IT Service Desk Manager
Location: Home based but travel to sites in the Northeast and across Yorkshire will be required as and when needed.
Working Hours: 37 Hours
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary: £38,960 - £56,010
Please note: The salary listed reflects the full earning potential for this role. Starting salaries depend on experience and progression within the band.
About Waythrough
Waythrough was formed in 2024 following the merger of Humankind and Richmond Fellowship. Together, we’ve created one of the largest mental health and social support charities in England.
Every year, we support around 125,000 people through nearly 200 services – and it’s all made possible by our 3,500 brilliant staff and volunteers.
Make a real difference in your community
Are you passionate about helping others live safer, healthier, more independent lives? Join our team at Waythrough and support people facing challenges around mental health, substance use, housing or domestic abuse. This is more than just a job – it’s a chance to build meaningful relationships and create lasting change.
At Waythrough, our mission is driven by compassion, courage and respect and our people are at the heart of everything we do. As a values‑led charity, we’re committed to creating meaningful impact for the communities we support. Our IT & Digital team plays a vital role in enabling that mission by delivering secure, reliable and user‑centred technology services.
We’re now looking for a proactive IT Service Desk Manager who can lead our Service Desk function with energy, empathy and expertise.
The IT Service Desk Manager plays a central leadership role within the IT & Digital team, You will be responsible for ensuring high‑quality, user‑focused IT support for all staff and volunteers in a busy complex environment.
Key Duties:
Lead & Develop the Service Desk
Manage day-to-day operations and ensure high-quality customer service.
Build and embed ITIL aligned processes and standard operating procedures.
Act as an escalation point for complex or high priority incidents.
Implement a structured team management approach, including regular documented 1:1s, agreed action tracking, and ticket quality reviews with constructive feedback for every team member.
Produce a weekly Service Desk performance summary (trends, recurring issues, improvements) and submit it to the Head of IT Service Delivery.
Build strong processes & documentation
Create and implement a structured framework for team documentation, including:
A standard template for troubleshooting guides, SOPs and processes.
A documented review cycle with clear ownership and update frequency.
Complete a full review and update of all incident management processes to ensure accuracy, clarity and suitability for Waythrough.
Support the transition of new technologies and services into the live environment, including support snapshots, handover documentation and configuration management.
Drive Continuous improvement
Proactively monitor the service management toolset to identify emerging trends, recurring issues, themes and patterns — escalating them appropriately.
Use insights from ticket reviews, performance data and user feedback to drive service improvements, automation opportunities and self‑service enhancements.
Ensure the Service Desk team consistently meets SLAs and contributes to wider IT & Digital goals.
Champion the user experience
Act as an advocate for staff and volunteers, ensuring their needs are understood and reflected in service improvements.
Ensure key updates, decisions and incident impacts are communicated back to the Service Desk team promptly.
Provide feedback to relevant teams whenever incidents or changes affect the Service Desk or user experience.
Engage & collaborate across IT & Digital
Demonstrate proactive engagement in meetings by raising insights, highlighting improvement opportunities and contributing to collaborative problem‑solving.
Work closely with other IT teams to ensure smooth issue resolution, knowledge sharing and consistent service delivery.
Inspire & Support your team
Mentor, coach and develop your direct reports.
Lead recruitment, training, performance reviews and wellbeing support.
Foster a positive, collaborative, values-driven culture.
What we’re looking for
Experience leading or developing an IT Service Desk.
Strong understanding of ITIL or similar service management frameworks.
Excellent communication, problem‑solving and relationship‑building skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and collaborate across teams.
Experience transitioning new services into live environments.
Key outcomes first 6-12 months
A structured high performing team management approach embedded.
A robust documentation framework is created and adopted.
Strong incident management and leadership demonstrated.
Team culture and collaboration are noticeably strengthened.
A clear roadmap for ongoing service desk development.
A roadmap for automation, self service or assistive technology for our service management toolset.
As we may receive a large number of applications, this advert may close earlier than the stated deadline. Early applications are strongly recommended.
What We Offer
We value the people who make a difference every day. Alongside meaningful work, you’ll enjoy a comprehensive benefits package:
27 days’ annual leave, rising to 32 after 1 year (plus bank holidays)
Pension scheme with 4.5% employer contribution, matched up to 6.5%
Life assurance (3× annual salary)
Enhanced sick pay and family-friendly pay
Birthday leave and the option to buy up to 5 extra days’ annual leave
Professional fee reimbursement for relevant qualifications
24/7 online GP access and Employee Assistance Programme
Recognition and long service awards via our Way to Go and Aspirations portals
£500 Recommend a Friend bonus
Cycle to Work scheme and Credit Union membership
Discounts via Blue Light Card, Charity Discounts, Extras and Tickets for Good
Free will writing service and wellbeing initiatives throughout the year
Inclusion and accessibility
Waythrough is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and communities, especially those with lived experience of the issues we support.
We have signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme - all applicants are welcome, and adjustments can be made to enable fair participation.
If you need adjustments or support to apply, please email our recruitment team: recruitmentteam@waythrough.org.uk
Closing Date:
2026-04-01