Enterprise Service Desk Manager
About the role
Who are we?
The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) is the largest school board in western Canada with over 144,000 students and 16,000 employees. Our mission: Each student, in keeping with their individual abilities and gifts, will complete high school with a foundation of learning necessary to thrive in life, work and continued learning. We pride ourselves in the values we hold. Students come first. Learning is our central purpose. Public education serves the common good. The CBE encourages an inclusive and equitable workplace, which supports our diverse student and employee community. We encourage all applicants to join our dynamic, diverse, and collaborative culture and welcome applications from all qualified individuals. When you apply to the CBE, you can feel good about serving our future leaders and contributing to student success.
What does this role look like?
Reporting to the Director, Service Transformation, the Enterprise Service Desk Manager provides strategic and operational leadership for the CBE Enterprise Service Desk. The Enterprise Service Desk is instrumental in streamlining large business operations and offering capabilities to optimize both internal and external customer experience. This position is responsible for the strategic implementation of automating customer support for all CBE service units on the same platform, unifying them, and supporting delivery for users and employees. In addition, the Service Desk Manager will be responsible for creating an outward-facing support centre for parents and families, providing a “one stop” service desk that supports both internal and external customers. The CBE Service Desk will encompass all business areas including IT, HR operations, facilities, supply chain, finance, transportation, and school improvement outward-facing support.
The Enterprise Service Desk Manager will lead and oversee the CBE Service Desk function, ensuring seamless end-user support across the enterprise. This role requires a strategic leader who can create and manage a high-performing team, optimize service delivery, implement ITIL best practices, and continuously improve the user experience for employees, external clients and stakeholders.
This role ensures the seamless delivery of daily support services, drives continuous improvement, and champions enterprise-wide service initiatives. The Service Desk Manager works in close collaboration with service unit leaders, applying a lens of strategic foresight to anticipate evolving business needs. Through ongoing dialogue and joint planning, the Manager identifies and prioritizes new opportunities to enhance service delivery, streamline support processes, and align the Enterprise Service Desk with broader organizational goals. The Service Desk Manager provides leadership to the CBE Service Desk team, and cultivates a high-performing, motivated and resilient team.
What will you do?
Stakeholder Management
- Act as the primary point of contact for business leaders regarding enterprise service desk performance
- Provide regular service performance reports and improvement plans to executive leadership
Strategic Leadership
- Provide coaching and leadership to Service Desk Supervisors, empowering them to lead confidently, grow professionally and drive team performance
Leadership and Strategy
- Define and execute the vision, strategy, and roadmap for the enterprise service desk in alignment with Service Transformation and system-wide business objectives
- Establish and monitor performance goals, SLAs and KPIs to ensure continuous improvement
What will you do?
Strategic Planning and Governance
- Develop the annual Service Desk work plan with leadership and conduct quarterly reviews to assess progress
- Present updates and strategic insights to Councils, Committees and senior leadership, including Enterprise Service Management maturity reports
Project Leadership and Service Transformation
- Lead project-based initiatives to enhance and harden service desk processes and technologies
- Steward the Service Management Platform strategy, consolidating ticketing, contact management, and related systems
- Guide onboarding assessments for new lines of business to ensure seamless integration and support readiness
Operational Oversight and Escalation Management
- Respond to escalations in partnership with the Operations Supervisor
- Ensure daily service delivery aligns with performance expectations and user needs
Talent Management and Team Development
- Collaborate with HR Advisory Services and Supervisors on attraction, retention, engagement and talent development
- Organize and oversee a structured performance review process, setting clear expectations for supervisors and team members
Continuous Improvement and Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Drive continuous improvement of service management practices in coordination with stakeholder departments
- Perform other duties as assigned that support the evolution and effectiveness of the service desk
What are we looking for?
Education and Experience:
- University degree in Business Administration, Finance, Technology, or related undergraduate program. Advanced education in a related discipline preferred.
- Minimum of ten years of progressively more responsible related experience in a service management and client support environment with five years of demonstrated experience in a leadership capacity.
- Service Management Certification such as: ITIL Foundation, HDI Support Center Manager, CompTIA certification.
- Strong understanding of and experience with IT Service Management (ITSM) platforms and tools.
- Proven experience managing enterprise-scale service desk teams.
- Experience with enterprise-level ticket systems.
- Deep understanding of IT service management frameworks, SLAs and performance metrics.
