the issue lifecycle, eliminating the need for follow-ups or escalation for status visibility. • Operational Excellence with a High-Touch Lens • Establish ITSM best practices (Incident, Request, Problem, Change) while adapting for client-specific flexibility. • Build real-time dashboards and client-facing reporting that demonstrate value and transparency. • Drive proactive and preventative support through trend analysis, recurring issue identification, and environment-level insights. • Implement service reviews and feedback loops with clients to continuously refine delivery. • Innovation & Next-Gen Capabilities • Leverage automation, AI, and virtual agents to augment (not replace) human support. • Introduce predictive and proactive support capabilities using analytics and telemetry. • Continuously benchmark against leading MSP and enterprise service models. • Evolve the service model to prioritize client experience, ownership, and business impact—not just ticket resolution. • In the first week, expect to: • Onboard and integrate into Toptal; meet your colleagues. • Learn about Toptal’s history, culture, and vision, with a focus on the state of our industry, the Future of Work, and the core messages important to Toptal. • Shadow critical teams throughout the organization to learn Toptal’s core operations and capabilities. • Understand the current state of ITSM / Service Desk capabilities and commitments. • In the first month, expect to: • Begin developing relationships with key leaders and stakeholders across the organization. • Dive deeper into the operations of key teams (e.g., Sales, Talent Operations) across the company. • Implement a minimum viable service model. • Define a simple triage model and assign critical roles. • Launch basic service metrics. • Provide exemplary service to early stage clients. • In the first three months, expect to: • Finalize a target operating model. • Introduce client centric and contextually aware routing. • Launch a knowledge-enabled service model to capture and reuse solutions. • Implement reporting and dashboards. • Begin defining future organization, capacity plan, and scaling gates. • In the first six months, expect to: • Evolve functional capabilities to fit for purpose / white glove service processes. • Define and implement experience-level metrics (XLAs). • Implement automation strategically across intake and communication channels to improve efficiency without degrading client experience. • Establish the service desk as a high-touch client experience function, not simply a transactional ticket queue. • In the first year, expect to: • Fully transition to a professional service desk model. • Understand and optimize cost to serve vs. human experience intelligently. • Define and expand premium and concierge tier services. • Implement customer facing proactive support functions. • Partner with Sales to identify and support upsell and cross-sell opportunities through service interactions. • Establish a continuous improvement model with structured peer review, feedback loops, and service optimization initiatives.
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