Director, Service Desk
About Toptal
Toptal is a global network of top talent in business, design, and technology that enables companies to scale their teams, on-demand. With $200+ million in annual revenue and team members based around the globe, Toptal is the world’s largest fully remote workforce.
We take the best elements of virtual teams and combine them with a support structure that encourages innovation, social interaction, and fun. We see no borders, move at a fast pace, and are never afraid to break the mold.
Job Summary:
We are seeking a senior leader to architect, build, and scale a next-generation Service Desk / Client Service Center within a Managed Services Provider (MSP) environment. This role will redefine traditional support delivery into a high-touch, client-centric service model that prioritizes business outcomes, user experience, and long-term client relationships over commoditized, ticket-driven support.
Unlike traditional MSP approaches that emphasize cost reduction and deflection, this function will deliver context-aware, fit-for-purpose support tailored to each client’s environment and priorities. The successful candidate will build a service organization that serves as a strategic differentiator—driving client satisfaction, retention, and expansion. Initially leveraging a federated, cross-functional model, this role will evolve the service center into a scalable, structured, premium capability.
This is a remote position. We do not offer visa sponsorship or assistance. Resumes and communication must be submitted in English.
Responsibilities:
The following information is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or required skills.
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 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.
Qualifications and Job Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree is required.
- 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.