- An equivalent combination of related education and related experience will be considered.
Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:
- Proven success leading diverse teams in a unionized environment.
- Analytical mindset with experience in data-driven decision-making.
- Ability to foster collaboration using empathy, conflict resolution and strong communication.
- Extensive experience analyzing multiple sources of performance data.
- Strong problem-solving, critical thinking and issue identification skills.
- Results-driven with a focus on client needs and service outcomes.
- Demonstrated ability to negotiate and influence across stakeholder groups.
- Responsive to evolving business needs and priorities.
- Effective in fast-paced environments with shifting priorities and tight deadlines.
Land Acknowledgement
The Calgary Board of Education acknowledges the traditional territories and oral practices of the Treaty 7 Nations, including the Siksikaitsitapi Nations, Tsuut'ina Nation, and the Îyârhe Nakoda Nations. We acknowledge the Métis Nation within Alberta, and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of southern Alberta. As a learning organization, we are committed to advancing the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action focused on Education for ReconciliACTION.
Competition Close Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2025 @ 11:59 PM
Salary: Exempt M2, $147,700 to $180,100 annually
FTE: 1.0, 35 hours/week
About Calgary Board of Education
Our vision:
The Calgary Board of Education is the dynamic learning community of choice.
We provide quality learning opportunities and options. Our learners take ownership by discovering and developing their potential, passions and gifts. They take their place as lifelong learners and make a significant contribution within a complex, changing world.
Our values:
Students come first.
We believe that everyone can learn. Each student is unique and worthwhile. We acknowledge, recognize and celebrate the diversity of our learners. Success for each and every student is the goal of our work.
Learning is our central purpose.
We believe that learning empowers students to achieve their potential. Attention to continuous improvement, high expectations, innovation and relationships will enable all students to reach their potential. Student learning is at the heart of everyone's work at the Calgary Board of Education.
Public education serves the common good.
Public education is essential for a vibrant democracy. The principles of democracy drive our accountability to the public and the public's participation in our work. Our school system is owned by and accountable to Calgarians and therefore, the Calgary Board of Education is accountable to Calgary taxpayers for using resources wisely to meet students' learning needs.
Enterprise Service Desk Manager
About the role
Who are we?
The Calgary Board of Education (CBE) is the largest school board in western Canada with over 144,000 students and 16,000 employees. Our mission: Each student, in keeping with their individual abilities and gifts, will complete high school with a foundation of learning necessary to thrive in life, work and continued learning. We pride ourselves in the values we hold. Students come first. Learning is our central purpose. Public education serves the common good. The CBE encourages an inclusive and equitable workplace, which supports our diverse student and employee community. We encourage all applicants to join our dynamic, diverse, and collaborative culture and welcome applications from all qualified individuals. When you apply to the CBE, you can feel good about serving our future leaders and contributing to student success.
What does this role look like?
Reporting to the Director, Service Transformation, the Enterprise Service Desk Manager provides strategic and operational leadership for the CBE Enterprise Service Desk. The Enterprise Service Desk is instrumental in streamlining large business operations and offering capabilities to optimize both internal and external customer experience. This position is responsible for the strategic implementation of automating customer support for all CBE service units on the same platform, unifying them, and supporting delivery for users and employees. In addition, the Service Desk Manager will be responsible for creating an outward-facing support centre for parents and families, providing a “one stop” service desk that supports both internal and external customers. The CBE Service Desk will encompass all business areas including IT, HR operations, facilities, supply chain, finance, transportation, and school improvement outward-facing support.
The Enterprise Service Desk Manager will lead and oversee the CBE Service Desk function, ensuring seamless end-user support across the enterprise. This role requires a strategic leader who can create and manage a high-performing team, optimize service delivery, implement ITIL best practices, and continuously improve the user experience for employees, external clients and stakeholders.
This role ensures the seamless delivery of daily support services, drives continuous improvement, and champions enterprise-wide service initiatives. The Service Desk Manager works in close collaboration with service unit leaders, applying a lens of strategic foresight to anticipate evolving business needs. Through ongoing dialogue and joint planning, the Manager identifies and prioritizes new opportunities to enhance service delivery, streamline support processes, and align the Enterprise Service Desk with broader organizational goals. The Service Desk Manager provides leadership to the CBE Service Desk team, and cultivates a high-performing, motivated and resilient team.
