Director, IT Service Desk

Netskope is on a mission to redefine cloud, data, and network security, and the IT Infrastructure & Operations team is the backbone of that mission. We are seeking a hands-on, servant-leader to elevate and transform our global Service Desk organization into a strategic asset. This is not a typical “ticket-closing” role; it is a critical leadership position focused on redefining IT support as a product, driving automation, expanding self-service, and harnessing Generative AI to deliver a frictionless, consumer-grade employee experience. The Director of IT Service Desk will partner with IT product leadership to build and mature the service catalog with defined and measurable SLAs, own IT change management, and implement a data-driven strategy that improves support quality, reduces friction, and enables Netskope employees worldwide to innovate and move faster..

Responsibilities:

• Lead & Inspire a Global Team: Provide strategic direction and leadership for a distributed organization of L1 and L2 support engineers. Build a culture of accountability, collaboration, and exceptional service while defining clear career paths and growth opportunities. Ensure balanced, 24x7 global coverage aligned to business needs.
• Run the Service Desk as a Product: Treat the Service Desk as a core IT product with defined ownership, a service roadmap, and measurable outcomes. Align priorities with the IT product operating model, applying product management principles to deliver continuous improvements in employee experience and productivity.
• Drive a Self-Service and Automation Mindset: Champion an automation-first approach that eliminates repetitive work and accelerates service delivery. Build a culture of self-service by leveraging AI-powered virtual agents, intelligent knowledge bases, and automated workflows to scale support.
• Leverage GenAI for Transformation: Lead the adoption of Generative AI to transform IT support, from ticket deflection to intelligent resolution.
• Build and Own the Service Catalog: Partner with IT product leadership to define, maintain, and evolve a comprehensive service catalog with clear, measurable SLAs. Continuously enhance the catalog through automation, AI integration, and employee feedback.
• Own IT Change Management: Take responsibility for IT change management processes, ensuring changes are implemented in a controlled, transparent, and agile manner that balances risk and speed.
• Champion Knowledge & Digital Self-Service: Establish a world-class knowledge management program, transforming Confluence into a central hub for high-quality documentation and self-help resources. Reduce inbound tickets through proactive problem identification and scalable self-service enablement.
• Elevate the Employee Experience: Reimagine IT support as a modern, consumer-grade experience. Enhance Slack as a frictionless support channel, expand the Assist Bot’s capabilities, and deliver seamless IT support to all Netskopers.
• Be Customer Zero: Lead by example in leveraging Netskope’s own products, especially Digital Experience Management (DEM), to proactively diagnose and resolve issues. Provide actionable feedback to product and engineering to strengthen the customer value proposition.
• Measure What Matters: Define KPIs, build executive dashboards, and present insights on service quality and team performance. Use analytics to guide investment decisions, identify systemic issues, and improve outcomes across IT.

Requirements:

• Work Location: Must be available on-site 4 days per week at our Santa Clara, CA or St. Louis, MO office. 
• Seasoned IT Leader: 12+ years of IT experience with 7+ years leading large-scale, global Service Desk or Helpdesk operations in high-growth SaaS or technology environments.
• Strategic Operator with a Product Mindset: Experienced in working within an IT product operating model. Skilled at defining services as products, building roadmaps, and delivering iterative improvements that enhance employee experience.
• Automation & AI Advocate: Proven record of driving self-service adoption and automation at scale. Hands-on experience with AI-powered ITSM and employee experience platforms such as MoveWorks, Aisera, or similar solutions.
• People Leader & Talent Builder: Mentor who develops leaders, builds high-performing teams, and fosters a customer-first service culture.
• Data-Driven Decision Maker: Expert at using ITSM metrics and analytics to identify trends, guide strategy, and measure outcomes.
• ITSM & Governance Expert: Strong knowledge of ITIL and modern service management practices, with demonstrable experience applying them in a product-based IT model. ITIL certification preferred.
• Business Partner & Communicator: Exceptional ability to engage and influence executives, stakeholders, and employees alike.
• Bonus Skills: Familiarity with Okta, Google Workspace, M365, Kandji, Intune, and SaaS lifecycle management vendors
• Executive Leadership: Proven ability to lead global IT Service Desk organizations and shape digital employee experience strategy.
• Product Mindset: Experience applying product management principles within IT, including roadmap planning, service ownership, and iterative delivery.
• Self-Service & Automation: Strong record of scaling self-service and driving automation, with experience implementing AI-driven platforms such as MoveWorks or Aisera.
• Operational Excellence: Expertise in service delivery, ITIL frameworks, and IT change management.
• Technical Proficiency: Solid understanding of multi-OS environments (Windows, Mac, ChromeOS) and network/system troubleshooting.
• Data & Metrics Mastery: Ability to define, track, and communicate KPIs that drive accountability and improvement.
• Change Leadership: Skilled at transforming IT support functions, scaling globally, and building a culture of innovation and continuous improvement

 Education:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant discipline preferred