What will you do?
Stakeholder Management
- Act as the primary point of contact for business leaders regarding enterprise service desk performance
- Provide regular service performance reports and improvement plans to executive leadership
Strategic Leadership
- Provide coaching and leadership to Service Desk Supervisors, empowering them to lead confidently, grow professionally and drive team performance
Leadership and Strategy
- Define and execute the vision, strategy, and roadmap for the enterprise service desk in alignment with Service Transformation and system-wide business objectives
- Establish and monitor performance goals, SLAs and KPIs to ensure continuous improvement
What will you do?
Strategic Planning and Governance
- Develop the annual Service Desk work plan with leadership and conduct quarterly reviews to assess progress
- Present updates and strategic insights to Councils, Committees and senior leadership, including Enterprise Service Management maturity reports
Project Leadership and Service Transformation
- Lead project-based initiatives to enhance and harden service desk processes and technologies
- Steward the Service Management Platform strategy, consolidating ticketing, contact management, and related systems
- Guide onboarding assessments for new lines of business to ensure seamless integration and support readiness
Operational Oversight and Escalation Management
- Respond to escalations in partnership with the Operations Supervisor
- Ensure daily service delivery aligns with performance expectations and user needs
Talent Management and Team Development
- Collaborate with HR Advisory Services and Supervisors on attraction, retention, engagement and talent development
- Organize and oversee a structured performance review process, setting clear expectations for supervisors and team members
Continuous Improvement and Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Drive continuous improvement of service management practices in coordination with stakeholder departments
- Perform other duties as assigned that support the evolution and effectiveness of the service desk
What are we looking for?
Education and Experience:
- University degree in Business Administration, Finance, Technology, or related undergraduate program. Advanced education in a related discipline preferred.
- Minimum of ten years of progressively more responsible related experience in a service management and client support environment with five years of demonstrated experience in a leadership capacity.
- Service Management Certification such as: ITIL Foundation, HDI Support Center Manager, CompTIA certification.
- Strong understanding of and experience with IT Service Management (ITSM) platforms and tools.
- Proven experience managing enterprise-scale service desk teams.
- Experience with enterprise-level ticket systems.
- Deep understanding of IT service management frameworks, SLAs and performance metrics.
- An equivalent combination of related education and related experience will be considered.
Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:
- Proven success leading diverse teams in a unionized environment.
- Analytical mindset with experience in data-driven decision-making.
- Ability to foster collaboration using empathy, conflict resolution and strong communication.
- Extensive experience analyzing multiple sources of performance data.
- Strong problem-solving, critical thinking and issue identification skills.
- Results-driven with a focus on client needs and service outcomes.
- Demonstrated ability to negotiate and influence across stakeholder groups.
- Responsive to evolving business needs and priorities.
- Effective in fast-paced environments with shifting priorities and tight deadlines.
Land Acknowledgement
The Calgary Board of Education acknowledges the traditional territories and oral practices of the Treaty 7 Nations, including the Siksikaitsitapi Nations, Tsuut'ina Nation, and the Îyârhe Nakoda Nations. We acknowledge the Métis Nation within Alberta, and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of southern Alberta. As a learning organization, we are committed to advancing the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action focused on Education for ReconciliACTION.
Competition Close Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2025 @ 11:59 PM
Salary: Exempt M2, $147,700 to $180,100 annually
FTE: 1.0, 35 hours/week
About Calgary Board of Education
Our vision:
The Calgary Board of Education is the dynamic learning community of choice.
We provide quality learning opportunities and options. Our learners take ownership by discovering and developing their potential, passions and gifts. They take their place as lifelong learners and make a significant contribution within a complex, changing world.
Our values:
Students come first.
We believe that everyone can learn. Each student is unique and worthwhile. We acknowledge, recognize and celebrate the diversity of our learners. Success for each and every student is the goal of our work.
Learning is our central purpose.
We believe that learning empowers students to achieve their potential. Attention to continuous improvement, high expectations, innovation and relationships will enable all students to reach their potential. Student learning is at the heart of everyone's work at the Calgary Board of Education.
Public education serves the common good.
Public education is essential for a vibrant democracy. The principles of democracy drive our accountability to the public and the public's participation in our work. Our school system is owned by and accountable to Calgarians and therefore, the Calgary Board of Education is accountable to Calgary taxpayers for using resources wisely to meet students' learning needs.